Elaine & Ed

[Elaine]

Ed and I met Oct. 27, 2004 on a blind date at Border's books.
Our friends set us up.
Ed's friend thought I would be a good match for Ed because he met me once and I was wearing a t-shirt that said "I :heart: Nerds" and Ed's a little nerdy. Furthermore, he hadn't dated anyone for at least a year.
My friend though Ed would be a good match for me because he's funny, smart and a vegetarian. When she said vegetarian, I jumped at it.

pre-date
I was really worried because I hadn't had very good experiences with blind dates. One of my worst experiences was with a guy I call Beef-Teeth. I won't go into details; suffice it to say that Ed and Beef-Teeth are complete opposites. Ed will never pester me to get him some floss to get the beef stuck in his teeth out. If Ed has something stuck in his teeth, it's not beef and he gets his own floss. :)

date: Coffee
Ed likes to talk. He talked and talked... I was floored. He has a loud, strong voice with a Boston-like accent and I have a softer, weaker voice with a Californian accent. And because it was the day the Red Sox won the World Series, Ed was even more exicted and annimated than usual. Really, he was too much to take. Honestly, I thought he was nice and funny, but I didn't think we'd have a second date. My friend convinced me to give him a second chance. She said he was just nervous and excited.

second date: Movie
We went to see I :heart: Huckabees, which I really enjoyed. I think we grabbed something to eat, but honestly I don't remember. I just remember liking the movie and being impressed that he seemed to like it too. We made arrangements to watch the election results together.

third date: Election Results
Now, we had established that we had some similarities, one of which was our politics. So, we were both rooting for Kerry to win and we both thought he would. Which, even though it didn't happen, we still had a great date and this is when I decided this relationship was worth something.

Let me back up. Earlier in the week Ed called me to see what kind of wine I liked and if I was allergic to any foods because he was going to prepare dinner for me. I thought that was so sweet and no one had ever done that for me before.

Already my coworkers could tell there was something in the air. They kept asking me for more details about this guy. I guess I looked like I was in cloud nine.

His meal was delicious (even if he says now that it didn't turn out right and he has never made it again). We talked a lot and I felt like he toned it down a notch to make room for me and my voice. We really got to know each other pretty well that night.

The next day at work I think I said something about Ed being my future husband. I was just joking because the date went so well, but looking back, I think I knew.

the next couple months
We started spending more and more time together. We learned we were VERY similar. It is so strange now to think about it because at the time I didn't know it was possible. I had been on so many bad dates and had so many little problems in relationships that I didn't believe this was really happening to me.

Ed and I went everywhere together. And amazingly, I didn't feel like my space was constantly invaded, like I had feflt so many times with other men. Ed was so respectful and caring that I never worried we'd drive each other crazy.

Our relationship just kept getting better and better. We travelled, we tried new things, we met the parents, we taught each other things... we fell in love.

engagement
Well, we haven't officially announced anything yet. But we've talked about it and set a date - our first year anniversary of our initial meeting.

The first conversation about it that he initiated was when he said he had a funny idea that we should get married because then I could never be compelled to testify against him. It was a joke because I am in law school.

Then a week later he acted mroe serious, but still joking, saying that if we got married this year, it would count for the whole year tax-wise. This actually made sense since my income is so low compared to his right now that we could save about $5000 in taxes and put that towards the wedding (we will have to pay for everything ourselves).

The way he said it was joking but when he said, "I don't have the ring" his eyes kind of welled up and I realized he was trying to ask me if I was ready to be proposed to. Well, of course! I love this man and I want to be with him forever!

The next couple weeks we talked more about getting married and we set a date (our 1 year anniversary). He has to go get the ring (an heirloom from his grandmother), propose, and then we will announce it officially to our families and friends (most of whom already know).

So, I am already planning. What, with only four months, we have a lot to do.
Our plan right now is to go to Costa Rica to have the ceremony and honeymoon and then come back home to Vegas for the reception.

My first, and I believe most important task, is to find a dress. So... onto the gown search!

~Elaine

[Elaine]

Ed has the ring... I haven't seen it yet. I am soooo excited!

edit:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/IMG_0097.jpg
This is what we look like, by the way.

[NYjerseygirl]

Hi elaine, good luck in getting your e-ring soon! :)

[Elaine]

Hi elaine, good luck in getting your e-ring soon! :)

Thanks! I pick him up at the airport tonight.
Man, just one week apart and it feels like forever!
He says we'll have to adjust the ring a bit because his grandmother was so much shorter and smaller than I am. So, I'll get to see it, just I won't be able to wear it for a little while until all that is done.
I wonder how long that takes.
I am really excited to see it! I can't wait.

[NYjerseygirl]

Please take pics as soon as you get it on your finger! :)

[kg4eoh]

Thanks! I pick him up at the airport tonight.
Man, just one week apart and it feels like forever!
He says we'll have to adjust the ring a bit because his grandmother was so much shorter and smaller than I am. So, I'll get to see it, just I won't be able to wear it for a little while until all that is done.
I wonder how long that takes.
I am really excited to see it! I can't wait.

take it to the jeweler right away and they should be able to get it done pretty quickly. I know mine(which was too small) the jeweler we took it to be sized at just took one look at me with the ring on the first knuckle and said "I bet you don't want to part with this for long do you?" of course I said no and they had it done in 2 days. Try finding a jeweler that actually does the work there and doesn't send out the ring...it will get done a lot more quickly

[Elaine]

Last night I picked Ed up from the airport and we went out to dinner. He was acting kind of goofy but so was I. We were just so happy to see each other. It's weird how one week feels so long when you're used to seeing someone everyday and every night.

When we got home to my place he said my full name, got down on one knee held my hand and asked me to marry him. He opened the rinng box and gave it to me. Of course I said yes! yes! yes! absolutely! I will marry you!

Now, I've seen a lot of proposals on TV and it seems like the men almost always pull the ring out and try to put it on the woman's finger, sometimes before she even says yes. And it has always bothered me that they do this. I'm not entirely sure why, it just does. Probably because part of me thinks, "hey, you just asked her a question, let her answer before you answer it for her." So it was really nice that Ed didn't do that. He just gave me the ring and let me take it, even though he knew of course I would!

I was so busy hugging and kissing him that he had to tell me, "well, look at it." It's beautiful. I am truly amazed. I will post pictures as soon as I get some.

Tomorrow I am going to meet a friend who will introduce me to her jeweler so I can get the ring sized. Right now it fits my pinky finger, so that's where I'm wearing it! ha! I slept with it on last night. I realy have to get used to this....

wow!

[Elaine]

Today we took the ring to get it sized. They said they will have it ready on Monday afternoon. I am so excited to be able to wear it!

Here is a picture of it before the sizing.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/ring.jpg

While we were there we looked at some bands too. It's so funny how they look so different when they are under glass and in a box than when they are on your hand. We didn't like most of them on our hands, but quite a few were attractive in the boxes. We haven't decided, but we're leaning towards platinum or white gold. I want a thin round one and he wants a thick flat one.... We have some shopping to do :)

[kg4eoh]

Beautiful!!! I know you are excited. :D

[reecey]

very very elegant! I bet you just can't wait to get it over that knuckle!

[Elaine]

very very elegant! I bet you just can't wait to get it over that knuckle!

You're right, I can't wait!
The jeweler said Monday afternoon. Hurry hurry Monday.

[NYjerseygirl]

your ring is so beautiful! really, I love it, how exciting!!

[Elaine]

I got the ring back today!
It's even more stunning now that it's on the proper finger and now that it's all cleaned up!

It was funny. They said they would have it ready Monday afternoon so at about 3 minutes after 12pm Ed calls the jewler and asks if it's ready! It was cute; he was probably more excited than I was!
They had it ready so we went to pick it up. It was actually a tad big this time, so they took it back and in a few minutes had it at the right size. So now I am wearing it!

