Quaktubah

Many moons ago, I explained to you that while I love the tradition and beauty of a Ketubah, I do not want to defile the religious beauty of such a document in my very non religious wedding.  Instead, I decided to merge the idea of a Ketubah with that of a Quaker marriage license, a new creation which I have apparently horribly named a "Quaktubah". 

I also let you know that my Brother Elk (who happens to be an artist) and the now infamous Audrey so graciously offered (OK, OK, I asked them...) to design and create such a document.  With inspirational photos galore, they were off and running.

And now, after months of not so patiently waiting, I am SO excited to share the document with the hive.  Guys, it is freaking awesome!!!!

 

Brother Elk sketched and then hand painted the flowers- aren't they gorg?  Audrey did all of the words (love that font!).  And see all of those lines at the bottom where the guests get to sign? Yea, those aren't actually lines. Audrey hand dotted EVERY SINGLE ONE because apparently, they look better that way. And, just as icing on top of my delicious cake, they added in a cute little puppy silhouette in honor of our baby Harrison. 

 

A closeup of those dots, and the cutest puppy ever

Now the plan for this bad boy is to have it framed, but to leave the glass off so that guests can sign the document at the wedding.  After the wedding, we will have the glass put in and voila, art that will decorate our home and always remind us of our wedding day. 

Do you plan on using art to remember your wedding long after its over? 

The Dress Fits!!

Hive, I am so excited to share with you my dress, which is currently in the process of being fitted!  So far I've been on two fittings, with another one set for next week and then a final try on the week of the wedding.  I can't tell you how in love I am with my dress, and how every time I put her on I fall more and more in love.

I also can't tell you how much better I feel now that I've lost weight.  The dress was much too tight when I initially got to try it on, barely zipping up.  When I tried it on again at my first fitting it was too big and had to be taken in!  I truly feel amazing in it now.  And so, without further ado, here is my dress!

 

The front: You can see before alterations how big it was in the bust area.  In round 1 of alterations I added cups and had the dress taken in.  In round 2 I had it taken in a little more and crinoline was added to the skirt to add fullness. We are still working on the below bust area, which isn't sitting quite right at the moment, and the hem will be taken up on this round.



The Side: Before my weight loss I was really unhappy with how the dress looked from the side, but now that the cups are in place (making my torso not look flat as a board) and the crinoline has been added, this is ALMOST my favorite view of the dress.  (Also, please ignore my face in the first picture.  I look like a doofus)


The Back: This is by far my favorite view of my dress. I love how it makes me look like I have a butt (when in fact mine is flat as can be!), I love the deep V and how my shoulders look. AH just love it!
And that hive is my dress! I am so happy with my choice, and can't wait to wear her on my wedding day!

How did your fittings go? Did they help you fall even more in love with your dress?

Tips For A Successful Fitting

Wedding dress fittings can be an extremely stressful event for brides. Concerns about fit and weight are brought to the forefront, and if there is any dress regret, a fitting is a make or break moment. So with my fittings now underway (I can't wait to show you the dress, she is amazing!), I thought I would discuss some quick rules to follow to have a happy, successful dress fitting.

1) Clean Up- please don't go to your fittings dirty/smelly. Remember that your dress is most likely white or some permeation of that, and it stains easily! Sure it can be washed, but do you really want to take that chance? Wash your hands before touching your dress, especially if you have recently been playing around with makeup! Moreover, your seamstress is more than likely to be all up in your personal space, but she didn't ask to personally get to know your armpit hairs or BO, so freshen up a little.

2) Don't forget- It is important that you wear the undergarments you plan on wearing to the wedding so the fit of your dress is spot on. Also, bring the shoes you plan on wearing to the wedding so the length of your dress is perfect and to avoid any dress trippage the day of.

3)Beautify Before- A lot of reasons brides have dress regret is that they can't see the whole picture. They see a dress on their body, with a mess for hair and little to no makeup on. So, to avoid dress regret as much as possible, beautify yourself prior to your fittings. You don't have to go crazy, but blow out your hair instead of putting it in a pony, put on a little extra mascara or eyeshadow. (NOTE- if you do put on more makeup than you are used to, try to STEP INTO your dress to avoid getting makeup on it!)

