behind the scenes

Just thought it'd be fun to show you Wayne's hair trial:



This is the un-gelled version. Apparently the side part that he sported in our engagement pictures makes him look too much like a Chinese dad. I think it's fine, and he thinks so too, so we're gonna go with a shorter version of the side part but gelled. He's done it before so it looks fine...the trick is figuring out when he needs to cut his hair so it's the right length. He went to our hairstylist before A&E's wedding to get his hair cut and when he walked through the door I was like "oh no!" It was way short. After a week it looked better though, and now that it's been 2 weeks it's just about right. And he's not making a kissy face in the picture- he's going for Magnum. "Dear God...it's beautiful!"

And our lovely, simple Chinese invitations:


Sorry the pictures aren't great, but they fit all of the qualifications: red, with the double happiness symbol, and in Chinese. We made them ourselves, thanks to the suggestion of C.L. (soon to be C.C.!!) and the friendly clerk at Paper Source. And by ourselves I mean with help from my womens group and W's uncle. We're invitation MACHINES.

Other than that, we're in the stage where we're getting RSVPs and paying for things. W is in Hartford during the week, and thankfully I've had time to visit him last week and today. The drive isn't too bad cuz I don't go during high traffic hours. I still miss him though- it's so pathetic. After I saw him today I started to get sad the minute I got into my own car to leave Hartford. I know I'll see him over the weekend, but it's not the same. I'm gonna go into shock after the wedding cuz we'll be together ALL THE TIME. Eesh!

makeup

Before shot

Jamie spent maybe 30 minutes getting foundation and everything figured out, and came up with this:


My reaction was like, "whoa!" And not a good "whoa" either. The eye makeup was really heavy, and I almost looked kinda bruised. We wiped down my eyes and made it less dramatic and got this:

Excuse my crooked smile- it's awkward taking pictures of yourself with all that makeup on. It was better, but I think we're gonna go with an eyeshadow that's more on the light purple/lilac side instead of indigo. If I was onstage in a dance performance the former might have worked, but I think we'll have to mute it a little.

opinions please!

Okay, in an effort to make my pew decorations interesting, I think I might use these:




Hanging vases from cb2, Crate and Barrel's more modern, "affordable" division. Basically, we have hooks for each pew, and we can tie a ribbon onto the vase and have it loop around the hook. We could either have tulle ribbon (basically tulle but a lot less of it) connect each vase (I'd put a vase on every other pew) or just have a tulle or satin ribbon at the base. It's very minimalistic but that way I could incorporate a single flower or something to make it very clean but pretty.

The only problem is that our pews look like this:

There's, like, upholstery on the pews, so I don't know if that takes away from the look. Also, we're not using a runner, so I'll be walking on purple carpet.

Any opinions are helpful! I need to know:
1) If the hanging vases are worth the trouble
2) If there should be ribbon/tulle connecting the pews or if each decoration should be separate
3) What color and what kind of flower we should use for the hanging vases if we do use them.

The previous cloth and single flower thing I posted about doesn't work because the top of the pews are shaped weird.

ALSO- As of right now my flower girls (who are both 7 years old) will be holding baskets of flowers and walking down the aisle. The more I think about this, the less I like it. Part of me wants them to either A) Hold pomanders (those flower ball thingies)
or b) toss silk petals down the aisle for my entrance. I think the clean-up for the silk petals will be a little bit of a pain, but it might dress up the otherwise plain aisle. Hopefully between the two of them they can scatter the petals pretty well instead of dropping it in clumps or something. Really? They're seven. They're smart.

OPINIONS PLEASE! Invitations are pretty much done, so now I can get back to all the little details. Thanks. =)

it's official!

75% of the invitations have been mailed. Or, well, I just tossed them in the mailbox outside my apartment complex, so they'll be on their way to various destinations all over the country by noon tomorrow. The other 25% are pending addresses and guest list alterations.