It feels so good!

[NYjerseygirl]

woohoo!!!!!!!!

[Elaine]

I'm getting used to wearing this ring but it's still strange. I don't normally wear any rings so it's extra weird.

I want him to experience this ring feeling, this constant physical reminder that we're engaged, so he will be getting his own ring to wear soon.

I haven't decided about the proposal yet...

[lilone]

I'm getting used to wearing this ring but it's still strange. I don't normally wear any rings so it's extra weird.

I want him to experience this ring feeling, this constant physical reminder that we're engaged, so he will be getting his own ring to wear soon.

I haven't decided about the proposal yet...
I'm so excited for you that you have your ring back. And I can attest to the fact that it feels really good when he wears a ring too. I got my FH a ring for his birthday that also was an engagement ring of sorts and now he only takes it off if there is a possibility of it getting damaged, he says he just doesn't feel right not wearing it. I'm sure that if you get your FH a ring to wear he will wear it with pride.

[cute_chick079]

Thats great you got the ring back. I am so happy for you. sorry i know u dont know me, but just reading some entries here and i loved yours. congrats and tell me more about your wedding.

[Elaine]

Thats great you got the ring back. I am so happy for you. sorry i know u dont know me, but just reading some entries here and i loved yours. congrats and tell me more about your wedding.

Thank you.
Well, nothing is set yet. We've just been doing our research. We've figured out airfare costs & hotel costs.

I have been trying on gowns.
At first I wanted a gown with long sleeves and lace. But after trying a few of those on, I decided they were too "matrimonial" and decided to go for something a little more youthful and sexy. I'm still not digging the sleeveless/ topless gowns and so I am mostly looking at halter tops. I've determined that ivory or gold looks best on me and white is too drastic for my complextion and style. I still love lace, but now I am also fond of crystal and glass beads. I may soon post some pictures of my trials or some of my favorite gowns.

I keep imagining the perfect gown and I am wondering if I should talk to a dressmaker to see if someone could sew it for me...

We've been trying on bands.
At first we wanted matching bands but now we think we will each get the band that suits us best. We are thinking we want antique platinum or white gold bands. I think I may get something decorative or with diamonds or emeralds similar to an eternity band. No matter what I'd still like to engrave them.

Ed just reminded me that the day we met was also a lunar eclipse.

[Elaine]

Well I've been lookking more at gowns, mostly online, but also trying them on. I think I found some real contenders. They are halter top with V-necks and crystal bead-work. They are chiffon with short trains. Some have a bit of lace, some are low cut (front and/or back), most are ivory, and all are beautiful. They are in my price-range, zipper (so I can do it myself in Costa Rica), light-weight (so I can carry on the plane without too much trouble) and they make me feel beautiful.

I have tried them on with and without veils and tiaras. I do like the look of a veil sometimes, but not entirely. I think I will use a tiara, though. They are stunning.

I saw an ad for a company that makes tiaras that you can send back to them to have turned into necklaces and other jewelry. I love the idea, but not the price-tag, nor the fact that all their tiaras have real pearls (I am anti-pearls for animal rights reasons). But I do like the idea of reusing the beads and metal from the tiara so I may make my own tiara and then string the beads into a necklace. Or buy a tiara that I later take apart to string up.

I love the idea of recycling by reusing. I plan to reuse my dress for baby blankets (an idea I learned from other posters at WeddingSolutions) and taking the beads off to make jewelry. Then the blankets and jewelry can be passed down for generations. I love it!

[kg4eoh]

Ok, we need PICTURES!!! You know that picture *****s.....we need to see the dresses you are looking at!!! :p

[Elaine]

I hesitate about pictures of dresses because I know Ed may read this eventually.

OK, I think I will post some pictures... They will be on models rather than on me. That way he won't know exactly which one and he won't see it on me.

[Elaine]

OK, here begins my pictures of dresses. You may notice a pattern ;)
Imagine these in ivory or pearl.

http://www.morilee.com/Picture/2082/img0large.jpg

[Elaine]

http://www.morilee.com/Picture/8905/img0large.jpg
This one has some nice beading on the train, too.

[Elaine]

This one is hard to find. I think they stopped making it.

http://www.morilee.com/Picture/3651/img0large.jpg

[Elaine]

This one has beading along the bottom hem.

http://www.morilee.com/Picture/2557/img0large.jpg

[Elaine]

http://www.bridesave.com/images/gowns/jop102m.jpg

[Elaine]

http://www.bridesave.com/images/gowns/lab710m.jpg

[Elaine]

http://www.bridesave.com/images/gowns/lab717m.jpg

[Elaine]

http://www.bridesave.com/images/gowns/mgs336m.jpg

[Elaine]

http://www.bridesave.com/images/gowns/mntg9191m.jpg

[Elaine]

So, you can see, I'm not too impressed with how the sleevless gowns look on me, not the sleeved gowns. The sales people keep urging sleeveless, but I just don't like it.

I tried on quite a few sleeved gowns because originnally that's what I wanted. But they made me look too formal and old. They don't match the idea of our wedding enough.

Also, I tried on some beautiful 1920 style dresses that are kind of boxy with some flare at the bottom. They didn't suit me at all - they would look good on a petite woman with smaller ****s.

I have also tried on many other similar dresses to these but I can't find them on the web. They are, in general, a bit more revealing with lower cut necklines and backs. Same idea, though.

I have determined that my perfect dress should be
- halter top
- chiffon and/or lace or tulle
- some beading and/or lace
- short train or no train
- zipper (so I can do it myself without help)
- ivory, pearl, champagne or gold (pure white isn't as flattering on me)

[Elaine]

Here is a "look" I'm aiming for.
I think it fits with Costa Rica - -butterflies and orchids

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/look.jpg

[kg4eoh]

I really like the second and the fourth dresses you posted. Both of those look classic, elegant and sexy.

[Elaine]

I have been doing some hunting and idea shopping. Here are some results:

Invites: http://www.seal-n-send.com/CasPage1B.cfm?sEnsembleCode=CasEns02128&page=1&strcontinue=yes&strsearch=no&format=SNSCasEnsVF

Wedding cake pinata for shower or reception: http://www.giftaria.com/DI/ASP/ProdID.651/Cat.38/DI/Store_ViewProdDetail.htm

Cheap knife set: http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcweb/application?namespace=browse&origin=mainLevelLandingPage.jsp&event=link.itemDetails&mode=Browsing&sku=47/53

Way to reuse/ remember items:
Veil > sachets, wedding album cover fabric, framed with printed vows
Bouquet > flower press and turn into window hangings, keep one or two and give others to mothers and sister
Tiara > restring beads into necklack or earrings
Gown > turn into baby blankets/ family quilt

Disposable ***eras: I will send into snapfish.com to develop and put online. Then we pay for the individual prints we want. And we can direct all our friends and family members to the site so they can order there own prints. Also, they can make memory books for us and for gifts.

Photographer is Costa Rica is giving us a DVD which I will also upload the photos to snapfish to order prints or turn into amemory book/ postcard thank you cards/ etc.

[Elaine]

Here is Ed's engagement ring.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/ed-engagement-ring.gif
It should arrive in a week or two. Then we will have to get it sized and I will do a formal proposal. I'm excited! He's going to wear a ring just like me!

[Elaine]

Some pictures of flowers I like:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/flowers3.gifhttp://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/flowers4.gif
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/flowers2.gifhttp://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/flowers.gif

flowers should match hair as much as possible.

[Elaine]

I have some ideas for our website.
We haven't done anything to the site, yet, but we will!

