Eco-Vintage Weddings

What We’ve Been Up To…

Hello readers! Again, I apologize for not posting much these past few weeks; it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. With only one month to go until the wedding (!!), Jordan and I have been hard at work finishing up last-minute details with our families and friends.

Here’s what we’ve been doing:

- Last week, I spent the evening building our photo booth with the great help of my future father-in-law. The photo booth turned out wonderfully; I can’t wait to see how it looks in our wedding photos! I hope to provide a full tutorial for you all at some point, so stay tuned…

- Made a list of must-have photos for our photographers, and met with our lovely photogs to discuss our wedding day. I’m SO excited that we’ve chosen such wonderful and supportive photographers; they will be so great to have with us on our wedding day, and I know that Kara will help to keep me relaxed.

- Started tanning! While I’m definitely not a fan of how bad tanning beds are for my skin, I do need to build up a base tan of sorts before heading off to Jamaica. So, I’ve stared tanning a few times per week!

- Started the napkins process! With the great help of my bridesmaid Serena and her mother, we’re making headway with the DIY napkins project! We’re about halfway through the project, and I plan to bring the last batch of fabric over to Serena’s home this week for cutting.

- Mailed our rehearsal dinner invitations. They turned out wonderfully, and we’re so excited for our Italian-themed rehearsal dinner!

- Ordered 3 one-half sheet cakes for our wedding reception. We ordered 1/2 sheet of red velvet (my favorite!), one half sheet of strawberry (Jordan’s favorite) and one half sheet of vanilla cake from a local bakery. I’m glad to have that completed!

- Set up a final meeting with our on-site reception coordinator and our florist to cover last-minute details. Both of these appointments are next week, and I’m excited to finalize all of the details!

- Set up a meeting to visit the chapel where our ceremony will take place. I’m visiting my alma mater, Augustana College, this week to set up decorations around the chapel to see what they look like. I’m excited to see how/if the pew bows will attach to the pews…frankly, that’s all I’m concerned about. I know that everything else will look great!

- Finalized gifts for the groomsmen and ushers; everything should be done next week, so I can wrap the gifts!

- Secured a classic car to transport Jordan and I from the ceremony to the reception!

- Got the guys measured for tuxes! Only a few of our guys have yet to do this, and they’re under strict instructions to do so ASAP.

- Finalized our wedding ceremony script. Yes!

- Trying to wrangle wedding pictures of our relatives; I only need a few more pictures, and we’ll be set!

I think that’s it!

Here’s what we have left:

- Our reception playlist. We’ve started working on it, but Jordan’s school quarter ends this Friday, so Jordan will have a lot more time to devote to finalizing our playlist starting next week. This is his pet project, and I’m excited to help with this process as much as I can.

- Getting a few more props for the photo booth, as well as finding/purchasing baskets for the day’s needs, a few picture frames, and a few props for our wedding photos on the wedding day.

- Figuring out what camera to use for the photo booth.

- Print the wedding programs. We’re waiting for the final OK from our officiant, and as soon as we have that, we’re good to go!

- Cutting table squares and a table runner for the reception; we are purchasing the fabric today, so it won’t be too long before this project is off our list.

- Sew a lining into our flower girl dresses. Again, the fabric for this has been purchased, so hopefully we can finalize this project soon.

- Purchase a gift for my personal attendant and our parents, as well as gifts for our hosts & hostesses and our ceremony reader.

- Gift-opening preparation and invitations.

- Bring my engagement ring and wedding band into the jeweler to be soldered and plated.

- Premarital counseling session with my uncle, our officiant, to discuss our personality inventory.

- Discuss our DIY tiered wedding cake with my mother, and maybe practice making a cake.

- Final wedding gown fitting; I’m so excited for this part!

- Final hair and make-up trial, as well as week-of beauty treatments; again, SO excited!

- Wrap gifts and box up ceremony/reception decor.

- Marriage license.

