Plenty more cute/embarrassing pictures of the happy couple to follow.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Venue update
We heard back from the Elissa folks and they were very, very accommodating. The rental terms suit us, too. Only two hitches: We are going to have to rent tables and chairs for the reception, because the museum doesn't have any. And Michi will have to find some elegant short-heeled shoes for the ceremony, because high heels aren't allowed on deck.
So...we'll probably put down a deposit this week!
So...we'll probably put down a deposit this week!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The master plan
After a few weeks of talking, reflecting, and budgeting, here's what we've got so far:
The date. Saturday, September 12, 2009. Tentatively.
The ceremony. It will be short and sweet, a celebration of our love and exchange of vows. Sarah wants to hire an officiant, which I'm fine with but have no idea where to look. Neither of us identifies with any particular religious tradition. We will adapt from traditional wedding vows or write our own.
The location. Galveston, Texas. Close enough to Sarah's family, far enough away from Houston.
The invitations. We're mailing paper invites as soon as we're sure of the date. Score one for tradition! We'll probably design and/or print our own, though.
The guest list. Family and close friends who are able to make the trip. Right now the number's hovering around 30.
The bachelor party. The less Michi knows, the better.
Pre-wedding activities. Dallasites, y'all gotta check out the new Moody Gardens aquarium in Galveston. As good as, if not better than the Dallas World Aquarium we're so proud of up here. I'm thinking about buying a block of tickets to keep everyone occupied before the ceremony.
Lodging. I can probably get a nice discount on the new Marriott Springhill Suites that just opened on the island.
The reception. Cake, drinks, and a light buffet right after (and hopefully right next to) the ceremony.
Photographer. We really want to hire a professional but are a little shell-shocked by the price. Will keep networking and shopping around.
The food. Chef Michi is desperately trying not to go overboard (ha!) here. (Note to self: Your wedding day is not your last chance to impress your friends with food.) We're considering a nice array of cold foods including fruits, crudites, gourmet cheeses, and a catered sandwich tray of some sort.
The cake. Michi is torn between a fresh lemon and blueberry cake with candied lemons, and an elaborate almond /praline /marscapone / chocolate ganache confection. She firmly vetoed Sarah's Nintendo cake idea.
The hooch. Cold beer and punch at the reception, plus bubbly for toasting. We're holding out for a venue that lets us bring our own, instead of selling it to us at a 1000+ percent markup, which pretty much rules out every single hotel.
The decorations. We're thinking about working in an "under the sea" theme with shells and whatnot for the tables. (But not live fish in bowls, which every wedding guide I read infuriatingly recommends.)
Music. iPod, baby!
Flowers. I like all flowers. I'll pick something simple and seasonal.
The attendants. We each plan to ask one close friend to be an attendant.
The attire. Dress for Michi, tux for Sarah, black dress or suit for the attendants, evening casual for everyone else.
The dress. Beautiful cocktail or evening dress in off-white or ivory. Not a wedding dress. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do plan to wear it again.
Hair and makeup. I'm making a salon appointment. Not vain, just inept with a blowdryer. Besides, building a coiffure to withstand Galveston's heat and humidity is a task best left to the professionals.
The honeymoon! No firm plans yet, but we had so much fun on our May cruise out of Galveston, we're seriously considering doing another one on a different ship. After the ceremony, we could retire to the Harbor House hotel, and walk to the pier the next morning. How about it, eh?
The residence. The bride and bride will reside in Dallas. And rent. A friend at work asked me if we were going to buy a house after the ceremony. No, of course not--we'll be too broke from the wedding!
The date. Saturday, September 12, 2009. Tentatively.
The ceremony. It will be short and sweet, a celebration of our love and exchange of vows. Sarah wants to hire an officiant, which I'm fine with but have no idea where to look. Neither of us identifies with any particular religious tradition. We will adapt from traditional wedding vows or write our own.
The location. Galveston, Texas. Close enough to Sarah's family, far enough away from Houston.
The invitations. We're mailing paper invites as soon as we're sure of the date. Score one for tradition! We'll probably design and/or print our own, though.
The guest list. Family and close friends who are able to make the trip. Right now the number's hovering around 30.
The bachelor party. The less Michi knows, the better.