Ideas:
-Guestbook where our friends and family can share their wishes for us and vows to support our marriage.
-Two separate style sheets, one for his domain and one for mine. Same content.
-Cute ticker for wedding and for reception.
-Reception details.
-Places to stay and things to do for our guests.
-"Wedding Weekend" - group activities for guests who want to participate (hike, show, movie/potluck at sister's house)
-registries - charity registry, store registries
-Timeline of our lives
-story of how we met
-family tree

[Elaine]

So here are my table name ideas for the reception:

-romantic cities
-words for "love" in various languages
-butterfly species
-cities/ places in Costa Rica
-types of flowers/ types of catus...
-places we've traveled to together: "Las Vegas, San Luis Obispo, New Orleans, London, Los Angeles, Seattle..."
-gem stones
-month anniversaries: each table says something like, "January 27th 2005: 4 month anniversary" and "August 27th 2005: 9 month anniversary"
-heart theme: I heart nerds, I heart NY, I heart Huckabees, I heart animals

[Elaine]

Hair Trial round 1:

I made the flower clip with fabric flowers: lillies and orchids. I just used wire. I will use that gorrila glue - that sounds perfect. Thanks LisaD!

I want to add some sparkles to them and maybe a blue morpho butterfly too (since they are in Costa Rica – and we’re getting married in a butterfly garden). Thanks da1uluv for the butterfly idea!
I think I will wear it curly instead of straight (shown straight here). FH likes it best curly and it's so humid in Costa Rica that I think I will have a hard time keeping my naturally curly hair straight there.

Also, I think I want a tiara (I don’t have one yet, so I pretended with a necklace).

But I’m not sure about a veil. I tried some on with gowns and they look good, but I’m not sure it really “goes.” I think I will go sans veil.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/FlowerHair1.jpg http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/FlowerHair2.jpg

[ca_dawson]

Hair Trial round 1:

I made the flower clip with fabric flowers: lillies and orchids. I just used wire. I will use that gorrila glue - that sounds perfect. Thanks LisaD!

I want to add some sparkles to them and maybe a blue morpho butterfly too (since they are in Costa Rica – and we’re getting married in a butterfly garden). Thanks da1uluv for the butterfly idea!
I think I will wear it curly instead of straight (shown straight here). FH likes it best curly and it's so humid in Costa Rica that I think I will have a hard time keeping my naturally curly hair straight there.

Also, I think I want a tiara (I don’t have one yet, so I pretended with a necklace).

But I’m not sure about a veil. I tried some on with gowns and they look good, but I’m not sure it really “goes.” I think I will go sans veil.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/FlowerHair1.jpg http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/FlowerHair2.jpg
Very nice! I'm impressed with your DIY! That's really good!

[Elaine]

I emailed out our Save the Date note:

Elaine and Ed
Are set to wed
Alone in Costa Rica

Please save the date
That we’ll celebrate
Veteran’s day weekend we seek ya

To party with us
In the fabulous
Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Vegas!

More info soon: www.ElaineAndEd.com

[Marsha]

I emailed out our Save the Date note:

Elaine and Ed
Are set to wed
Alone in Costa Rica

Please save the date
That we’ll celebrate
Veteran’s day weekend we seek ya

To party with us
In the fabulous
Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Vegas!

More info soon: www.ElaineAndEd.com


thanks for the notice but i have no clue when vetern's day weekend is:(

[Elaine]

thanks for the notice but i have no clue when vetern's day weekend is:(


Hehe. In the emails the subject line had the actual dates. And the email included a link to our wedding webpage, which also has the dates. (Webpage needs work, but it's coming along - http://www.ElaineAndEd.com )

FWIW, Veteran's Day weekend is November 11-13.

Thanks for the keen eye :)

[Elaine]

Last Wednesday was Ed's birthday. So, along with a pair of tickets to Thrice I took him out to dinner to the Melting Pot.

We had a wonderful fondue dinner of bread, veggies and apples dipped in cheese fondue, potatoes, asparagus, tofu and other veggies cooked in oil fondue, and strawberries, pound cake, and bananas dipped in chocolate fondue. We paired it with a nice red wine and at dessert we had coffee.

During dinner I gave Ed his engagement ring and asked him to marry me. Even though we're already engaged, I really wanted to do this. He loves his ring and shows it to everyone! It's so cool!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/ed-engagement-ring.gif

[Elaine]

We booked the public ceremony and reception site yesterday! Hurray! It's the perfect date, good time of day, the right price, great location...but...

Let me back up, originally, FH and I wanted to marry privately in Costa Rica, honeymoon and that's that. Then he wants a party, "any party" he says, just that he wants to see a lot of his college friends he hasn't seen in a while, and wants me to meet everyone, he wants our parents to meet... And a wedding a pretty darn good reason to get people to fly from all over the country at one time to see one another.

So, we start planning a post nuptial party. Well, no one sees it quite like we do and we can't afford to "convince" anyone/ we're not willing to spend more than a few grand on a party. So, we say, hey, let's put our moms in charge. We'll just hand overr the cash and let them plan something. They can tell us where to go when and it's done.

Well, they get started in "wedding mode" and can't really get out of it. All of a sudden we're having a sit-down meal, making toasts, cutting cake... But also, they found an affordable venue, but it has issues. It's way out on the edge of town (so all our non-local guests will get lost/ confused/ not be happy). And I hate the decor. And the food doesn't sound so good. Because the cost is so low, their idea of vegetarian (me and FH are vegetarians so we refuse to serve meat) is egg this and egg that... just a bunch of eggs and cheese! Oh, and they didn't have the date we wanted available.

I had second thoughts and at the last minute FH and drove and called around to find other venues. We settled on the Stratosphere. We think all our guests will like the location and view, there is no problem of getting lost, and they had the date we wanted, reasonable cost...only thing is,

To get this deal, we have to have a ceremony too. So, we're going to have another wedding ceremony and then a little party with champagne and cake. From there, people can go to the bar, the coffee bar, the restaurant for a full meal, the thrill rides for fun...

It actually makes a lot of people happy because they were bummed they weren't going to our ceremony. Now they get to see the "public, legal ceremony" and we can still have our "private ceremony" in Costa Rica (which is legal, but not as easy to make legal in the US - just takes more time).

As far as spending time with people: We figure people will come in for the whole weekend so we can plan other weekend activities (that are free, low-cost or guests pay their own way).

And it's really the only way to accomodate 50-80 people on a small budget ($2000) without going to Olive Garden (I am adamantly opposed to wedding receptions at Olive Garden. Don't get me wrong, I eat there and love it, but there is just something about living in Las Vegas and seeing all these receptions at Olive Garden of all places. It's like, this is VEGAS, baby! Go to the STRIP. Sorry.)

Of course, it's nothing, I mean nothing, like my dream wedding in Lake Tahoe with a reception in our home. But that's OK. This is better because it's REAL!!! It's not a dream!

[Elaine]

Idea (from Lacey) for favors:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Lacey
We are donating money in each of our guests names to a charity. I am thinking www.heiffer.com (a hive of bees from each table) or www.unicef.com. ($3-5/person) We will then print up an small card telling each guest what we have done. The cards are on "seeded" paper meaning that our guests just have to take it home and stick it in the garden and watch little flowers bloom.

[Elaine]

So, after much ado about Stratosphere, we may change the plans once again.

Strat is going to cost us around $3000 and that's still without any food except the cake. And no tables to sit at. Just the chapel in the sky. It would be good, but I am having a hard time really warming up to the idea and I want to go back to my original dream wedding - private ceremony in Tahoe or some really beautiful place like Costa Rica and then just announce that wee're married.
Basically, I want to elope. I don't want a reception at all. The only thing I think would be really fun woud be a bachelorette party. But I don't care about anything else!