I can't wait till you see them! My cousin had to create four different designs until we found something that worked (with printing and everything) and I had to drive into Boston 4 separate times, but it was worth it. Hopefully everyone likes it, too. We completed the Chinese invitations and gave them to W's parents so those should be on their way. I'm gonna send one to my great aunt and one to my grandma since they're in Chinese and English...I think they'd appreciate it. I like having an original design because, well, I'm high maintenance like that.

I'm hoping that the invitations are more of a formality than a first alert that someone's invited to the wedding. I get a little stressed when I hear that people haven't booked their flights yet. Airfare is so expensive nowadays and it'll probably only get worse. *sigh*

I've been really bummed when I hear that people can't make it, but I was reminded that I'm very blessed cuz one of my friends is getting married in Taiwan and none of her friends can go. If I had an abundance of earned time and if W didn't have his internship I would have pushed for us to go (I would have pushed for a stop in Hawaii for D&L's wedding while we were at it, too). This summer is gonna be crazy...and it all starts this weekend with summer wedding #1!

ready set go

It sounds ridiculous, but I have several "aesthetic" goals for the wedding:
1) Figure out how long it takes to grow my nails to an appropriate length
2) Do everything to avoid tan lines on my upper body
3) Be curvy!
4) Find the optimal eyebrow curve (this may include getting my eyebrows threaded, I haven't decided yet)
5) Keep my skin well moisturized
6) Exfoliate so my skin isn't all dry and flaky when I moisturize it
7) Figure out how to not be bloated and gross on my wedding day

Basically, I want to glow. I think that generally comes with the package when I'm a bride. I'm trying to increase my water intake and eat more fruits and veggies...to the point where I'm considering having more vegetarian meals to make sure I'm getting lots of vitamins. (It doesn't hurt that summer is the best time for veggies, and it's so stinkin' hot here in Boston that meat-heavy meals make you feel gross...unless it's a bbq. =)

I was trying to think about why it's easy to come up with these little things and obsess over my appearance...and I think it's because it's easier to plan these things because they have very tangible results. The harder part? Actually preparing to be a wife. Praying for my husband-to-be. Understanding the depth of God's intention for marriage. Making sure my inside is just as beautiful as outside, if not more. A few weeks ago the weight of getting married finally hit me (emotionally and mentally...I was a wreck for a couple days. "Everything's changing! Am I really ready for this??!") and now it's settling in. I hope I remember that being beautiful is more than just aesthetics.

Prayer for this would be greatly appreciated!

another night another dream but always you

My dreams are getting more specific now:

Last night the wedding was at a really nice, historic estate. Lots of people were there (lots of people that aren't on the invite list, I might add), and a bunch of them were rehearsing to sing at the wedding. My wedding coordinator told me that we were really lucky to have such talented people perform for us. It's true!

Anyway, it's, like, 3 hours before the wedding and I'm running around doing stuff, but a friend comes by and asks for my advice. He apparently just broke up with someone because they weren't going the same direction and he was thinking about dating one of my friends. He asks if I have time to explain what love is...and after thinking about it I tell him that part of love is wanting the best for the other person, no matter what sacrifices you have to make for yourself.

More people come to our wedding than we had planned, so parking is crazy. We end up using not only the regular parking lot, but filling up a nearby parking garage, as well. Thankfully we have two sons of my dad's friend volunteer to help with parking. (A reminder to ask them asap!)

Then I rush off to get ready. I'm upset because I forgot to get my dress cleaned and pressed (note to self!) and I'm wearing a black bra that shows a little bit on the top of the dress. Faux pas! Then my makeup and hair artists show up at 2pm when I told them that the wedding was supposed to start at 1. Apparently we moved it back to 3? Anyway, I had already started my makeup and it was all messy and gross, but they help fix it. My bridesmaids are nowhere near ready, and I'm panicked.

*sigh* That was the end of it. I woke up and was relieved that it wasn't my wedding day and we still had plenty of time to figure out these day-of details. Needless to say, I was very motivated to get stuff done this morning.