New old treasure

Last summer we went home to visit for the first time in two years.  Rediscovering all of the cold-weather clothes I'd left behind in my closet and all of my possessions waiting for me in Minnesota was so exciting.  I didn't want to wear any of the clothes in my suitcase, just the sweaters and jeans from my closet.  (Which, for the most part, I was able to because I was freezing!)  It was new again and I loved it all.

I'm hoping for a similar experience when I return this summer and get to see everything for the wedding.  The vases and fabrics we bought for the reception are waiting for us and my dress has come in at the shop where it is waiting for me to come and try it on.  I'm more than hopeful that I will see these things and love them all over again.  Some things I'll be seeing for the first time, like my bridesmaid's dresses.  Thank goodness I decided to go for the mismatched look because coordinating colors and designs from across the globe...well, there's only so much you can do.

Mike's mom just pulled out the fabric to work on (and some of my girlfriends here are planning a shower - it's all starting to become real!) which prompted me to revisit this photo I took.  Thank goodness I took this photo to remember!  This was probably the fastest wedding errand yet, even though we visited 3 stores, owning to the fact that I dragged Mike along with me.  He's not much of a shopper and prefers the speed shopping method.  Despite the fast decision making (to which I certainly am not accustomed) I love our picks!

I'm excited to see these scattered about the room along with all of the other decor and surprises we have up our sleeves.  I don't know which is my favorite.  How about you?

Check and check

We have a photographer!  And a DJ!  More on this later.  I just wanted to note the occasion.  Progress has been made!

Centerpieces...check!

While we were home this summer, we did check a couple of things off of the wedding list.  I went to IKEA three times.  That store is so much more wonderful after living on a remote tropical island for two years.  Let's just say our apartment is not very homey here.  Because selection is terrible and prices are outrageous, we get by with just essentials (i.e. not aesthetics) for the most part.  If we had an IKEA on island, that would change in a hurry.  Ahh cheap chic-ness.

Oh, right...back to the wedding.

With the decision making assistance of my mom, fiance, and two bridesmaids (college roomie and future sister-in-law), we decided on the above and below.  Some tables will have three ceramic vases.  Others will have an collection of glass ones.  The mismatched theme fits right in with the mismatched fabric, frames and, of course, the bridesmaid's dresses.  Inside the vases will be daisies.  Maybe some wildflowers, too.  We'll see what's around.

Everything (except for the Coca Cola bottle) from IKEA.

Overwhelmed

The word of the day today is overwhelmed. As in overwhelm. You know…

o · ver · whelm

1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by stress.
2. to overpower or overcome, esp. with superior forces; destroy; crush: the independent and distant budget wedding planner was overwhelmed by the stalwart wedding industry.
3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something: wedding magazines, ceremony scripts, and other items in the wedding pile have completely overwhelmed the coffee table.
4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything: she was overwhelmed by the hundreds of wedding blog posts amassed in her Google Reader.

I have been a very bad blogger. But, as blogging excuses go, well…life just got in the way. I went home to Minnesota this summer for the first time in two years. Blogging was not my top priority. The wedding was pretty high up there, though. I returned to my island only to leave again within the week for a soccer tournament in Taiwan. The internet in our hotel was slow so I didn’t even get to read wedding blogs. And when I got back, school started. I have entered the black hole of the school year, when time is no longer my own and every day of the week is burdened by my classroom to-do list. So, you see, it wasn’t until yesterday that I even had the heart to open up my Google Reader.

I feel so behind and so far away. This summer, wedding planning was real. We actually got to walk through the ballroom and picture everything. I bought fabric and frames and centerpieces in person. Mike even started to get involved. But now I’m back to long-distance planning. Which was okay when I was just brainstorming ideas last year. But now it’s go time. And choosing paper, apparel, and a photographer from thousands of miles away…sucks!

Photo from ::here::

Choices, choices!

You'd think that with all these weeks of being home, I'd have something to show for it on the wedding front.  Alas, nada.  For the past year, I've floated along in a sea of excess time.  Things were too far out to really plan and I had all the time in the world.  I perused blogs and websites for hours discovering every wedding-related idea on earth and gathering inspiration.  On one hand this did help me to develop themes and ideas of what I want.  But not really.

Here in Minnesota, I've found myself awash in choices.  For everything, really.  Limitless brands of salad dressing.  An entire aisle devoted to facewash.  This plethora of options has not been present in my life over the past two years.  On my little island I'm lucky to find facewash at all!

And so it is with wedding planning as well.  It's decision time and I'm reluctant to pull the trigger.  The dress.  The invitations.  The centerpieces.  I have less than two weeks until I'm back on-island so I don't have much more time to dwell.

Next on the list is meeting with our reception venue.  Unlike many places, they don't have set menu options.  This is kind of nice, since they would probably be open to any ideas I have.  In reality, though, it's just more stressful!  I don't know which way to go with the food.  Do I fill out the menu with memory-eliciting comfort food?  Go for laid-back picinic fare?  Add some fun with hotdogs?  Or should I just try to have a nice, elegant menu?  Beats me.  At this point, I just want someone to tell me what to do!

:: links ::

mac & cheese : hot dog : burger : boxed meal : pasta salad : lemonade

Yellow it is.

Once we decided on the location, my vision for our wedding started evolving.  I should note, this process of planning our wedding has really made me aware of how much I have changed these past two years.  Living on this teeny tropical island has removed me from fashion trends and most of pop culture.  I find that my tastes have changed and I am able to choose things I like without even being aware of current trends.

So I have more-or-less decided on yellow as our wedding color.  Believe me, I shocked myself.  Coincidentally, this was actually the color my parents chose in their wedding.

Of course, we're going to skip the canary yellow tuxes.  (Mike occasionally voices an opinion and he put his foot down on that one.)

I think there will already be enough blue between the lake and the sky.  And the grass, trees, and other plants called first dibs on green.  Yellow seems like the perfect sunny addition.  Classic, casual, cheerful yellow.  Just perfect for our wedding.