Pre-wedding activities. Dallasites, y'all gotta check out the new Moody Gardens aquarium in Galveston. As good as, if not better than the Dallas World Aquarium we're so proud of up here. I'm thinking about buying a block of tickets to keep everyone occupied before the ceremony.
Lodging. I can probably get a nice discount on the new Marriott Springhill Suites that just opened on the island.
The reception. Cake, drinks, and a light buffet right after (and hopefully right next to) the ceremony.
Photographer. We really want to hire a professional but are a little shell-shocked by the price. Will keep networking and shopping around.
The food. Chef Michi is desperately trying not to go overboard (ha!) here. (Note to self: Your wedding day is not your last chance to impress your friends with food.) We're considering a nice array of cold foods including fruits, crudites, gourmet cheeses, and a catered sandwich tray of some sort.
The cake. Michi is torn between a fresh lemon and blueberry cake with candied lemons, and an elaborate almond /praline /marscapone / chocolate ganache confection. She firmly vetoed Sarah's Nintendo cake idea.
The hooch. Cold beer and punch at the reception, plus bubbly for toasting. We're holding out for a venue that lets us bring our own, instead of selling it to us at a 1000+ percent markup, which pretty much rules out every single hotel.
The decorations. We're thinking about working in an "under the sea" theme with shells and whatnot for the tables. (But not live fish in bowls, which every wedding guide I read infuriatingly recommends.)
Music. iPod, baby!
Flowers. I like all flowers. I'll pick something simple and seasonal.
The attendants. We each plan to ask one close friend to be an attendant.
The attire. Dress for Michi, tux for Sarah, black dress or suit for the attendants, evening casual for everyone else.
The dress. Beautiful cocktail or evening dress in off-white or ivory. Not a wedding dress. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do plan to wear it again.
Hair and makeup. I'm making a salon appointment. Not vain, just inept with a blowdryer. Besides, building a coiffure to withstand Galveston's heat and humidity is a task best left to the professionals.
The honeymoon! No firm plans yet, but we had so much fun on our May cruise out of Galveston, we're seriously considering doing another one on a different ship. After the ceremony, we could retire to the Harbor House hotel, and walk to the pier the next morning. How about it, eh?
The residence. The bride and bride will reside in Dallas. And rent. A friend at work asked me if we were going to buy a house after the ceremony. No, of course not--we'll be too broke from the wedding!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Party time!
"When we was young, oh man did we have fun..."
-- The Strokes, "Alone, Together"
Sarah can't wait to go shopping to stock the bar for the reception. Because she went to college. And higher education pays off, kids.
Nightmares in white satin
Last week I talked Sarah into taking me to a certain bridal megachain (which shall remain nameless but goes by the initials David's Bridal). She needn't have worried. We were out of there in less than ten minutes.
Before I offend anybody, not everything in the store was repulsive--I actually liked a couple of necklaces. And I know women who have found perfectly suitable wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses there, at good prices. But personally, I just can't do it. I can't do satin and faux pearls the size of Skittles and the oh-so-trendy red ribbon sashes. I can't handle a store where a size 2 dress is built like a size 16, and where $600 buys maybe $80 worth of polyester glory.
I won't be coming back. It's not you David, it's me.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Ring glitch, Michi glitch
So I picked my engagement ring up from the jeweler's Tuesday after getting it sized. (A seven down to a five--all that cheesecake and short rib I eat at work hasn't fattened my fingers, apparently.) The ring looked and felt so great and I wore it all day. Well, someone must have forgotten to readjust the settings, because somewhere along the way one of the accent diamonds fell out and left a big, gaping hole.
I got irrationally scared to go with Sarah to take the ring back to Zales. I guess I was afraid the repair wouldn't be covered by the warranty and we'd have to argue, or that they'd think we were trying to scam them, or that they'd scoff at us because we didn't buy the Kohinoor. Or worst of all, that they wouldn't be able to fix it and I'd have to return it and look for another ring when I like this one so much.
Sarah ended up going by herself, and of course, there was no problem at all. My customer service nightmares did not come true. They took the ring, apologized profusely, and promised to have it fixed and back in my hands as soon as possible.
And fittingly enough, the whole situation helped remind me of yet another reason I want to marry Sarah: She's damn good in a crisis. Especially a Michi microcrisis. Usually I'm pretty rational, but sometimes a stupid little problem just completely derails me. Then she's there to scoop me up, dust me off, and fix everything before I even know what happened, all without making me feel silly. I love you, Sarah.