4) Play Dress-Up- No, I don't mean try on MORE wedding dresses. But a fitting is the perfect time to play around with your day of look, and try out accessories. Bring that statement necklace you love but aren't sure if its too much. Try out a headband or hair comb. This is the time to perfect your wedding day look!

5) EAT!!- probably the most important advice I have. Eat and drink before your fitting. You don't have to stuff yourself to the point of a food baby, but enough to keep your blood sugar
stable and you well hydrated. Remember that you will be standing around, likely in heels, without walking around too much. Nobody wants to faint in their wedding dress!

And there you have it, now go get those dresses fitted!

How did your dress fittings go? Do you have any advice for future brides?

You Are Cordially Invited....

Dearest Hive,
It is with great honor that I jump on the bandwagon and reveal my recently sent out invitations for your enjoyment. Although I cannot invite you for the actual day, you will all be there in spirit and I hope you will join me in the future when I recap all of the events of the day for you. So without further ado:

Hive, I wish you could really see these babies in person, because the beauty is truly in the paper. It feels like butter against your fingers! I can't tell you how many people have already commented on the paper alone! Bella Figura did an amazing job, and they were a pleasure to work with- fast, efficient, and always available.

I feel like the quirky elegance of the Elk wedding is really captured in these invites- you get a sense of the formality, but at the same time I don't think they take themselves too seriously.

Did you try to capture your day's feel in your invitations?

Stealthy RSVPs

Hive, the RSVPs have been POURING in! Yes, that means an invite reveal is on its way (soon I promise!), but it also means that the most exciting time of day is when the mail arrives! I LOVE getting mail, and getting mail related to the wedding almost every day is SO EXCITING!!

But there are some problems with RSVPs. Some people have bad handwriting, others forget that they actually need to write their name, or that there may be two people named John who were invited to the wedding. It can all get confusing very fast! And so, many people have realized the need for numbering the back of their RSVP cards before sending them out for a quick way to identify the RSVPer.

But when you want to be a little stealthy (or you are crazy), you number those babies with invisible ink!

For whatever reason, in my family, this has become the norm. So much so that we even got a secret message from my uncle on his RSVP:

So much fun- I feel like I am in a Nancy Drew book! And not only is it fun, but it has most definitely come in handy on a number of occasions (I'm calling you out, people with horrifically difficult handwriting to read!).


Did you number your RSVPs? If yes, did you go ghost procedure on your guests and use invisible ink?

Struggles of a Long Distance Bride

Hive, as you probably already know, I currently live in upstate NY (not for long....) and the Elk wedding will be on Long Island, 6 hours away. For most of our engagement, this hasn't really been an issue with regards to planning. Since we knew we would have a fairly long engagement (1.5 years), we slowly booked our vendors on trips down to Long Island. When that wouldn't cut it, I had Mama and Papa Elk scout vendors for me. They even hired our photographers for us (and I still haven't met them yet!).

Once our major vendors were booked, there wasn't that much that needed to be done actually on Long Island. I got started on DIY projects, and figured we'd worry about the smaller details regarding our vendors when we actually got closer.

Well....its closer. A lot closer. And now, that 6 hour distance is starting to kill me. Hive, I feel so behind! I called our venue and bakery to set up tastings for our dinner and cake respectively. The only day we could do the tasting is 24 days before our wedding. When I made the appointments, and the vendors heard my wedding date, they asked me "May of THIS year?". I started to panic.

And the panic didn't stop there. My dress is on Long Island. I have my first fitting this week, and hopefully I can squeeze one in around our tasting, but if not, the only other time I will be on Long Island will be the week before the wedding! What if that isn't enough time to get my dress fitted perfectly?

And if that weren't enough to panic about, did I mention we have to move to Connecticut sometime between now and the wedding?

Are you a long distance bride? How has it affected your planning?