So, we talked about it a lot last night and we might just scrap the Stratosphere idea and tell people to just come for the weekend anyway. We'll hang out with them and do whatever, we just won't have a wedding or a reception/ party.

It's not like we've sent out invitations yet!

But we have emailed out save the date notes. No one has bought a plane ticket yet, but lots of people are excited to come and are making plans with one another to catch up. It will serve as a reunion for a lot of people.

So, we're still undecided...

[Elaine]

Ideas for gifts:

My dad: http://www.wherebridesgo.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=W&Product_Code=WSD-TKB1617s&Product_Count=0&Category_Code=CUFF-LINKS

more to come...

[Elaine]

Update on plans:

Ceremony will be at Valley of Fire (about an hour and a half away from Vegas) - a gorgeous red rocked state park with a natural rock arch perfect for a wedding.
We're deciding whether to use a company to perform the ceremony or if we want to have a friend or family member do it.
We think we may ***p out there that night and the rest of the weekend. We can have a picnic dinner and drink champagne the entire weekend! It will be a blast and perfect for us.

Reception at the Stratosphere a few weeks later. We'll have a light vegetarian lunch. It will not be a formal wedding reception; it will more of a post nuptial party. The cost is higher than our original plan, but it's worth it.

We'll have weekend events to spend time with friends and family all weekend.

We just got the invitations for the reception! They are great. They are seal and sends with semi-formal wording.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/innvites.gif

So, we'll address most of them today and send them out ASAP. We're a little behind schedule, but that's OK. We sent out save the date emails so most peple are prepared anyway. And our website is up with all the details, so they know that too...

We're postponing the honeymoon until my winter break from school. It will just be much more convenient for us school-wise and money-wise. We're still planning to go to Costa Rica for the honeymoon. I am REALLY excited about that.

[Elaine]

Here is our reception invitation wording:

We,
Elaine V_____
&
Edward Raymond M____

invite you to join us
when we celebrate our marriage

on Saturday, the ___ of ____
Two thousand and five
at one o’clock P.M.

_____ Room
Stratosphere LasVegas
Two Thousand Las Vegas Boulevard South
LasVegas, Nevada

■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Please reply by October 8, 2005
Name: _______________
[ ] Celebrating in person
[ ] Celebrating in spirit
Number of adults:____
Number of children:____

Web: www.elaineanded.com Phone: 702.555.5555

[Elaine]

This is the one I want:
http://www.outsideofthebox.ca/Cupcakes/BambooCupcake1.jpg
These other two are nice, but not what I want.
http://webmall1.com/sweetdreams/pic170.jpg
http://www.epicurious.com/images/bonappetit/cooking_class/cupcake.jpg

[Elaine]

We sent the invitations for the reception out. Some people already got them!
There are a few people we're still trying to finnd their addresses, but for the most part, the invites are out.
And the word has definitely spread. So everyone knows the date and location already, so that's cool.

Ed and I are worried about too many people showing up! Basically, we want them all there, but we counted on 10-20% not showing. So if everyone comes, it might stretch our budget a bit more. Oh well, the budget is practically out the window at this point :(

Not really, but it has changed. We started at $7000 for everything - ceremony, reception and honeymoon. And we counted everything in that budget - from jewlery to postage to bar...
Now we're at $10,000 for everything. Wow. I hate spending that much money! I hate it. I really wish that we could have had a reception at home. But we don't have a home - we have an apartment :( boo hoo

Well, no matter what it's goiing to be fun! I'm excited!

[Elaine]

Updates on other things:

My dress is still not here. They said it would come the first or second week of Sept. Well, it's not here yet. I'm getting nervous because I haven't chosen a veil (probably don't want one anyway, but FH wants one, so maybe a compromise). Also, I haven't found jewelry to match it. Or scheduled my hair or make-up or any of the pre-wedding things like waxing or facial.

FH hasn't chosen a suit yet.

I haven't chosen my wedding band. FH just chose one the other day, but we haven't received it yet. I have to figure out a way to steal it and get it engraved. Maybe I'll just be unfront and tell him.
Here is his ring:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/edring.gif

I don't have shoes yet, neither does FH.

We decided on the cupcake tree above (the top one with bamboo) but haven't done a trial run or gotten the necessary square tiered serving tray.

We haven't planned centerpieces (though I have ideas - bamboo and lavendar).

We haven't scheduled entertainnment. FH is going to ask an acquaintance if he will play jazz guitar. We will also create a powerpoint slideshow with sepia toned photos of our ceremony along with our vows and have it play and loop in the background during the reception.

We haven't found a nanny type person to occupy children.
We haven't created the necessary items for a craft table. I'm thinking we can do something adults and kids will both like. Maybe "make your own favor" - a seed pouch. They can choose what seeds they want.

I kind of want a candy bar. I will see if the venue will allow this. It should be easy to set up, but I haven't started yet.

We haven't gotten the guestbook photomat thingy yet.

I haven't created the flier to send to people that says what the wedding weekend events will be and options for where to stay in town. Though, I do have all that info on the website, so many people already know.

whew...
and we have all this other stuff to do in the meantime...
We're going out of town this weekend and I'm running a 12 mile race (though Im not racing, I just want to finnish)
Then we're going to another wedding at the end of the month.
We are getting FMIL settled now that she moved to town.
FH is working on his 3rd book and I'm busy in law school.
whew...

[Elaine]

My dress ***e in!
It is getting altered now and should be done in a week or two!
Here is the dress (http://www.bonny.com/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=gowns.php?id=19&gline=1&start_page=12&featured=N)

Ed and I decided on shoes. I am so excited about this. We're going to wear matching sneakers. I saw a picture of a young couple with matching sneakers and bridal gown and suit. It was soooo cute. Ed loves Vans and Converse and recognized the exact style of shoe they were wearing and showed them to me in a store. So, he's going to buy us matching shoes. I LOVE the idea.
It is going to be so cute, fun, informal, comfortable, and totally US. I'm excited.
I will post the pic as soon as I find it again :)

Also, I picked out a wedding band. It is getting sized and should be ready tomorrow. Hurray!
http://www.ultradiamonds.com/merch/10031163THM.jpg

[ca_dawson]

beautiful dress!

[Elaine]

Thank you so much!
I really do love it. Though, it's so low cut I'm slighty afraid I'll fall out! hahaha!

Here is the shoe picture that I thought was so cute:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/shoes.gif
From:
http://tinyurl.com/anahq

[Elaine]

An idea for bouquets and/or centerpieces:

http://www.lavenderfanatic.com/lavender-weddingbouquets.html

I love lavender! I think lavender and bamboo will make beautiful centerpieces.

[Elaine]

We have our rings!
I just picked mine up from being sized. I tried them on and they look great! Really truly beautiful. I am so happy. I don't want to take them off.
I got two chevron bands shown above, one each to suround the engagement ring. I can wear them so many different ways depending on my mood, but when they're worn this way, they look absolutely stunning. It's really gorgeous. I am so happy.

Ed got his ring about a week ago. I want to engrave it but haven't decided what I want to engrave.
Some ideas I have are:
~My whole heart for my whole life~
~For my beloved, Ed~
~October 27th 2005~
~I am my beloved and my beloved is mine~
~I love you~
or something else...

Today Ed got his suit!!! It's perfect. He says it just called to him and it did. We shopped all day and found a few we liked but nothing that was IT. Then we went to Zara ( http://www.zara.com/ )in the Fashion Show and he found this one. Just picked it off the rack. Tried it on and it was perfect!
He has to get it altered, but it was just such an obvious choice. I was amazed. It will look so good with an ivory shirt and his Converse shoes :)
Here is an idea of his suit
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/suit.gif

[Elaine]

Oh, and more good news! My dad chipped in $1000! Hurray!