- Meet with our travel agent to finalize details for our honeymoon, and pack for our honeymoon.

- GET MARRIED!

Surprisingly, my stress level is rather low; while I know that there’s still more things to do, I feel remarkably calm heading into the final month before the wedding.

How are you handling wedding stress?

Our Wedding: Honeymoon = Tropical Getaway!

Oh readers…guess what? WE’VE BOOKED OUR HONEYMOON!!!!

After the wedding, Jordan and I will be jetting off to … wait for it … JAMAICA!

With the help of a travel agent (who is also a family friend), we booked a 6 night getaway to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where we will relax on the beach, dine at wonderfully yummy restaurants and enjoy our first few days as a married couple!

We’ll be staying at Breezes Rio Bueno in Ocho Rios; we’re so excited! While we weren’t sure for quite some time whether or not we would be able to take an extended honeymoon, we feel so blessed to have the opportunity to get away!

Where are you headed on your honeymoon!

Our Wedding: A Honeymoon Update!

Doesn’t that look lovely? I’d love to be sunning on the beach with a big floppy hat, HUGE sunglasses and a comfortable bikini cover-up…I guess Jordan can come along, too! Hee hee.

An update on our honeymoon: when I last posted about our plans for a honeymoon, I told you about the lovely Bliss Honeymoons, and the wonderful services that they provide. Well, as it turns out, one of my parents’ friends happens to be a part-time travel agent, so in the end, Jordan and I decided to book our honeymoon through her for simple convenience: we knew her, she knew us, and she lives where we live!

At this point, Jordan is trying to decide whether or not to take a graduate course in psychology during the summer term (he’s pursuing his Masters of Science in psychology through an online program). Originally, we had discussed having him take the summer term off to enjoy the wedding, but as it turns out, his classes don’t start until right before the wedding, so he’s doing some soul-searching to make sure that he wouldn’t feel too pressured to finalize our wedding plans and begin his next course.

As soon as Jordan decides on schooling, we plan to move forward with our honeymoon plans. If Jordan decides to take a summer course, we hope to be able to escape for 5-7 days, and we’re open to everything and anything (except a cruise!). We have two major cities that we can fly out of in addition to Sioux Falls (Minneapolis and Omaha), which may help us grab some last-minute deals.

If Jordan decides not to take a summer course, I think we’ll go the mini-moon route and enjoy a shorter getaway (3-4 days) a little closer to home.

Where are you going for your honeymoon?

Our Wedding: Bliss Honeymoons!

From the moment J and I first discussed getting married, we both knew that we wanted a honeymoon where we could A) do things we’ve never done before, and B) relax, relax, relax.

However, since neither J nor I have ever planned such an important trip before, we’ve talked on and off about calling a travel agent to utilize their expertise and services in determining where exactly we should go on our honeymoon.

Enter Dana at The Broke-Ass Bride, who recently posted about one of her blog sponsors, Bliss Honeymoons & Destination Weddings. You could say that the clouds parted and angels could be heard singing in the distance, but that would be a little over the top, now wouldn’t it? :) Bliss Honeymoons specializes in helping couples determine what exactly they are looking for in a honeymoon, whether it’s relaxation, adventure, romance or a little bit of all three.

After I read Dana’s post, I immediately emailed J, and we quickly agreed to contact the wonderful travel agents at Bliss to help us plan our honeymoon. One of Bliss’s agents, Laura, contacted us promptly to set up a phone call (since there isn’t a Bliss office in our area) to talk about our ideal honeymoon and our budget.

The best part about Bliss Honeymoons? Because Bliss is a fully licensed travel agency, they are paid by the hotels. This means that couples just like you and me get all the benefits of working with an experienced travel consultant at no extra cost!

I’ll keep you informed as we talk with Laura about our honeymoon – we’re so excited to get started on this process!

NOTE: This post is not sponsored by the above company, individual, service or product line.

[Picture courtesy of Bridal Tweet]