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About a year ago, I would think of some random detail for the wedding, and go off frantically searching for the best option for an hour or two, realize we still had a lot of time to make a decision, and leave it for the time being.  One of these details that I searched for multiple times was the guest book.  But now, with under 100 days left, I think it is time to actually make a decision!

I won't lie, I immediate dismissed the idea of a fingerprint tree.  I really don't like the idea of my fingerprint being on someone else's wall, or anyone's being on mine.  It's just a little weird.  Lucky for me, Dino totally agrees.

But I do love trees.  We're trying to work in some wood elements into the decor, so a tree would actually fit quite well.  At my cousin's wedding, they did a tree where you signed a leaf and stuck it to the tree, which was very cute.  But I don't want to copy them!  So this is a nice alternative:

Cool wooden tree, with signatures.  Photo via Etsy seller TotallySalinda

I also like the idea of incorporating the rain, since we're in Seattle.  Hopefully it won't be raining on the wedding day, but I do like images of rain!  I think something like this could be cool, except with rain drops you sign and put on the print, rather than fingerprints...

I can't decide if I like the caricatures or not, but it's a cute idea!  Photo via Teardrop Paperie

Back to the wood theme, here is a "Guest Log."  I love this idea because of the pun involved!  Yep, my humor is pretty terrible sometimes, but it makes me giggle, and I think it looks cool.

See, it's funny 'cause it looks like a crosssection of a log, but it's also a record, or log, of people who attended!  Image via 100LayerCake

Dino's family has a tradition of putting together puzzles together at Christmas, and I have always enjoyed puzzles, so I like this next idea because of that connection.  I was also thinking we could attach an escort card to a blank puzzle piece, so everyone got one to fill out, but I have a feeling more than one wouldn't make it back to us, and there is nothing worse (okay, lots of things are worse) than a puzzle with a piece missing!  Also, it would be ridiculously hard to solve this puzzle, since there is no image to go off of...  But I still like it!

So fun and personal!  Image via Etsy Seller BellaPuzzlesToo

This idea combines the puzzles with the trees.  And I LOVE it.  Aside from the price tag, which is a little higher than I would like to spend.  But it looks so cool, and is just awesome!

See? They can even do custom shapes hidden in the puzzle, like a heart, or a cupcake, or something else meaningful!  Image via Etsy Seller KeystonePuzzles

The last idea is fairly common these days, and might be what we end up using.  The engagement photo book.  I even went ahead and made a book, using Picaboo (with a hefty discount!).  Dino had mentioned that he thought we should just keep it simple, and liked this idea, plus I figured we'd want a book with our engagement photos anyway.  The only problem is that I didn't leave enough white space, I have a feeling, and I'm worried someone will give us mustaches.  But it is an option, and a reasonable one considering we now have the book, and would just need to get some pens.

Which would you use?  A more traditional engagement photo book, or something more out of the box?

Under 100!

We've reached a fairly big milestone: we have less than 100 days left until the wedding!  Double digits, baby!  Heck yes!

And we are just about ready to cross another big item off the list: invitations!  After designing probably 15 different invitations, and not being able to agree on anything, from font to wording to text placement... I found some invitations online that I liked, ordered a sample, and we fell in love.  Dino said "Let's just get these!" when I showed him the sample, and my mom, in typical wonderful mom fashion, gushed over them and said we HAD to get them.  She went so far to say that the look of them was not too fussy, a bit modern, and very much just like us, which I like!  So I ordered them last night, and am going to go over the proofs with Dino tonight, and hopefully we'll have some beautiful invitations in our hot little hands in less than 2 weeks!  Man!

I've also been DIY-ing some, but I'll save all of that for separate posts.  Lets just say my hands are tired of all the sanding, and I'm getting excited to break out the spray paint!  

Finally, my grandma is doing somewhat better now.  She is physically just about fine, able to walk, sit up, feed herself, and all that.  But her memory is still mostly gone.  She seems to remember her husband, and asks for him, but doesn't really remember my dad, her son, or any of us.  We went to see her on Mother's Day, and my dad "introduced" me to her, and she didn't say the right name (a similar sounding name that is more common instead).  Granted, she's been hard of hearing for awhile, but the fact that my name didn't come to her mind first makes me sad and worry that her memories of me are gone.  She should be transferred to a rehab center where they will work with her more closely to regain her memories.  It was super weird to hear her voice say nonsensical things, like she told my brother that he wasn't hiding the things, which my dad somehow translated to mean he hadn't shaved (my brother keeps a pretty rugged beard these days!).  She told me to turn on the green machine, which I can't really translate, except that I used to drive a green Jeep, and I was into environmental studies in college...  While we were there for like, 20 minutes, she said "wake me when it's Thursday" probably 10 times, then either slept, or faked sleeping.  It was so weird to hear her saying some things she totally would have said, in a voice she totally would have used, but not to be herself inside.  I think the fact that there were 5 of us visiting at once scared her a little, and she seemed really nervous and kept talking about how cold it was and hiding.  Basically, it was weird, and she wasn't my grandma that I know, but I believe she is making some progress, which is hopeful.

