Invitations in Detail

my work station. only 1 table of 2 shown. 2nd table is underneath.

Our invitations were created by DIY, and unfortunately, as I got deeper in my work, I did not take any pictures of the process as it had become so tedious, and I just wanted it done!

We had 2 different versions of our invitations. One in Vietnamese (as requested by his parents) and our English version. The Vietnamese ones were a surprise project, and I had 1 week to complete it. I somewhat resent these as they were unplanned and totally threw me off my invitation printing schedule.

We started by attaching the backing to our pocket folders.

I started with the text first, which I embossed. It looked great.

I then went straight to the invitation. I used a flower patterned design made by Darci.

And then the next task...tackling the inserts.

I loved the embossing on the black text so much that I had decided to emboss everything. Probably not the smartest thing I thought up to do because it totally prolonged the process.

Okay, so we only needed 30 of those Vietnamese invitations for his parents, so that was all I was planning to do. So I burned my "accommodations" and "directions" insert on my Gocco screens and got to work. And here are the problems I ran into:

1. an indentation on my Gocco screen caused 1 letter to print out darker than the rest
2. my Gocco PG-11 only had a print pad size of 3.75x5.75. my invitations were at least 4" in width and 6.75" at its longest length, which was my bad. i should have measured accordingly, but I didn't, and this led to my next problem:
3. each insert needed to be Gocco'd at least 3 times (except for the Vietnamese invites)
4. not all embossing powders are created equal; I found the Judi-Kins embossing powders (fine) were best.
5. Gocco screen can be reused, BUT they are better (like 100x better) when you first apply fresh paint. Refrigeration can only save so much. I ended up having to burn new screens as the other ones weren't printing as well. =( I just couldn't simply finish EVERYTHING the weekend I did the Vietnamese invitations. I only needed 30 of those done, so I set out to only complete 30. It would have killed me if I did any more.

I'll continue in another post. I'm tired from thinking about it. Hah!

But all invitations are out. So WOO HOO!!

Date Night

He was so thoughtful earlier this month; he planned a date night for us. We got dressed up, had dinner, and watched a Clippers game. Sure, they lost (yet again), but it was a great date night!

Our official invitation

Again designed by Darci of With This Ring.

Full suite coming soon.

Invite sneak peek

Blogging from my mobile device!

A last minute request from Dee's parents: Vietnamese invitations. I had to use a different design for the main invitation to fit in all the text. The design is by the fabulous Darci of With This Ring (www.with--this--ring.blogspot.com). I used my Gocco to print these babies out.

I printed our return address on the envelopes in feel script. I added specific instructions on blue post-its for his parents to follow. I also put an invitation together as an example. And then I bundled up everything and shipped them off to his parents.

Fonts: Ornaments, Flourishes and Scrolls

Fonts: Ornaments, Flourishes and Scrolls - FREE!!!

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this week's lack of posting

reason: my diy invites are kicking my ass.

centerpiece mock-up

Met with my uber cute prego coordinator, and she did a mock-up of what our centerpieces could look like!

Oh, and she left us with 4 checklists...1 about our flowers, 1 on invitations, 1 on our preliminary timeline, and another for Dee to discuss with the hotel coordinator.

Back to the centerpieces...so we're (I'm) hoping for long banquet tables. The design my coordinator came up with was made for long banquet tables. I've voiced out our concerns about making the most of a small budget, and she was definitely ready to oblige us.

So a large part of the cost in the wedding is wedding decor. And one thing that can start to add up quick is flowers. I thought I knew what I wanted.

source: Martha Stewart

My coordinator would not have it though. And I'm glad I'm starting to listen to her. Yea, it's cute, and simple, but that's all. And remember how my colors used to be aqua and orange? Remember the table schemes she came up with? Well, I was super excited to see what she came up with for our now nude and plum theme. I told her that I really wanted to emphasize the nude...I thought it'd be cheaper. So she showed me this:

under natural light

We used the coffee table in my parents' house, so please excuse everything else. The linen will not have wrinkles, and there will be a little bit more flowers. This was just a mock-up!

with flash

Not bad right? She wanted it to look romantic and intimate while still fulfilling our need to keep within our budget.

