So I got something in the mail yesterday... the pics from my boudoir shoot already! Talk about fast!
And I already gave them to C. I just decided that there was no way I could hold out for 4 months (101 days today!) and I wanted to share them. No fun keeping them all to myself. Plus, I can't decide if making a book is really the way to go. I don't know, do I want these on paper? For anyone to potentially find? Like my children? I just am wrestling with that right now.
Anyway, C liked them but I'm having mixed feelings. I don't have them to share right now, nor did she make the online gallery like she said she would so you'll have to wait until tonight hopefully to see some. And I'm only sharing a few.
I just feel like they could have done a better job telling me to suck in my stomach or posing me. I mean, I had a baby and do not have a flat stomach but I could look like I do. And there was so much going on that I couldn't remember to do all of it. And some of the photos just plain are not flattering. I hate my legs, I think they're stubby and short and there's like 2 pics of just my legs. There's only about 3 pictures with the chair and the rest are just me standing there.
I also feel like some of the pictures that I was looking forward to seeing didn't make the cut and I have no idea why. There were some really cute ones using the chair and those are barely included. Instead, there's a picture of me wearing the trench where you can actually see my nipple (not intended) and how is that better?
I know I'm my own worst critic, but part of me hoped that they'd turn out amazing. I know that she's not a miracle worker but I feel like they could have been better. Now, considering that I paid $100? I suppose that's actually pretty good work for that low of a fee.
Some of them did turn out very cute or very sexy and I'm happy with those. I'll do it again but I'll work out more first or something. Or fast for a bit. Or time it better for when I'm not about to get my period.
I didn't mean this to turn into a rant but I'm trying to be honest. I'll share some pics later when I'm at home and actually have the disc. And if/when I do it again, I'll book a session that's all mine and not rushed with a photographer who can photograph in the most flattering way.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Anniversary
In a mere 2 weeks, C & I will probably celebrate an anniversary for the last time. 3 year ago, on that day, we met and our lives changed forever, for the better. Funny to think back on how a chance meeting, a drunken one at that, led to where we are today.
I'm trying to decide how to honor that day and also what happens to our anniversaries after May? We met on Feb. 22, we had our first "date" over a weekend at the beginning of April. C proposed on July 4th, and we were legally married on Sept. 18th.
We've never celebrated our first "date" nor the day we got engaged. There never seemed a reason to. But we have celebrated our anniversary every year so far (all 2 of them!). We haven't been married long enough to celebrate our Sept. date yet.
I feel like we should do something special for this "last" anniversary, but with all the wedding planning I'm at a loss as to what. Plus, it's on a Tuesday this year so that makes it more difficult. We could go away for a night but there's Addy to think of and even though we're closer to family here there's not as many options for childcare.
So instead, we'll probably stay home and we'll eat a nice dinner after Addy goes to bed so we can enjoy some time with eachother.
Do you celebrate all your anniversaries?
I'm trying to decide how to honor that day and also what happens to our anniversaries after May? We met on Feb. 22, we had our first "date" over a weekend at the beginning of April. C proposed on July 4th, and we were legally married on Sept. 18th.
We've never celebrated our first "date" nor the day we got engaged. There never seemed a reason to. But we have celebrated our anniversary every year so far (all 2 of them!). We haven't been married long enough to celebrate our Sept. date yet.
I feel like we should do something special for this "last" anniversary, but with all the wedding planning I'm at a loss as to what. Plus, it's on a Tuesday this year so that makes it more difficult. We could go away for a night but there's Addy to think of and even though we're closer to family here there's not as many options for childcare.
So instead, we'll probably stay home and we'll eat a nice dinner after Addy goes to bed so we can enjoy some time with eachother.
Do you celebrate all your anniversaries?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Doing It For Me
You'll hear a lot of brides in the planning stages bemoan the Wedding Industry for "making" them do things or pressuring them in to doing or having this or that. I, personally, think these brides are full of crap and just don't have the cajones to do the things they want to do.
The details in my wedding like the cake that I "have" to have is all my doing. Yes, the cake is there because of tradition but the damn thing is going to look the way I want it to look and taste the way I want it to taste (hopefully).