So things are pretty much okay right now.  Lots of great things, some good things.  I can't believe that in less than 100 days my love and I will be married and this whole wedding planning journey will be over!

Family

I love my family.  I was blessed to be born into a loving, fun, and just overall wonderful family.  My parents are amazing.  My brother, who is actually staying with us right now, is the coolest kid, incredibly smart and funny, and just all around a great guy (ladies, he's single!!!).  I'm so happy my brother will be my "bridesdude," and that my parents are enjoying planning this wedding so much.

I have cousins, and aunts and uncles, spread all over the US, but they all are kind, caring, and hilarious people.  Seeing them, even if it has been years, feels right and you settle back into familial relationships.  I have cousins and and aunt and uncle who live closer too, who feel basically like an extension of my immediate family.  We celebrate all birthdays and most holidays together.

And then more than anything, I am super lucky to have all four of my grandparents living still.  They all live about 8 hours away, and I've discussed before that I don't think my mom's parents will be able to make the wedding.  But my dad's parents?  The grandparents who recently took a 6 month trip across the US in an RV, who are incredibly self sufficient in and decent health?  Well, I was certain they would be at the wedding!

But life happens, and throws a wrench in my plans.  I don't know why I assumed my elite status as a grandchild with all grandparents living and healthy would never change.  But it might very soon.

My grandma, my Gammy, is in the hospital.  She fell and hit her head, had cranial bleeding and broke her spine in a couple spots.  So she had surgery for that, and it went well.  The next day, however, she had a stroke, and kept having mini strokes.  She currently doesn't recognize any of her family, and isn't terribly responsive.  It's really weird.  Physically, she is pretty much fine now, but because of the surgery they can't treat the stroke.  Which means I might never get my Gammy back.  I might never again hear her crazy sneeze, or get a big bear hug, or hear her talk about all sorts of people I never remember.  It's weird.  It's weirder still for my grandpa, Papa.  Seeing him alone?  It's just so weird.

Dino lost both of his grandmas in the past few years, which has been strange to me.  So now, I don't know if we'll have a single grandma at our wedding, which sounds crazy self centered and lame, but I can't bear to think of not getting a picture with Gammy, or having her there.  I see that picture with the hands of three generations of women and their rings, and I probably won't get that photo for myself.  I'm so glad she got to meet Steve, and that she liked him.

Mostly, its the suddenness.  Sure, my grandparents have been getting older, and she's been slowing down, but they're still travelling all the time!  I went to see her today, and it's not the same person at all in that hospital bed.  So strange.

Whatever happens, I am glad my family is around her and we will be there for each other as well.  I am hoping for a miracle!

The Sweetest Thing

So now that we kind of sort of have our cake topper sorted out, maybe I should tell you about what it will be perched on?  Honestly, the cake is my favorite part of any wedding, or day, or basically life.  I LOVE cake.  And I posted earlier about the first stop on our journey to find a cake.

We decided to cut our losses with that baker, and move on.  I'm sure the cake they would have made would have tasted fine, and looked nice, but I just wasn't feeling it.  And sometimes you have to go with your gut.

Once we started to look for bakers again, I contacted a couple and one sent me a photo of a chevron cake she had done, and it just looked messy and not very crisp.  I started to think my idea of a beautiful chevron cake in fondant might not be possible, or at least I didn't feel confident that it would look perfect.  And besides, what the cake looks like is important, but I think that what it tastes like is even more important; it is crucial to have a delicious cake!

A long time ago, I noticed that Central Market, an awesome grocery store (where Top Chef did some shopping when they were in town!  I saw them filming there!), makes cakes.  Not just your typical grocery store sheet cake either.  Beautiful, tiered cakes!

Three cake examples from Central Market.  Above three images via Central Market

They don't use fondant, so the cake won't be quite as smooth and fancy.  But they do have the ability to make stripes or other designs in the frosting, and it will look beautiful.  We set up an appointment to meet with a baker there, and part of setting up the appointment included us picking 4 flavor combinations for a test cake.  We asked for lemon cake with raspberry and lemon filling and white whipped cream frosting, white cake with strawberry filling and white whipped cream frosting and white chocolate truffle, champagne with champagne filling and white chocolate truffle, and marble cake with caramel filling and chocolate whipped cream filling.  And then we patiently waited two weeks.