She also showed me samples with a softer fabric:

in nude.

in blush.

The fabric would lay over some tulle for some volume, and there would be more fabric.

Then she showed me the tulle in pink, and I loved the way the color popped in photos!

under natural light.

with flash.

See how the color just pops. Now, these flowers aren't the ones we'll be using...these were only for visual purposes. We'll be using flowers in the purply-pink range. And hopefully, we'll be able to get long banquet tables, as the design will be continuous down the length of the table. If not, our coordinator has something in mind for round tables too.

What do you guys have in mind for your centerpieces?

fit bride guide: tip #4

source: here

go with a buddy. it's great when your buddy has the same goals as you. and it's much easier to get to the gym or go running, or whatever you're doing. keep each other motivated by giving encouraging words during your work out.

tip #1
tip #2
tip #3

shameless self promotion

I made these cutie patootie magnets for Arlene & Rick's Save the Dates!


It was my first sale on etsy! Find me here.

Edit: I must add that Arlene sent me the above design. I did design something for her just in case though...


My design is the one on the left.

Paper cut

...the other kind...like the kind you get done at your local Kinko's (now FedEx Office).

We're going with A7 Himalaya pocketfolders, purchased from Paper and More in Taupe Brown Recycled. While the Paper and More does sell pre-cut paper to fit the pocketfolder, I didn't want to spend the time to find if they had the colors I needed and if the paper would work out with my Gocco (a Japanese screen printer). My local Paper Source was where I turned to. I ended up buying sheets in 8.5x11 in bulk. I was going to attempt to cut the paper myself, but I finally decided it wasn't worth it. Enter Kinko's.

I first called up Kinko's to get the specs. There are mixed reviews online about the finished work, so I was really scared. I ended up drawing out exactly how my paper should be cut (as recommended by the Kinko's guy I talked to on the phone), and I provided samples of my invite. The paper turned out great! At $1.49 per cut (doesn't matter how many pieces of paper), I thought it was a great deal for custom-cut paper!

our boxes of cut paper.

Here is the mock invite I left with Kinko's. I noted all the sizes of the base layer, the invite, and all the inserts.

I needed a base layer under my invitation in 4.5x6.5.

I chose Rhubarb in cover weight as the base layer.

I really wanted to maximize the use of all my paper. I had Kinko's cut 2 sets of 4.25x5.25 (accomodations card) and 1 set of 4x6 (invitation) on the Super Fine White Paper.

paper cut...

1 set of 4.25x6.75 (directions card) and 1 set of 4x6(invitation).

paper cut.

2 sets of 4.25x6 (RSVP card) and 1 set of 4.25x6.75 (directions card).

So I ended up with 2 sets of each size...enough to compensate for mistakes and such. And I was quite satisfied with the job that Kinko's did.

The Groom

Okay, so we've only looked once for a suit...and we had our eyes on a fab Burberry suit, but we figure we could wait for a sale to come along. But we're still thinking about the shirt that he'll wear with the Burberry tie I got for him.

I'm planning to get Dee's shirt custom-made by 9tailors based in Boston, MA.

Sooo..this one:


or this one?


These images were put together by the awesome Sam of 9tailors

I love the look of both. I know the 2nd pattern looks a little busy, but I love the look of mixed patterns. I may have to get both to see how Dee looks in them.

NWR: etsy randomness

Love this!


Playfully offensive China. Yea, I want it.

Find more vandalized vintage pieces from Etsy selller Trixiedelicious.

lack of posting...

totally my fault! but i have lots to say...on getting some relief on my hyperhidrosis, on finalizing our invitations + paper things (!!), on diy projects, etc.

we have been dealing with cutting down the guest list which is over our max by like 100!

still need to finalize our ceremony location. still need to book a dj and a florist. looking into lighting and a photobooth. dee needs a suit, and i want to custom-order his shirt. and, on top of all that, dee and i are getting our fitness on for our engagement pictures to happen the first weekend of April with { J A C }.

how's everyone else's wedding planning?