I got irrationally scared to go with Sarah to take the ring back to Zales. I guess I was afraid the repair wouldn't be covered by the warranty and we'd have to argue, or that they'd think we were trying to scam them, or that they'd scoff at us because we didn't buy the Kohinoor. Or worst of all, that they wouldn't be able to fix it and I'd have to return it and look for another ring when I like this one so much.
Sarah ended up going by herself, and of course, there was no problem at all. My customer service nightmares did not come true. They took the ring, apologized profusely, and promised to have it fixed and back in my hands as soon as possible.
And fittingly enough, the whole situation helped remind me of yet another reason I want to marry Sarah: She's damn good in a crisis. Especially a Michi microcrisis. Usually I'm pretty rational, but sometimes a stupid little problem just completely derails me. Then she's there to scoop me up, dust me off, and fix everything before I even know what happened, all without making me feel silly. I love you, Sarah.
Sea dreams
Currently looking for my Little Mermaid tape so I can watch the shipboard wedding for inspiration. (The second wedding, that is, not the first one where Eric almost marries the Sea Witch.)
Ahoy!
One idea we're floating (heh) is to have the ceremony (and reception, if the guest list permits), on the Elissa. She is a restored 1877 merchant barque currently moored at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston, and one of the oldest ships still sailing. I toured the Elissa as a child, and it was way cool. Unique, historic, and beautiful--what else could we possibly ask for in a venue?
Oh yeah, affordable. According to the Texas Seaport museum's website, $500 or $750 (weekends) gets you the ship, museum, and pier for a whole evening! (The ship is open to the public during the day.)
This is currently my number one choice. I'm too nervous to call or write. Sarah's going to email them later and ask the important questions. Are our dates available? What's included in the rental fee? Do they allow alcohol? Are they cool with a couple of girls tying the knot on board? Etc...
Monday, June 2, 2008
The one that got away
This beautiful ivory 100% silk chiffon with feather-trim dress by BCBG Max Azria would have been fabulous! Unfortunately, its from the Spring 2008 collection (which is already in the final closeout stages) and no one has it in my size. Boooooo!!!Nah, that's okay, I wasn't ready to be done shopping, anyway.
Cro$$ing off the Dalla$$ Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum has long been on our shortlist for ceremony locations. It's beautiful, it's serene, and it's popular too--during the spring you can't throw a skipping stone without hitting a flower-festooned bride. Still, after getting more details on wedding rentals, we've decided to take a pass. Man, I should have given up on that place when they started charging $10 to get in.
Several gardens are available for ceremony-only rentals, at prices ranging up to $1000. (On the low end, $200 buys a gazebo for an hour, no seating, 10 guests maximum. ) Reception facilities start at $2500 base rental fee and go up from there. Also, depending on the location, the number of guests, and whether alcohol is served, the Arboretum may require the hosts to add valets and DPD officers to the payroll. Oh, and you can't bring in your own caterer. You have to choose from among the Arboretum's ten or so "approved caterers."
The bright side for brides: The Arboretum will allow non-commercial bridal photography (Sarah: "How generous of them!") during regular business hours with paid admission.
Candy buffet, what's not to like?
Sorry to go all Martha on ya, but...
I love this wedding favor idea from theknot.com!
You buy different bulk candies (preferably color-coordinated with your reception decor, natch), put them in pretty jars, and supply baggies and ribbons. Your guests make their own mix to take home. Just like at the mall! No, seriously, I am going to do this.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Setting a date
We won't have a final date (or even an official working date) until we swap schedules with friends and family, but...
Saturday, September 12, 2009 will be me and Sarah's five year anniversary of dating, and is a) far enough in the future to give us time to plan, b) convenient for guest with work/school schedules, and c) hopefully not to doggone hot for an outdoor ceremony. If that doesn't work out, the 5th or the 19th are other possibilities.
Saturday, September 12, 2009 will be me and Sarah's five year anniversary of dating, and is a) far enough in the future to give us time to plan, b) convenient for guest with work/school schedules, and c) hopefully not to doggone hot for an outdoor ceremony. If that doesn't work out, the 5th or the 19th are other possibilities.
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