When we went for our appointment, she brought out the sample cake (which had all four flavors, each quarter different), we drooled over it, and we talked about design.  We were just throwing out ideas, but they are able to make one tier taller than the others, like I hoped, and it will be three round tiers with stripes on one tier, the other two smooth.  We also discussed logistics, in that they make the cake the morning of the wedding, and then we would have to pick it up to bring it to the venue.  Then we took the sample cake home, and I dove right in.

I had had a slice of Central Market cake before, so I knew it was tasty, but OH MAN it was delicious.  The lemon raspberry was my favorite by far, but the strawberry was also tasty.  I think we should only have one fruit flavor, though, and mix in a chocolate or something.  The chocolate/marble caramel was also amazing, and was actually my second favorite (strange coming from someone who never picks the chocolate dessert). The champagne was... weird.  It tasted EXACTLY like the pink sweetheart conversation heart candies.

I am so mad they changed the flavors for these.  I used to love the white, yellow, orange, and green ones (in that order)!!!  But always hated the pink and purple flavors...  Image via Google Image Search

We later had my parents up to taste the cakes (because we couldn't justify eating an entire cake by ourselves....  but lets be honest, I probably ate over 50% of the cake anyway!), and they agreed that the lemon raspberry was the best.  My dad thought the chocolate/marble caramel was too sweet, so we were thinking maybe the hazelnut or almond fillings instead of the caramel.  I later went by the Central Market bakery and bought a marble hazelnut fudge slice of cake to taste.  We decided we don't like the heaviness of the fudge, and I wished you could taste the hazelnut more (Nutella, anyone?), so now I'm hoping sometime there will be an almond flavor to try!

We haven't signed on the dotted line yet, but it is imminent!  Plus I love that on our anniversary we could always go in and order a little cake, instead of saving the top tier, and it'll be fresh and delicious.

Did you have a "grocery store cake" at your wedding?  And did you love the flavors of the old conversation hearts too?  Ugh, I could (and have) rant about how upset I am that they changed the flavors for hours!

The Look: The Shoes

Now to the part of the ensemble that I think is the most important, yet will probably hardly be seen...  The shoes!

I actually bought shoes before we were engaged, because I simply had to have them.  They are awesome, and pink!  But once we picked our venue, and decided to have the ceremony outside, I started to worry if the skinny heels were a bad decision.  So I bought Sole Mates, and also kept looking for pink wedges, flats, and sandals.

These beauties are by Kelly & Katie from DSW, and were already not available over a year ago, so I had to have them tracked down after I failed to purchase them when I first saw, and fell in love with, them.  And the Sole Mates are on them here.  Personal Photo

I bought some hot pink flats a few months ago just because, and then it occurred to me that they might be fun wedding shoes.  But I wear them already, so are they special enough?  (No, I don't know why my shoes must be special and/or new, but it just seems like it...?  Oh WIC...)  I also bought sparkly silver flats, that are a little tight, but super cute.

The pink ones are Steve Madden, from DSW, and the silver are from Payless Shoe Source.  Personal Photos

Then just this week I bought some pink sandals.  Can't wait for them to arrive to see how I like them!  They are, however, labeled as "coral," which has been such a pain in the butt.  I'm mad at a color.  Coral is EVERYWHERE right now, so I can't find nearly as many purely bright pink shoes!  And coral can vary so much from a pretty pinkish color to a super orange-ish color, so you never really know.  My fingers are crossed that I'll love these.  (if not for the wedding, I'm sure I'll be able to wear them all summer!)

The almost-too-orange coral sandals, by Shoes of Soul.  Image via Zulilly.com

Complicating the shoe issue is my arthritis.  About a year ago, my foot started to hurt after running, and my toe swelled up, and I got these weird nodules on my joints.  A foot doctor and a dermatologist later, and I'm pretty sure I have arthritis.  Now if I stand for too long or walk too much the ball of my foot feels like I'm stepping on marbles.  So while I really want to wear heels for the wedding, it might not be possible.  I'm going to pad the shoes up, though, and do a trial wearing them around the house!  When I tried the heels on to take a picture (that turned out waaaay too fuzzy to use), I already noticed how much less comfortable it was, especially since I don't hardly wear heels anymore.  What a shame.


So that's it!  I think I have shared all of my various accessories!  Which shoes would you choose?  Do you, like me, feel like the color coral is taking over the universe?

