Be on the lookout!  We’ll finish printing and sending in the next few days.

It’s clear I’ve entered the stage where I’m working more on the wedding itself than updating the blog

A few fun updates!

• We have found our cake designer!  A pair of cousins (a baker and designer) are going to team up to provide our two-tier cake.  We will be meeting with them in the next few weeks to talk about what we want; but we’re going to have them surprise us with the final design!
• The dress is coming along smashingly.  My silk should be arriving today, and I’m excited about the patterns.  There have been a few challenges, but I am confident the dress will be beautiful and done in time for the wedding.
• We plan to send invitations out this weekend.  We’re having a few challenges with the design, but we are sure it will turn out in the end.
• The ceremony is written, and we will be meeting with the pastor at the end of the month to hash out details.
• For budget reasons we’ve decided to tone down the candy bar and make it more of a delightful end feature to the buffet.  We’re honing in on menu choices!

I’ll post pictures of dress progress as it happens!

First – AwesomeGrand.com is up and working!  This site will host the online RSVP as well as all the information our guests need to get here and have fun!

Lots of things are moving forward.  I bought the rings on Etsy, but Alexander doesn’t know what they look like, so no pictures  We decided to go with a traditional ring for Alexander and a pendant for me, since my engagement ring will serve quite well as a wedding band.

I finished a bridesmaid bouquet and a boutineer today!  I’m so jazzed.  Check ‘em out!

Save The Dates went out in the mail.  They all have a url:  www.AwesomeGrand.com, that I haven’t even developed the webpage for yet.  Right now that’s redirecting here, so…if you went there…welcome!

The website will include travel info, registry details, etc.  I look forward to designing it but I haven’t gotten to that point just yet.

In other news I found perfect unity sand containers!  Woot!

More details when I have a little more updating time!

I worked on my table settings today.  Shannon came with me and by the end was like “I like the white ones…lets just get the white ones.  Yes, these white ones are great. ”  She’s awesome.  I think she’s going to be the voice of reason and “just do it” that my waffling self needs.

So, we ended up getting the white plates  :-)  Came home today and made a shrinky dink horde logo to finish it off!  I think I’ve never loved a plate as much as I love this one:

I’m gonna make a mock up and see what happens.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this yet – we have decided to go to the Art Institute of Phoenix for our cake needs.  We are going to post a job on their job board asking for a “surprise me” cake.  We will tell the cake designer that we want something along the spirit of our wedding, and how many people, and have them surprise us on the day of.   Of course, no chocolate.

I’m picturing putting either a red or purple tablecloth on each table.  Then, on the plastic plates we’ll take an oversized paper napkin folded in half in the opposite color with the cultery, with a purple/red fabric holding it all together.  Totally cute – and it will only cost us the fabric more to make it all pretty.

Yay!

While modern handfasting is commonly practiced with Pagans, it is also becoming a more popular ceremony in more traditional weddings, and the actual ceremony itself doesn’t necessarily have Pagan elements.  The reason we chose it was that it is a departure from the usual ceremony we’ve all heard a million times, and the vows seem to be more realisic.

For example, a 6 cord handfasting ceremony can read like this:

[Groom's Name], Will you cause her pain?
I May
Is that your intent?
No

[Bride's Name], Will you cause him pain?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

*To Both*
Will you share each other’s pain and seek to ease it?
Yes

And so the binding is made. Join your hands
*First cord is draped across the bride and grooms hands*

[Bride's Name], Will you share his laughter?
Yes

[Groom's Name], Will you share her laughter?
Yes

*To Both*
Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?
Yes

And so the binding is made.
*Second chord is draped across the couples hands*

[Bride's Name], Will you burden him?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

[Groom's Name], Will you burden her?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

*To Both*
Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?
Yes

And so the binding is made.
*Drape third chord across the couples hands*

[Bride's Name], will you share his dreams?
Yes

[Groom's Name], will you share her dreams?
Yes

*To Both*
Will you dream together to create new realities and hopes?
Yes

And so the binding is made.
*Drape fourth chord across the couples hands*

[Groom's Name], will you cause her anger?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

[Bride's Name], will you cause him anger?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

*To Both*
Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?
We Will

And so the binding is made.
*Drape fifth chord across the couples hands*

[Bride's Name], Will you honor him?
I will

[Groom's Name], Will you honor her?
I will

*To Both*
Will you seek to never give cause to break that honor?
We shall never do so

And so the binding is made.
*Drape sixth chord across the couples hands*

*Tie chords together while saying:*
The knots of this binding are not formed by these chords but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the chords, for as always, you hold in your own hands the making of breaking of this union.

*Once chords are tied together they are removed and placed on altar*

I like it.  Plus, it means i get to make cords!

Basically you take a canvas and pencil in a basic design for the guests to follow.  Then you divide it up in squares and let each guest paint a square!

We decided to go with markers instead of paint to help keep things a little less messy.  I scoured the interwebs to find a design i liked to put on there, and i think I’ve found it!

This is a picture I got from istockphoto and then converted to outlines in illustrator.  I’m going to go to Kinkos and get it blown up, then i’m going to trace it using carbon paper onto the canvas.  Sounds like a fun project!!