And... we've decided to invite our parents, my sister, and my nephew to our ceremony instead of keeping it completely private. So, my nephew can still be a ring bearer, my mom will love to take pictures and FMIL will be happy too.

We're rescheduling the ceremony for a fw hours earlier and we're going to ***p out at Valley of Fire that night as well as the next night. So, we can bring a picnic dinner for our wedding night and we can consumate the marriage under the stars!

It's going to great. The weather is perfect that time of year. The scenary is gorgeous. The wedding style and mini honeymoon is just so "us."

And just think, we still get to do Costa Rica in the winter! yay!

[Elaine]

So, we don't have a true theme for the reception.
But I have a sort of genre: French-Asian fusion.
Colors are burgundy, ivory, lavendar, green.
Bamboo will accent the cupcake tower and likely the centerpieces as well.
Lavender flowers will be somehow involved. I'd really like to create a centerpiece with lavender and bamboo but I have no clue and don't want to spend a bunch of money on a florist or on experimentation. So, we'll see about that...
I would like lots of origami decorating the tables, the buffet area, the bar, the cake table...
We could do fortune cookies with personal "thank you for celebrating our marriage with us" messages as favors if we want favors ( http://www.fortunecookiedepot.com/ )...

[Elaine]

We're going to do the fortune cookies! We just need to decide what we want to have printed as the fortunes!
Got the photmat - going to do the guestbook thing with a photo like this but smaller: http://www.lisaselegantthings.com/

We have to get started writing our vows soon.
Here is a list of sites to help with writing vows:

http://www.brilliantweddingpages.com/couples/weddingvows.asp

http://www.weddingministers.com/vows/Vows_Personalized.htm

http://weddings.about.com/cs/bridesandgrooms/a/vowwording.htm

http://www.usabride.com/wedplan/a_vows.html

http://www.usabride.com/vows_passages/wed_vows.html

[Elaine]

Yay! I got my hair done yesterday and it looks great (highlights).

I made my appointment for hair and make-up on the ceremony day and we talked abut styles. We are totally on the same wavelength! I'm excited!

And we got the signature photomat.

Also, I made postcards with info about the reception (attire, hotel booking, wedding weekend events...) They are pretty cute and should be here in a day. I want to send them out ASAP since the reception is Nov 12th.

Current to-dos:
- make appointments for facial, waxing, and manicure
- find photographer for "bridal shoot" (I decided I definitely want to do this. I didn't before, but now I really want it)
- confirm musical entertainment (roaming jazz guitarist)
- find nanny/ babysitter person to watch over kids (depends on # of kids)
- make centerpieces (decided on bamboo shoots in glass cups with ribbon tied around and origami flowers surrounding the bamboo just laid out on the tables)
- order fortune cookie favors
- do test run for cupcake tower (coordinate with sis and mom)
- make drink tickets
- order corsages for mothers
- coordinate some helpers (one person on ground floor directing traffic, one person in receiving line handing out drink tickets, one person helping to seat people if we have seating chart)
- make kiddie packs to entertain the kids
- write vows with Ed
- buy champagne (Ed will do)
- make PowerPoint template
- make ring bearer pillow/ thingy

[Elaine]

Another picture of Converse shoes! This was for a real wedding:
http://www.altf.com/html2/008.htm
Also, we like the photographer and might hire him to do a bridal shoot.

[Elaine]

We ordered our fortune cookies from http://www.fortunecookiedepot.com/ . We wrote these "fortunes" that we think are fun and goofy:

"Your presence bring many happinesses. Lucky numbers: 11, 12, 2005 Love, E & E"
"Thank you to come for many joyful days ahead. Lucky #:11, 12, 2005 Love, E & E"


We also received our postcards yesterday. They have some minor details about the reception:
stuff like "semi-formal" "vegetarian" "please don't bring gifts" "weekend activities"
They are very pretty! I got them at www.vistaprint.com

[Vanessa]

Hello,
I read some of your posts, and saw your webpage. You two look like a happy couple! Thanks for the websites on vow-writing; we are slowly thinking about that. Lots of details. So far we have our chapel, reception place, food, commissioner, and ceremony musician planned. Next big things are DRESS, and photographer. Photos seem pretty expensive. We just bought a house 4 months ago, & are still recovering. Wedding is May 27,2006. Got engaged on Feb 14,2005, after 8 years! (finally) Enjoy your wedding!
Vanessa

[Elaine]

Thank you Vanessa. Have a beautiful wedding!

[Elaine]

Another picture of Converse shoes! This was for a real wedding:
http://www.altf.com/html2/008.htm
Also, we like the photographer and might hire him to do a bridal shoot.

We hired him! Now we have to decide where we want to take our photos!
Ideas:
- On the college ***pus. There are beautiful trees and lovely gardens. Also, there is a sculpture of an E by the science buildings. I think it would be cute since we're E&E
- Overlooking the Strip out a hotel balcony. We'd get a night in the hotel as a bonus!
- Out at Red Rock or Valley of Fire so the photos are similar to our ceremony photos. Beautiful red background is festive, natural, and contrasts well with us and our attire.

[Elaine]

Oh! We also found another photographer for the ceremony day! Someone on CraigsList wants to build a portfolio so she will take pics for free. Our package has a photographer, but I want some sort of back up in case their person isn't good. My mom takes decent pictures but I'm worried she'll be too involved in the moment to take the good photos. So, this works out well! And this girl is cool! We're becoming friends already. I'm excited to have her at the wedding takinng pictures.

[Elaine]

Just designed and ordered the drink tickets. Did it on VistaPrint.com for shipping costs only. We did the free business cards and just filled in the info as a drink ticket. We found one that matches our colors and theme (close enough anyway). We will get 250 so that's just perfect. Hurray! It's all coming together.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/drink-tix.gif

We're giving 2 tickets per person. This is because we can't afford an open bar and because I hate the open for an hour/ closed for an hour bars because they're confusing. Drink tickets are easy and very upfront. We expect people won't drink all that much since it's a lunch reception, but 2 probably isn't really enough. I hope it's OK.

[JenandTony]

October 27 is my and Tony's anniversary! But we're 2003 not 2004, still...cool coincidence!

[TropicalBride]

Our anniversary is the same as well, oct 27 2003. I think we, too, may get married on Oct 27. Except next year or the year after that. :)

[Elaine]

cool, next year it will be a friday!

[TropicalBride]

That would be cool, get married on a Friday...hee hee~DiScOunTs!!!

Anyway, do you have everything ready for the big day???? It's only a few days away!
:p

[Elaine]

No, don't have everything yet! FH hasn't gotten his shirt. And he hasn't gotten our shoes either. We're writing our vows next Friday. Luckily I have some more time for the reception (since it's a month away).

Today, I picked out the corsages for the reception. Here's a picture I found online that's similar. It's the one on the left:
http://www.riversidegarden.com/white_lily_corsage&boutinere.jpg

And I think I got the baker for the cake decided. We'll see.

Oh, and my dress is ready. It's at my FMIL's house so my cats won't get to it.

[CKNEET]

Elaine I'm getting excited for you! Hope everything goes well for you, and keep up posted as the comes closer!!! :)

[eca1027]

Elaine, you're getting married on my birthday!!! Congrats for the upcoming big day!!! ;)

[Lacey]

Are you all ready yet?

[Elaine]

ECA - happy birthday!
Lacey - No, not entirely.

For the ceremony I still need shoes.The shoes are Ed's responsibility since they're matching. And I still need to get his ring sized. I've been putting that off because the two jewelers we used already to size rings, neither did a fantastic job, and I want this done well.

Also, we are writing our vows next Friday. We're doing a package so there wasn't a whole lot I needed beforehand anyway.

Of note - if we had it to do over, we would have written our vows as soon as we got engaged. That way, when the planning or cold feet got us upset, we could just look at the vows and remember why we're getting married.