My biggest pet-peeve is brides blaming media and industries for forcing an image on us of brides that are fit and beautiful and forcing us into the gym to achieve that look.
Bull.
I have been hitting the gym with semi-regularity and you know why? Not because a magazine or blog told me to. Because I want to look the best I possibly can when standing up in front of roughly 150 people to express my love for C. Because I want to look the best I can in the photos that will grace our house for the next 50 years. Because I want to feel good about myself.
I suppose in a way you could call it peer pressure. That thinking of all those people looking at me is really what's doing it but it's for me. I want people to be amazed at how good I look. To wonder if I really did give birth or if we stole Addy from somewhere instead.
Is it conceited? Yeah, it is. I won't deny it. But it's for me.
The details in my wedding like the cake that I "have" to have is all my doing. Yes, the cake is there because of tradition but the damn thing is going to look the way I want it to look and taste the way I want it to taste (hopefully).
My biggest pet-peeve is brides blaming media and industries for forcing an image on us of brides that are fit and beautiful and forcing us into the gym to achieve that look.
Bull.
I have been hitting the gym with semi-regularity and you know why? Not because a magazine or blog told me to. Because I want to look the best I possibly can when standing up in front of roughly 150 people to express my love for C. Because I want to look the best I can in the photos that will grace our house for the next 50 years. Because I want to feel good about myself.
I suppose in a way you could call it peer pressure. That thinking of all those people looking at me is really what's doing it but it's for me. I want people to be amazed at how good I look. To wonder if I really did give birth or if we stole Addy from somewhere instead.
Is it conceited? Yeah, it is. I won't deny it. But it's for me.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Coordination
As much as it may seem like I have everything under control, sometimes I wonder. How will I make sure the ballroom is set up the way that I want it? I can only say and draw so much and my drawing skills aren't really that great. Who will give the musician at the ceremony the queue that it's time to start? Who will usher the guests back to the hotel so we have the pavilion available for pictures? Who will queue the DJ to start the entrances? Who will make sure all the chairs get taken down and stacked after the ceremony?
I know that these things could be handled and they'll probably work themselves out in the end, but I also know that I am my biggest critic and I'd focus on the fact that there was a huge pause in the music while we figured out who was supposed to go or what was going on.
I'm seriously entertaining the thought of a DOC (Day Of Coordinator). Someone that I'll meet with before the wedding but will only show up the day of to make sure these things are taken care of so I can focus on getting ready and getting married.
I recently attended a wedding where there was no DOC and I felt awful for the bride that she wasn't able to fully relax because she knew when it was all done, someone still had to tear everything down and pack it up. And she was responsible for making sure it happened. She wasn't up on a ladder or anything but she was close.
I know that I can't be everywhere at once and I also know what kind of a control freak I can be. I figure my choices are to use a friend or hire someone. If I use a friend, it has to be someone that I know won't mind helping out, that I can trust to get things the way I want them. If I hire someone, they have to do that for me anyway.
I found a coordinator for $500 for the day and I'm seriously considering it. Is $500 worth the peace of mind that I would get? Maybe. I'll have to talk this one over with C.
I know that these things could be handled and they'll probably work themselves out in the end, but I also know that I am my biggest critic and I'd focus on the fact that there was a huge pause in the music while we figured out who was supposed to go or what was going on.
I'm seriously entertaining the thought of a DOC (Day Of Coordinator). Someone that I'll meet with before the wedding but will only show up the day of to make sure these things are taken care of so I can focus on getting ready and getting married.
I recently attended a wedding where there was no DOC and I felt awful for the bride that she wasn't able to fully relax because she knew when it was all done, someone still had to tear everything down and pack it up. And she was responsible for making sure it happened. She wasn't up on a ladder or anything but she was close.
I know that I can't be everywhere at once and I also know what kind of a control freak I can be. I figure my choices are to use a friend or hire someone. If I use a friend, it has to be someone that I know won't mind helping out, that I can trust to get things the way I want them. If I hire someone, they have to do that for me anyway.