Shower Me Not

Hive, I've decided not to have a shower. Why, you may ask, would I not want a bunch of my closest family and friends to surround me and shower me with gifts and good fun? Well, I'd love to explain my reasons.

1) Center Of Attention- I hate being the center of attention. Like, the wedding is kind of scary enough to think about as is, but at least I'll have Mr Elk there to take some of the focus off of me. A shower would just be me, and that doesn't sit well in my stomach.

2) Travels From Afar- a lot of the women who would be invited are not local. They will already be traveling to the area for the wedding, and I just think it is a lot to ask them to come again for a shower.

3) Friends in Small Places- or should I say "friends who are students like me and have no money". I have already asked my nearest and dearest to be in the wedding, which is a huge expense as it is. I really don't want them to feel as though they need to spend more money on gifts for me and travel ( as again, most of them are not in the area).

4)Control Freak- I hate not being in control, and a shower would mean someone else would be planning and doing without me having any say about what was happening. (I know this is dumb, but it is totally true!)

5) Isn't the Wedding Enough?- In the end, Mama Elk/Grandma Elk would be the ones footing the bill (I know, poor etiquette to have a family member host....). As it is, Mama and Papa Elk are footing the bill for the Elk's wedding, and Grandma Elk hasn't been stingy during the planning process, as my wedding dress and invitations were a gift from her. And so, I really just didn't feel right letting them pay for yet another wedding related expense. Would they have been happy to host a shower for me? Definitely. In fact, I had to fight NOT to have a shower. But in the end, I am so grateful for all they are already providing, and I just do not feel right asking for more.

Did you say no to any wedding related events? Why?

Getting Things Done

Well hive, this week has been incredibly productive on the wedding front! It started out with my apartment looking like this:

covered in the crafts I had yet to actually complete. Now, though, I am pleased to say it is tidy and clean after completing many of the tasks I'd been putting off for months!

I made 200 more of my personalized cocktail napkins

Completed my table numbers (finally!)

And even made myself a pretty hanger for my dress (sorry I had to cover it, and I can't put it on the hanger until Mr Elk is around so he can drill me some nice holes!)

Now if only I could bring myself to finish writing our ceremony........

What was your most productive wedding week like?

Bridal Brain

Have you ever been walking around, doing nothing remotely related to your wedding, when all of a sudden you see something and your brain goes into hyperactive crazy bride mode thinking about all of the ways this thing would make your wedding beautiful? Well, this happens to me all the time. It is an illness that not only afflicts me, but I think afflicts a lot of those planning their wedding (or dreaming of planning their wedding). I call it Bridal Brain.

Take, for example, an innocent trip to The Christmas Tree Shop. I was roaming around, minding my own business when all of a sudden I saw the most amazing lanterns, and immediately I was transported to the most beautiful wedding with lanterns glowing with candlelight. Sigh, I wish there were a big beautiful tree at my venue! In my head, I had already purchased 10 of them, despite the fact that I in fact have no place for them at my wedding.

image via Snippet And Ink/ Photo by A Bryan Photo

Anyway, this disease has progressed. Instead of simply trying to incorporate objects into my wedding, I have now started to plan entirely new weddings when I come across a remotely pretty location! For example, every day I walk to school and pass through the courtyard of the Everson Museum of Art. Designed by the famous architect I. M. Pei, this place would make an amazing setting for a modern wedding. Imagine your ceremony with this as your aisle:

Personal Photo

And how about cocktail hour in the lobby with this gorgeous spiral staircase?:

Image via the/Aesthete

And who wouldn't like a tented reception out in the courtyard?

image via archINFORM

Now I know logically that this place is nothing like what I actually want for my wedding. It is modern while my wedding will be a little bit rustic with a lot of romance. It is cold and my venue is warm and homey. It is, in fact, nothing that I would ever want! And yet, every time I walk down that aisle of trees on my way to school I can't help but be transported to an amazing affair! Damn the Bridal Brain!

Do you have Bridal Brain? Please tell me I am not the only one suffering with this illness! Has yours progressed as far as mine has?