For the reception I have lots to do. But that's two weeks after the ceremony, so I still have time. For that, we still have to finalize the contract with the venue!

We got the corkage fee down so now we're going to serve iced tea, soda, and wine with the meal and we're not having a bar. At cake time, we'll serve champagne and/or coffee.

We still have to do the centerpieces, write our toast, arrange our helpers, do our powerpoint (it's going to be a slideshow of the ceremony so people can see what we did and read our vows - it will just be in the background for people to see, we won't gather round it and watch it all together). We need to do the seating chart and some other loose ends...

----
Lately, I'm not as nervous as I was before. I'm more just excited and ready for this to happen. Anyway, that's where we are now.

[TropicalBride]

I am so excited for you. You're almost there!

Good advice on the vow writing! :p
I'm sure you'll get everything done in time, and everything will be fabulous!
Good Luck :)

[Elaine]

We got our shoes! We had to go to two stores because one only had his size and the other only had my size, but we got them! They are cute converse shoes! They are white with the red and blue stripes along the bottom - Chuck Taylor All Stars:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/chucktaylor.gif

And Ed got his shirt and tie. His tie is really nice, I love the style.

Our bachelor and bachelorette parties are over - both were somewhat disappointing and humiliating. We did them on the same night, but in different cities.

Edit:
here is a pic from the bachelorette party. THis is me and my sister. I have the horns on:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/meandmary.jpg
My sister is kissing the poster and my friend, Liz, has the funniest expression!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/lizandmary.jpg

Things are moving along!
I can't believe we have photos this Sunday and then the ceremony next Thursday! That's just a week and a half away!

[alley06]

Must be exciting that it's so close! Cannot wait to see pictures!
I told FH that I wanted to wear Vans for our wedding. He could get a black pair and I could get a white pair! He didn't think it sounded very fun to him but he's not the one that has to wear heels that day!

[TropicalBride]

Must be exciting that it's so close! Cannot wait to see pictures!
I told FH that I wanted to wear Vans for our wedding. He could get a black pair and I could get a white pair! He didn't think it sounded very fun to him but he's not the one that has to wear heels that day!
I think it's a fun idea, too. So much that I'm thinking about stealing the idea of wearing sneakers of some sort on my wedding day....but then I also want to wear girly shoes!
I can't decide! :p

[Elaine]

We wrote our vows today!!!

here they are:

We are gathered here together in the Valley of Fire,
A space made sacred today by this marriage ceremony,
In the company of family and with their love and support,
Under this natural rock arch,
Elaine and Edward declare their commitment and love to the world
For the rocks and clouds to absorb and to echo forever

Elaine, please repeat after me:

I, Elaine --, take you, Edward --, to be my husband.
Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know,
I promise to delight in your happiness and comfort you in sorrow,
To support you when you need it, and when I need support to accept yours.

I promise to be your advocate, to be strong with you, and gentle too.
I promise to be slow to anger and quick to forgive,
To work always with you and never against you,
To nurture and grow, to have and to hold,
For all of our days, through thick and through thin.

I promise to love you always,
To love you like family, like a friend, and like a lover.
I will love you when love is simple and I will love you when love is complex.
I promise to listen and to share, to be truthful, respectful, faithful,
And always to be kind.

We stand united now and forever,
To join our lives so that we may be strong as individuals,
And stronger yet together.

I pledge my self to you.
I give you my whole heart for my whole life.
Today I become your wife.

Edward, please repeat after me…

[he says the same thing as I do]

May we please have the rings? These rings are an outward and visible sign of the love and commitment between you. As there is no end to this circle, may there be no end to your love.

Elaine and Edward, you have each written a love letter to your partner, unread by anyone. We shall seal them together until October 27, 2030. On that day, your 25th anniversary, unseal the letters, read them together, and celebrate your love for each other.

Elaine and Edward, please put your letters into the capsule and together seal it shut.

Let your first married act be a kiss.
You are husband and wife.

[Elaine]

Also, today, we
1) got a vacuum cleaner :)
2) got a sonic care toothbrush :)
3) made our powerpoint slideshow for the reception (but need to add photos)
4) decided on the white wine for the reception - a New Zealand Sauviignon Blanc
5) outlined our toast to thank guests for coming and thank special people for their support
6) spent a wonderful day together!!!

[Elaine]

We did our bridal photo shoot yesterday. It was so much fun. I can't say enough about this photographer, he is awesome! Well, see for yourself!
http://www.altf.com/html2/501.htm
There we are! More photos to come in a week or so.

[Jen062406]

We did our bridal photo shoot yesterday. It was so much fun. I can't say enough about this photographer, he is awesome! Well, see for yourself!
http://www.altf.com/html2/501.htm
There we are! More photos to come in a week or so.

I love that picture..it looks like something out of a magazine..beautiful!

[TropicalBride]

Your pic is amazing and his work is remarkable!
I hope I can find a photographer like that!

Have you finished everything for the wedding? You're getting married on Thurs!!! (I only know that b/c that's our second anniversary.)

Good Luck with everything! :)

[ikkin510]

That is an awesome picture. When it first popped up I thought it was an ad. It looks great!

[wmdarab]

Thank you.
Well, nothing is set yet. We've just been doing our research. We've figured out airfare costs & hotel costs.

I have been trying on gowns.
At first I wanted a gown with long sleeves and lace. But after trying a few of those on, I decided they were too "matrimonial" and decided to go for something a little more youthful and sexy. I'm still not digging the sleeveless/ topless gowns and so I am mostly looking at halter tops. I've determined that ivory or gold looks best on me and white is too drastic for my complextion and style. I still love lace, but now I am also fond of crystal and glass beads. I may soon post some pictures of my trials or some of my favorite gowns.

I keep imagining the perfect gown and I am wondering if I should talk to a dressmaker to see if someone could sew it for me...

We've been trying on bands.
At first we wanted matching bands but now we think we will each get the band that suits us best. We are thinking we want antique platinum or white gold bands. I think I may get something decorative or with diamonds or emeralds similar to an eternity band. No matter what I'd still like to engrave them.

Ed just reminded me that the day we met was also a lunar eclipse.


your ideas seem great! i was thinking longsleeve first too... my dress is now got off the shoulder straps... although i'm getting a jacket thing made to match it, just incase i'm a bit uncomfortable with the too much skin idea. check out my dress! it's under Merage and Waleeds Wedding!!

[wmdarab]

and omg, your pic was gorgeous, i hope our photographer does that well... man. you're beautiful btw!

[Elaine]

Thank you!!!

Today I will pick up Ed's ring. I had it engraved. He doesn't know (well, he might know since he's super smart). But I'm hoping to keep it secret from him until tomorrow when I put it on him durinng our ceremony.

We have to memorize our vows! We are going to go over them tonight during dinner. Over and over.

Got a manicure and pedi today with my mom and FMIL.

I need to get a flower press for my bouquet. Or a phone book.

We have everything else!
We're ready to get married!

[lnjmemphis]

I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow! Your picture was great and BTW he has another one of you (i think its you there is no faces) in his blog.

[Elaine]

Today is the day!

Ed woke me up early this morning. He made coffee and pancakes. It's a beautiful day!

[alley06]

Cannot wait to see your pictures!

[Elaine]

We're married!!!

The day was beautiful, just gorgeous. A little windy, but very nice. Our ceremony was in Valley of Fire and the red rocks were stunning, as usual. And they echoed...

Our ceremony was beautiful - very romantic and loving.
We had a few minor issues, but Ed and I wouldn't allow anything to ruin our magical day.

Afterwards, we spent two nights ***ping alone. We found a great ***psite that gave us lots of privacy. We hiked a little, laid out on the rocks, explored the mini-caves...

