save the date sent!

We sent out the save the date last week and it is now featured on Neo Mammalian Studio's portfolio. I seriously can't thank them enough!

bridesmaid dresses (part 2 of 3)

Finally narrowed down bridesmaid dress options to these on Rent the Runway. Notice the colors are all over the place. It's because I plan on just picking out whatever looks/works best on the girls. Can't wait to go their showroom next year! Hopefully the $50 dresses work out so we don't have to spend too much.

crowdsourced reception playlist

Two entries ago, I talked about how we plan on using #Spotify to crowdsource our music. Here's the playlist that we'll share with our guests. Feel free to add/request music here!

♫ EK&EK Crowdsourced Wedding http://spoti.fi/Tla4NE

save the date inforgraphic

When I became 80% sure where I wanted to get married (I'll talk about this in the next entry), I rushed things a bit and worked on the Save the Date first. One was because the venue we liked the most only had a few days left in April next year, and I thought, "okay, if it's going to be in April, I better send out the Save the Date ASAP!".

I wanted mine to be in a infographic style. I found a few online -- etsy, a simple postcard, a text-heavy poster -- but didn't love any. Then I saw a post on how Google map images are created into stylish vintage postcards, and temporarily veered from my original vision and created this. It's a Google map view of our then potential venue and I thought I'd put the Save the Date info somewhere.

But I saw the Gangnam style infographic recently featured on mashable.com, and I knew this was it. Aside from the insightful information around the madness that is Gangnam Style, I loved the colors, the humor, the font, pretty much everything about it. I reached out to Neo Mammalian Studios, the creative agency behind the Gangnam style infographic and asked for a quote. I knew it was going to be anything around I could afford, but I figured, WHY NOT.

Danny, the founder of the agency and an incredibly nice guy, got back to me right away but I was right about the steep price. I gave up but Danny kept reaching out wanting to actually help us. They had never done a Save the Date before and I think it had a potential for extending their line of services. He gave me a great quote, one that I can't reveal here unfortunately, and I am truly grateful.

You might think I'm crazy but so far, I'm most excited about our Save the Dates!

technology + wedding planning

Planning:
My fiance and I are looking into ways to incorporate tech into our planning process and we just discovered on My Sane Bride that Google started promoting their tools through Google.com/weddings last year. We already have Google Docs for budgeting and finalizing our guest list but Google provides public templates that you could use for Budget and Guest List that would've been very useful!

Music:
We read "10 ways technology made my wedding better, easier, and more fun" the other day and also decided to crowdsource our music list on Spotify so that friends and family can request songs prior to the big day.

Or if your venue is already using an app like Roqbot, you can have your guests download the app (available on Android and iOS) and request/vote on songs.

Wedding App (Invitation/Website):
Appy Couple was launched a few months ago with a bang and has a wait list 7,000 strong but we were one of the lucky ones to find out about it early on and get a membership. We're excited to use it to share stories and pictures, send online invitations, for guests to RSVP via web or mobile.

Photo Sharing:
I'm sure a lot of couples are frustrated that their photos taken by friends and family get lost and never get shared. There are apps like Wedding Party that provides a platform for photo sharing. Or you could go with Google+ Events to share photos instantly with the guests. The only tricky part is you'd have to incentivize your non-Google+ user friends to create an account.

bridal accessories (shoes)

So I got the dress out of the way and now am looking for ways to save on accessories. I just asked my friend, who got married last year and shares the same shoe size (6.5) as me, if I can borrow her wedding shoes. She responded, "I'd be honored". These cuties are Max Studio Elba sandals.

I feel lucky to get hitched after many of my close friends have already done it that I will probably end up with not just one but two or more "something borrowed".

the wedding dress

The rule of thumb when it comes to selecting your wedding dress is to select a venue prior. That way you know your dress would be appropriate for a garden wedding, a beach wedding, or a fancy schmancy wedding. I, being the lazy bride, hadn't felt like looking at venues for a long time that I went ahead and tried on a few dresses for shits and giggles.

There was really only one place I wanted go: BHLDN (pronounced "beholden"). They only have two brick and mortar stores -- one in Chicago and one in Houston -- so when I was in Chicago last month for my friend's bachelorette, I made a point to go after she had left town. My other best friend and my parents joined me.

Although way above my budget, I was certain I'd love Catherine Deane's Lita gown ($2,400) in person (on the left). If not, definitely the Elysium (on the right).

 

But on me, they both failed to wow my peeps. I tried on a bunch thereafter.

From top left and clockwise: Anna Sui's Aiguille gown ($1,200), Catherine Deane's Cascading Goddess gown ($1,600), There Is Only You and Me's Iced Confection gown ($1,800), BHLDN original Crepe de Chine Column gown ($1,400), Hitherto's Sweeping Taffeta Ball gown ($1,600), Va et Vien's Savoir Faire gown (on sale for $1,400, orig. $2,800).

They were all beautiful gowns but I didn't LOVE any ON me. I liked the Aiguille and Ice Confection. But the Aiguille seemed too vintage and interesting and Ice Confection was too plain in the front -- though the back was stunning. My best friend took me to House of Brides the next day and made me try on a bunch of dresses. I tried on dresses I never thought I'd wear. Fitted mermaid gowns, strapless lace gowns, etc. But again, nothing wow'd me.

I was hoping to get the dress shopping over and done with, but it didn't happen.

Then a few weeks ago, I saw J. Crew's Vivienne gown online and decided to purchase it. At $895 (after tax, I paid $949.38), it was well within my budget, and I loved the style.

I wish the fabric was a bit lighter but the design is great and it has major potential after tailoring, which I'll need to allot another $500. I broke tradition and showed it to my fiance and he loves it. Also noticed their sizes are running out at a major pace so good thing I purchased it already.