I found a coordinator for $500 for the day and I'm seriously considering it. Is $500 worth the peace of mind that I would get? Maybe. I'll have to talk this one over with C.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
You Light Up My Life
After yesterday's post, I decided lighting should be on the Must Do list. So I searched the web and finally found a solution. 28.5 foot long strings of 100 lights (not globe lights, but they'll do) that can be strung 3 long for $6 each. My venue is 85 feet in length (28.5*3=85.5 Wow) so I can do 6 criss-cross lights for a mere $108. I told C that I could do the lighting for less than $200 so I got the go ahead there.
My only issues now are how to power them and they don't recommend stringing more than 3 together so each string will have to be plugged in to it's own outlet. Without being able to actually climb up on the balconies to see, I don't know if this is actually possible. So now I need to e-mail our coordinator to find out. He's been pretty accommodating though so he will probably try to make it work.
Other lighting elements I'm trying to include are the wrapped table numbers. Something that looks a lot like this. I'm pretty sure I can pull this off with minimal effort but I've never done it before. I'd also like to line the stage in the ballroom with candles but I'm not sure that's safe since it's right next to the dance floor and that just doesn't seem like the best combination. Though, I can always invest in battery operated tea lights and save myself some potential fires I suppose.
And hanging lanterns would also be beautiful but again, fire hazard not to mention head injuries.
Maybe if we dumped the open bar I wouldn't have to worry about these things. But then I would have to worry about people not showing up...
PS. Speaking of things showing up, I'm officially not pregnant. For those who were dying to know.
My only issues now are how to power them and they don't recommend stringing more than 3 together so each string will have to be plugged in to it's own outlet. Without being able to actually climb up on the balconies to see, I don't know if this is actually possible. So now I need to e-mail our coordinator to find out. He's been pretty accommodating though so he will probably try to make it work.
Other lighting elements I'm trying to include are the wrapped table numbers. Something that looks a lot like this. I'm pretty sure I can pull this off with minimal effort but I've never done it before. I'd also like to line the stage in the ballroom with candles but I'm not sure that's safe since it's right next to the dance floor and that just doesn't seem like the best combination. Though, I can always invest in battery operated tea lights and save myself some potential fires I suppose.
And hanging lanterns would also be beautiful but again, fire hazard not to mention head injuries.
Maybe if we dumped the open bar I wouldn't have to worry about these things. But then I would have to worry about people not showing up...
PS. Speaking of things showing up, I'm officially not pregnant. For those who were dying to know.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Wants
While yesterday's post was about the things I HAVE to do, today's is about the things I WANT to do.
For instance, our photography package includes a second shooter who will be manning a photo booth for us during the reception. It's a very basic set up, just some professional lighting and a backdrop. And they'll provide the backdrop for $100. BUT, what I really want to do is buy some fun fabric and make a backdrop! I think it would be easy enough to construct a stand out of PVC pipe that can be taken apart for tranporting and some fabric.
C thinks it might be a lot of work but I think it's completely do-able and will be really fun.
Another thing that I am completely lusting after is cafe lights to string across our venue. How romantic and lovely does this look? So I thought, "They're just lights, how bad could it be?" $500 for 6 strings of lights bad! What?!? But, oh my gosh, I see pictures of other weddings and I want it SO BADLY. But I have absolutely no idea how to find it for anything less than the $500 and there's just no way I can justify spending that much on lighting.
I did find one alternative that's basically Christmas lights but they come in 32-ft strands and I could get enough to cross the room 6 times for only $180+ tax. The only problem is that I'd need to connect 3 strands so there'd be obvious lengths where the plugs were but maybe I could cover those spots with paper lanterns?
Another "want" is cutesy signs to mark the path to the pavilion for the ceremony. I do want to mark the path, but I probably don't need a ton of signage or effort to do so. I'm sure we could get away with posterboard and balloons but wouldn't it be nice to have wooden signs? Holy crap though, I'm pretty sure C would murder me if I spent that much money on a silly sign. So now I want to make them myself...
Where do I think I'm going to find the time for all this?