The Cherry on Top: Part 2

As you might have noticed, I refer to my fiance as "Dino" on here.  This is partially for anonymity purposes, and partially because his nickname to me is "hisnam-osaurus."  And my nickname is "mynam-dactyl".  It really is easier to understand with our actual names, but let's pretend you totally understand.  Anyway, we both like dinosaurs, and our nicknames mean we could use a stegosaurus and a pterodactyl to represent us.  Perfect!

Okay, yes, dinosaurs might be a little childish, and not fit in with anything else at the wedding, but the little inside joke/reference makes us smile, so Dino gave me the green light to come up with something.

My first instinct was to find plastic dinosaur toys.  I could spray paint them to be pink and green, or gray, or whatever.  Maybe add a tiny top hat and veil?  But I ran into a problem quickly - do you know how hard it is to find the right size toy of both a stegosaurus and pterodactyl?  It's pretty much impossible.  I scoured amazon, target, toys 'r us, and anywhere else I could think of.

Okay, seriously?  One quick search now, after I'd long given up, and this set is an option.  They are only up to 3", though...  So still kind of too small.  Image via Amazon.com

So after not finding exactly what I wanted, I had a "Eureka!" moment - why don't I just make some dinosaurs?!?!  No, I hadn't ever made anything of the sort before, and I'm not typically a super artistic person (although my stick figures are pretty sweet!).  But I found myself at Hobby Lobby at lunch one day, in the oven bake clay section, where they had bright green and bright pink clay.  The absolute perfect colors.  And I grabbed a white, a dark blue, and a silver for good measure.

I put off doing anything with the clay for awhile, feeling a little intimidated by the prospect.  But last night I didn't feel like gardening (was still tired from the night before's gardening...  our garden is 75% grass, and I'm pulling it all out by hand!), didn't feel like working on the invitations (although that is #1 priority on my to do list...  It's getting really late!), and didn't want to be too lazy.  So I turned on Dollhouse (great Joss Whedon show...  love how the same actors are always in everything he does!), grabbed the clay and parchment paper, and went to work.

I would post a step by step on how to make clay dinosaurs, but really it was like this: unwrap clay, play with it and mold it into shapes that feel right, keep smoothing the surface where you keep putting nail marks in, and wash your hands thoroughly between handling different colors.  I made the stegosaurus from memory of what it should look like, then looked up a picture of a cartoon pterodactyl to use as reference.

This is the image I used as a reference for my pterodactyl.  Although I just realized I didn't give mine a tail...  whoops!  Image via Google Image Search

About an hour later, my figures were done, and ready to bake.  This part was the most confusing for me, as the package says to bake at 275 for 15-20 minutes per 1/4 inch.  I wasn't sure how to measure the inches, so kind of just did 10 minute increments until they were about to brown...  It ended up being about 40-50 minutes.  And it smelled pretty awful.  Make sure you can open some windows and turn on a vent if you try this!

And with that, they were done!  I'm not 100% happy with them, there are some things I noticed as soon as I took them out of the oven, but I'm pretty proud.  Even Dino said he was impressed with my skillz.  Yes, with a z.

My beautiful dinosaur figures!

I'm not positive that we will use these as the cake topper, or if I'll feel perfectionist-y and have to redo one or both of them, but I think they turned out cute.

Have any of your DIY/craft projects really impressed your significant other?  And would you put dinosaurs on top of your cake?

The Cherry on Top: Part 1

Cake toppers can be so much fun.  They add a little whimsy, or personalization, or just a little extra something to a beautiful cake.  And there are so many options!  When I first started thinking about cake toppers, I knew I probably wouldn't want a traditional one, although those can be so pretty.

There are so many that are cute and less traditional, but still man and wife!  Image via www.weddingwindow.com

Instead I was thinking something more along the lines of our names or something pretty.  I pinned a few of my favorites.

Love these cute birds, and the phrase "Happy Day"!  Image via Etsy Seller SkyeArt

We love puzzles, so this was a cute alternative.  Image via TheEveryLastDetail.com 

More cute little birds!  And the tree is adorable too.  Image via OffbeatBride.com

This is a cute Mr. & Mrs. topper, simple and elegant.  Image via Etsy Seller CreativeStamps

This was the first cake topper I fell in love with, the heart, the names...  perfect!  But just above what I ideally wanted to spend...  Image via Etsy Seller BetterOffWed

After weighing all these options, I decided that I wasn't in love with any of them enough to spend much money on them.  I'd be fine with just flowers, or nothing.  But I also thought I'd try out a crazy idea I had to make it very personal and cute.  And I'll show you what happens when I run free with whims in the next post!