We ate, drank and were married!

We hid the keys to our love letter box in one of the mini caves that looked like a house. Our home away from home. In 25 years we will go back and see if they're still there :)

We had such a wonderful time!

(And I can't wait for our reception in 2 weeks! And then our 2nd honeymoon in 2 months!)

PS - pics soon! We haven't gotten any back yet.

Edit:
Here are some ceremony pictures (please do not reproduce without permission). The setting was just so beautiful. I can't stand it!

Leaving our apartment:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/IMG_4680.jpg

my flowers:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Ceremony234.jpg

Me and Ed kissing:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Ceremony183.jpg

The arch where we wanted to have the ceremony. Our mothers couldn't climb up the rock, so we had the actual ceremony elsewhere and just took pictures here:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Ceremony142.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Ceremony225.jpg

We had 3 photographers. One I met on Craigslist. She offered to do some ceremony photos at cost to build her portfolio. One ***e with the ceremony package. And one we hired for pre-ceremony photos (below in another post).

[eca1027]

Congratulations!!!!! I'm so happy you had a wonderful ceremony! Can't wait to see those pictures!!! :D

[KSquared]

CONGRATS to the new Mr. and Mrs!!! :)

[lnjmemphis]

congrats :)

[Kikki]

Wooooohoooo, another one married off!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Elaine]

I got a couple pictures from my mom and put them up on our site.
http://www.elaineanded.com/ceremony.htm

We won't have the professional photos for a week or so. But when we get those, we'll post some here, too!

Edit:
Here are some of the photos from our pre-wedding photo shoot. The photographer was John at http://www.alt-f.com and he is fantastic. We highly recommend his work. He and his wife are very nice people, to boot!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Altf064.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Altf016.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Altf191.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Altf109.jpg


By the way, please do not reproduce any of the photos - they are copyrighted and only for our personal use. Thanks :)

[Kikki]

I got a couple pictures from my mom and put them up on our site.
http://www.elaineanded.com/ceremony.htm

We won't have the professional photos for a week or so. But when we get those, we'll post some here, too!

Beautiful!!! Can't wait to see more!

[CKNEET]

Oh Elaine, you and Ed looked great! It is beautiful, I can't wait to see more pictures!! YAH!

[Lacey]

Congratulations Elaine! You look stunning. Ed is one handsome super hero in his cape/dress!

[lyndsaynicole]

Hooray!!! Congrats Elaine!! You guys looked lovely!

[alley06]

Holy cow, you looked gorgeous! What a great setting for your wedding!

[taylorsmom]

Oh wow Elaine...you looked beautiful. What a hot dress!! ;)

[blushing_bride_2be]

You look so beautiful and he is a handsome man. Good job hun! So beautiful!

[Vanessa]

Beautiful pics Elaine! Post some more!
I love seeing the pics of already married people on the forum- it makes it so exciting!

[Elaine]

Thanks everyone! You're so kind!

We made a powerpoint slideshow of the ceremony. I'm going to put it on the website after the reception.

About the reception, I got an emerald colored dress. It has a little train. It's satin. It's 1920s style and is sooo cool! I got it at Dillard's.
We have a lot to do this week, but everything is going to get done. I can't wait!

[blushing_bride_2be]

Congrats on the slideshow! The dress sounds beautiful!

[Elaine]

Recent Developments:

My brother says my dad is sick and is not coming. I can't get a hold of my dad on the phone. He has a tendancy to be a recluse and hole up when he's depressed. I think he's sad about something. But he won't answer the phone for me, only for my half brother.

A BIG part of me regrets having a wedding reception because all of my guests have some sort of issue and they're attending for their own purposes. For example, someone on my husband's side can't get into town in time for the reception but she's still coming, just not spending any time with us. She's coming to see the other friends.

I know everyone has issues and I remember having my own issues at other people's weddings, but I'm still upset by this. My dad is hiding because he's sad or mad and this girl has her issues. Argh.

Edit on 11/14/05: I am SOOOO glad we had a reception. It was 100 times better than I ever imagined. I'm really happy that Ed convinced me we needed one. Our reception was really wonderful. Truly, amazingly wonderful. It was so great to share it with so many good friends and family members. Almost everyone was happy and had fun, only a few sour pusses ***e and we just ignored them. I am really very happy we had a reception. I feel so much better about it now.

And I'm glad we separated the two events. I really did get to enjoy the reception and the ceremony and it's not all a big blur of stress. It was great.

[blushing_bride_2be]

Recent Developments:

My brother says my dad is sick and is not coming. I can't get a hold of my dad on the phone. He has a tendancy to be a recluse and hole up when he's depressed. I think he's sad about something. But he won't answer the phone for me, only for my half brother.

A BIG part of me regrets having a wedding reception because all of my guests have some sort of issue and they're attending for their own purposes. For example, someone on my husband's side can't get into town in time for the reception but she's still coming, just not spending any time with us. She's coming to see the other friends.

I know everyone has issues and I remember having my own issues at other people's weddings, but I'm still upset by this. My dad is hiding because he's sad or mad and this girl has her issues. Argh.

Awww sorry girl. My family is like that too. They made other plans instead of comign to my high school graduation! It sucked. My mom tells me everyday that it will probably be a repeat of the grad. I hope my family comes I was there for them. I'm sorry to hear about your problems girl. You're not alone! We'll have to get through this together! Brides much march on!

[Elaine]

Update on my dad: He's actually not talking to my brother, I got it wrong. He's not talking to anyone. He won't answer the phone at all. And he's not coming.
Today is veteran's day. He's a veteran, maybe it has something to do with that...

We had a lot to do this week. We did the centerpieces, all the origami, the table signs, the seating chart, got the wine and champagne, made the weekend schedule and delivered it to the hotels, made the kids packs, got the signature photo mat ready, paid for the flowers, picked up the rental van... and on and on... We were rushing this morning but now I have a second to relax.

We're having a group lunch today and then a hike. Tonight we're going out. The girls are going to Chippendale's and the guys are doing a poker night. We're meeting up later.

I'm nervous and exicted to meet all these people. I am so glad the wedding ceremony is over and we can relax and have fun with all our guests.

[Elaine]

We had our reception today. It was fantastic, really wonderful!

Our friends and family celebrated with us today with a luncheon. I hear the food was good, though I didn't eat much of it. We had a lot of mingling to do. The service was excellent, I have to say the Stratosphere wait staff is great. The wine was good, my husband chose it all himself and delivered it himself. But he got just a little too much and now we have tons left over. It won't go to waste, believe me. The centerpieces looked great. The favors were enjoyed. The kids packs appreciated (see pic below).

The cakes were beautiful.
groom's cake:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/groomcake.jpg
Here is the wedding cake:
It has two Es facing each other.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/wedcake.jpg


The music - a friend who sang with a guitar - was perfect!

Some of our guests:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/boys.jpg

The best thing about it was the toasts. We arranged for some friends and family to give some toasts and they were absolutely awesome toasts! Our friends were hilarious and touching. Our parents gave tear-jerking speeches. Everyone seemed to like it and we received many comments about how intimate, touching, different, and romantic our reception was.

Cutting the cake:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/cutcake.jpg

A few things didn't work out quite as planned, I will list as a precaution to those who are still planning thier receptioins.
- Our friend's guitar was split by a careless security officer. Our friend amazingly managed to play it, but it is seriously damaged.
- The bakery for the groom's cake (Freed's) did a wonderful job decorating the cake to look like a wine bottle, but they put "since 1958" on it even though my husband asked them not to. We're not sure why. It was a kind of weird. But no one noticed.
- I screwed up one of the table name signs so some people were confused about where they sat. But we got it straightened out. It was just because that was done last night and we were exhasted.
- The room was rather small and we had a few more people than we originally anticipated, so the mingling at the beginning was rather tight. But people worked with it and it definitely lent itself to the intimate and romantic feeling we were trying to achieve.
- We had one wedding crasher. She didn't eat so it wasn't a big deal.