For instance, our photography package includes a second shooter who will be manning a photo booth for us during the reception. It's a very basic set up, just some professional lighting and a backdrop. And they'll provide the backdrop for $100. BUT, what I really want to do is buy some fun fabric and make a backdrop! I think it would be easy enough to construct a stand out of PVC pipe that can be taken apart for tranporting and some fabric.
C thinks it might be a lot of work but I think it's completely do-able and will be really fun.
Another thing that I am completely lusting after is cafe lights to string across our venue. How romantic and lovely does this look? So I thought, "They're just lights, how bad could it be?" $500 for 6 strings of lights bad! What?!? But, oh my gosh, I see pictures of other weddings and I want it SO BADLY. But I have absolutely no idea how to find it for anything less than the $500 and there's just no way I can justify spending that much on lighting.
I did find one alternative that's basically Christmas lights but they come in 32-ft strands and I could get enough to cross the room 6 times for only $180+ tax. The only problem is that I'd need to connect 3 strands so there'd be obvious lengths where the plugs were but maybe I could cover those spots with paper lanterns?
Another "want" is cutesy signs to mark the path to the pavilion for the ceremony. I do want to mark the path, but I probably don't need a ton of signage or effort to do so. I'm sure we could get away with posterboard and balloons but wouldn't it be nice to have wooden signs? Holy crap though, I'm pretty sure C would murder me if I spent that much money on a silly sign. So now I want to make them myself...
Where do I think I'm going to find the time for all this?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
To Do
While I tend to act like I've got this thing under control, there are a lot of loose ends that I need to tie up. The big things are done (find somewhere to do it, get our major vendors booked, get us outfitted, etc.) there are a lot of little details that need to be done.
For instance: I have yet to even speak to a florist. I have no idea what my flowers should look like, what a reasonable budget for flowers even is and who will be providing said flowers. Having family help is out of the question since we'll be in unknown territory so I'll have to suck it up and pay someone to arrange and deliver flowers to me. I barely even know what flowers I like or what's in bloom. I'm somewhat prepared to be completely taken advantage of in this arena.
Another item is Addy. I have no idea what she's going to wear, if she needs something for her hair, how she'll actually participate in the ceremony, etc. I do know who's going to watch her the night of for us but other than that I have no clue. Will she drive down with us 3 days before the wedding? Should someone else do that for us? Will she sleep with us up until our wedding day? Where will she be while I'm getting ready? Will she be able to walk down an aisle without completely losing it? I don't know.
I have barely broached the idea of having people bake cookies for us. I need to get on the ball there and start asking people to bake. We have yet to figure out if we're even going to have Out of Town bags (OOT bags) let alone what should go in them. Chicago stuff? MN stuff? A mix of both? Water & Aspirin for sure.
And another one that I simply can't believe we haven't done, we've never tasted a cake! What the?! That's one that needs to be fixed ASAP!
For instance: I have yet to even speak to a florist. I have no idea what my flowers should look like, what a reasonable budget for flowers even is and who will be providing said flowers. Having family help is out of the question since we'll be in unknown territory so I'll have to suck it up and pay someone to arrange and deliver flowers to me. I barely even know what flowers I like or what's in bloom. I'm somewhat prepared to be completely taken advantage of in this arena.
Another item is Addy. I have no idea what she's going to wear, if she needs something for her hair, how she'll actually participate in the ceremony, etc. I do know who's going to watch her the night of for us but other than that I have no clue. Will she drive down with us 3 days before the wedding? Should someone else do that for us? Will she sleep with us up until our wedding day? Where will she be while I'm getting ready? Will she be able to walk down an aisle without completely losing it? I don't know.
I have barely broached the idea of having people bake cookies for us. I need to get on the ball there and start asking people to bake. We have yet to figure out if we're even going to have Out of Town bags (OOT bags) let alone what should go in them. Chicago stuff? MN stuff? A mix of both? Water & Aspirin for sure.
And another one that I simply can't believe we haven't done, we've never tasted a cake! What the?! That's one that needs to be fixed ASAP!
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