I will have more pictures soon.

[DNM1010]

what do u mean wedding crasher? i wanna be prepared for everything ...

at first i thought the wine bottle was a real wine bottle i didnt realize it was the cake (cos im stoopid and i didnt read where it says groom cake lol) ... it looks awesome! everything did! congratts!

[Elaine]

Hi Donna - a wedding crasher is someone who comes to a wedding uninvited.

Thank you, Anastacia and Alley :) Thank you very much.

Update - I have some more ceremony pictures. I will go back and edit the old posts to add those.

[blushing_bride_2be]

Beautiful wedding girl. Just wanted to tell you that! Love the grooms cake!

[alley06]

Your dress looks really pretty, I love the color of it.

[alley06]

Hi Donna - a wedding crasher is someone who comes to a wedding uninvited.

Thank you, Anastacia and Alley :) Thank you very much.

Update - I have some more ceremony pictures. I will go back and edit the old posts to add those.

Let us know when you add those pictures to the old posts so we can remember to look back.

[Elaine]

About our pre-reception hike...
We planned a "wedding weekend" with some activities so we'd have more time to spend with our out-of-town guests. One such event was a hike. It was fantastic!

We walked along a slight slope for about 2 miles, stopped and ate some cheese and drank some wine and then meandered back to the cars. Along the way, we saw some burros. They were so friendly they ***e up to us and we pet them. Ed and I timed it so we might be able to see burros, but boy did we luck out! I am sooo glad we did this. It was one of the best things about the weekend!

Here is a burro:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/burro.jpg

Here my husband is taking a picture of a burro:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/edandburro.jpg

[Elaine]

Oh, Alley, I did post them already. They are on http://forums.weddingsolutions.com/showthread.php?t=3115&page=10&pp=10


So, for the planners, here is a post about budget:
We wound up going about $3000 over budget, which really isn't that bad. We originally only wanted to spend $2000 on the reception, bumped that up to $5000 and ended up spending about $8000. Another grand or so on the ceremony. And we're going to have to replenish our wedding piggy bank for the honeymoon.

Here's the break down:
Ceremony package (site, photography, officiant...) - $700
Additional pre ceremony photography (Alt-F) - $900
additional ceremony photography (friend did at cost) - $110
Dress and alterations (Celebrations Bridal) - $500
reception dress (Dillard's) - $70
shoes - $70
His suit and alterations (Zara) - $450
his shoes (at Nordstrom Rack) - $70
flowers (just corsages, etc. not centerpieces) - $80
reception photography (found someone off Craig's List) - $250
disposable ***eras (amazon.com) - $50
centerpieces (DIY) - $100
wedding cake (Smith's grocery store) - $200
grooms cake (Freed's bakery) - $130
kid's entertainment packs (99cent store) - $30
wine (Lee's Discount Liquor) - $1500 (lots left over)
food and reception room rental (luncheon at $35 per person, $10 corkage) - $3500
picture frames for seating chart and gifts (from Ross) - $100
wedding weekend activities (dinner, hike, brunch, massage) - $4-500??
Hotels for parents - $400

We did a lot ourselves. We haggled to get prices down. We received some help from family in DIY projects. And we made a budget at the get go so we couldn't go way overboard. If we hadn't done that, we easily could have spent $20,000 rather than $8000. Also, since we paid for it all ourselves, we really made it a personal, DIY type of affair.

[blushing_bride_2be]

Congrats elaine and you really did well on budget wise. I am doing alot of diy and I hope my wedding turns out as beautiful as yours did!

[alley06]

Okay, I saw them, I just didn't want to miss them. You guys had some great photos taken!

[Elaine]

Here are some more reception photos! We just got them:

The tables. We had 7 of them. Some were rounds of 10 and some were rounds of 12. THe centerpieces were bamboo shoots that I put in little glasses with pebbles and surrounded by origami flowers I folded.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Reception019.jpg


The desserts (other than the cakes, which are shown in another post):
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Reception074.jpg


Our "guestbook" - a signature photo mat. This was at the beginning of the reception. It got filled up and looks awesome! We put 5 different colored pens for people to use, so it's really cool that it's all colorful with a black and white photo in the middle. I LOVE it.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Reception116.jpg

Here is another pic of the groom's cake, only here you get a view. We were on the 104th floor of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, so the view was stunning.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Reception015.jpg

Here is the guestbook table. We put my husband's laptop on it and displyed a slideshow of our ceremony (since it was private and no one was invited, we wanted to show them what it was like). The slideshow was cool and because it was just on a little laptop, it wasn't one of those obnoxious slideshows that everyone has to sit through and get bored. Only the people who wanted to watch it did.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/Reception118.jpg

hehe, that's all for now...

I CAN'T WAIT to put togteher our wedding album!
I'm also strangely excited about sending out the thank you cards. We chose one our favorite pics and made thank you cards at Vista Print ( http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=142870270638 ). We should get the cards in a week so we can send them out right away before Christmas! hurray!

[blushing_bride_2be]

I love the photos girl. You 2 look so happy together! Aww! I can't wait to see more don't keep us waiting for long!

[kg4eoh]

Elaine, everything looked wonderful!! I love the Valley of Fire it was me and FH's fav part of our last trip to las vegas. I know we will go back while we are on our honeymoon (we are going to be in your neighborhood!)

You looked beautiful on your wedding day and I love that reception dress!!

[Kelly1Mickey]

Elaine, everything looked gorgeous! Both of your dresses were amazing and the views were just awesome!

[Elaine]

Here are some pics of my DIY stuff. These are the table name signs.
I used photo frames since I figured I could reuse them afterwards.
I mean, when else am I going to use table number holders?
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/IMG_0001.jpg
Here's one close up:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/tablenamesign.jpg

[Elaine]

More pictures!

Me and Ed. I love this one!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/eandepose.gif

Me and my mom. I love it too!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/elaineandmom.gif

[blushing_bride_2be]

I love the DIY projects girl. You look really beautiful and happy. He also glows of happiness and joy! I am so happy for you girl. Everything is beautiful!

[TropicalBride]

I agree with the girls, everything looked sooo good for your wedding day. And you guys are totally glowing with happiness!
And this will be your first Holiday season as a married couple! Yey!
:)

[blushing_bride_2be]

That's right! I hope you enjoy your first thanksgiving as a mr and mrs. and soon to follow christmas. I am sure you're excited about that as much as we are! I am glad things went great for you and you'll live a life full of happiness!

[Elaine]

That's right! I hope you enjoy your first thanksgiving as a mr and mrs. and soon to follow christmas. I am sure you're excited about that as much as we are! I am glad things went great for you and you'll live a life full of happiness!

Yeah! Thanksgiving will be great!
It's pretty cool, too, that Christmas and Hanukkah fall on the same day this year. Ed is Jewish. Neither of us are religious, but we like to celebrate :)

[Kikki]

Here are some pics of my DIY stuff. These are the table name signs.
I used photo frames since I figured I could reuse them afterwards.
I mean, when else am I going to use table number holders?
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/IMG_0001.jpg
Here's one close up:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/kangaroootis/tablenamesign.jpg
Those are too cute! You did a great job on them and I love the idea.

[blushing_bride_2be]

Yeah! Thanksgiving will be great!
It's pretty cool, too, that Christmas and Hanukkah fall on the same day this year. Ed is Jewish. Neither of us are religious, but we like to celebrate :)

Well any way you celebrate I hope it's wonderful for you and enjoy your honeymoon and we want to see pictures!