Growing Guest List

Argh! My guest list keeps growing even though I know there are quite a few OOT guests that won't be able to make it. Pepe and I hope everything will work itself out. But I am still worried because we have sent out invites that have exceeded the max number of people allowed at our venue. The magic number we'd like to be at is 180 or 186. This does not include the 3 staff at the venue, our 8 member band, two photographers, 2 DOC plus a staff and 1 cinematographer. The venue's total capacity can't exceed 225 or else it will be a major fire code regulation. The guest increase was due to the fact that we had to send out extra invites to extended family on my Fiance's side plus my parents wanted to invite more guests...as in two more couples who they forgot to include. This meant I had to cut a couple of guests on my side - which I wasn't thrilled about but it is what it is right? Family and close friends come first. I just hope I don't get anymore requests to invite more people...

To-Do List & Checks

The checklist tool on weddingwire has been extremely helpful with keeping us on track with our wedding plans. The month to month to do list is very detailed. However, I have been a bit laxed lately. It isn't easy keeping up with my studies and working part time while planning a wedding. We are also doing some remodeling in the kitchen and dining room. I feel a little overwhelm right now but I guess that's normal. I just need to get the ball rolling. So here is what needs to be crossed off.

1. I need to pick out a wedding band! Monday I will be visiting Ultra Diamonds to see if they have a nice selection of curved micro pave diamond bands.

2. Place orders for custom ties

3. Order Photo Frame card box. I finally found a unique and secure card box that we can re-use after our wedding. They are also fairly affordable too.

4. Order Toasting Flutes. Etsy seller, Laserbird has a beautiful collection of personalized toasting flutes. I saw a pepe le pew set that is purrrfect for us.

5. Misc Decor Stuff - luminaries, tea lights, led tea light, glass place card holders, wedding ceremony rug and pillows for the traditional portion of the Cambodian wedding

6. Put together favor bags for the kids. Yes, the kids. I decided the adults don't need favors but it would be nice to individualize the favors for the kids with gift bags I plan on putting together.

7. Go shopping with my bridesmaids to pick out fabric for their dresses

8. Bridal Shower sometime in mid April

9. Take our e-pics sometime in late April

10. Finish my final DIY project: Manzanita Escort tree

11. Continue with my skin care regiment and diet plan

UPDATE:

We booked a videographer! It was a bit of a splurge for us but David from Waves Media worked with us to ensure that we get coverage for both the traditional Cambodian ceremony and the Western reception. Pepe and I decided that our visual memories are too important to miss out on.

No tux rentals as the cost was close to $600 for 3 suits. We decided that buying suits would cost slightly more but at least the guys would get to keep them. The attire also works better for our destination seaside soiree.

We ordered the table linens for the reception tables at Smarty had a party. Reasonable prices plus free shipping and special promo code via FB saved us some moolah. I still need to purchase 4 banquet table linens and 4 table linens for the 48" tables.

Set up a tasting with B & M Clambake next week. We choose a menu of classic comfort foods for cocktail hour. I am soOo looking forward to it.

My sister and I have started working on the origami crane escort cards but I won't have all of them completed until final count. Yay for productivity!

The Hardware pt.3

Yesterday, Pepe picked out his titanium wedding band at Ross-Simons. He decided not to get a precious metal wedding band. Like most men, he doesn't wear jewelry so wearing something as heavy or solid as platinum or palladium was out of the question. He liked a style in the white gold but selected the titanium band for the durability and light weight factor. Most men will lose their wedding band if they are not used to wearing jewelry. It is definitely important for the ring to feel snug. This ring will be a test for the new hubby. As for me, the hunt for the wedding band continues. The selection out there is just really limited. I am going to MRT Jewelers today in hopes of finding a band as they carry a large selection of estate jewelry.

The Pen or the Printer

Etiquette, I'd like to kick you in the (__I__) right now! There is absolutely no way I will hand address all our wedding invitations after the Save the Date debacle (I found out that a good number of our Save the Dates did not travel to their intended destination). So yes, I had to resend a few more Save the Dates because I foolishly failed to put a return address on the postcard magnets.

Our Save the Dates were relatively inexpensive and easy to put together. But our wedding invites are a true labor of love. We rather not run the risk of ruining them with my not too shabby hand writing and Pepe's chicken scratch penmanship. Hiring a calligrapher was not in the budget but I didn't want tacky wrap around labels put on our elegant invitations. In the end we conceded to computer printed calligraphy. The results look better than I expected.


I found a faux calligraphy font on abstractfonts.com called Beautiful ES that was simple to read. The tricky task was setting up the envelope and labels in MS Word 03" because it did not allow for configuration of vertical spacing so everything typed looked double spaced. We tried to single space with little success until I stumbled upon a envelope template for our A7 (5.25 X 7.25) envelopes. Through a little trial and error and proper centering of feeding the envelopes, our old ink jet printer was able to print out the envelopes with no problems.

Notes
- Martha Stewart & The Knot has given their blessing in terms of computer printer calligraphy
- Tape the flaps to prevent the envelopes from jamming the printer..
- Addressing guests can be a tough task especially if cultural customs and practices play a part in the etiquette process. For instance, it is customary to include "& Family" in Cambodian culture because you usually invite the entire family (including older children, elders in the family or single parents with children). It is also very common for women in Cambodian culture to retain their maiden name. So it is important to note that when addressing invites to the couple.
- For general etiquette guidelines in Western culture, click the link below.
Wedding Invitation Envelope Etiquette

Divine Design

Our table top set up (courtesy of Rentals Unlimited virtual table top) They have a tool that allows you to design your dream table setting.

Featured above is a satin teal table cloth, lemon polyester napkin, white coupe china (not shown is the soup bowl) stainless steel fan flat ware, and Embassy stem ware. We also decided to buy the disposable Asian soup spoons instead of renting or purchasing porcelain soup spoons. This is a cost effective way of saving on rentals especially if the soup spoon is offered in limited quantities or simply not available as a rental.


Half the tables will have floral centerpieces in 6 inch glass cubes and the other half will have non-floral centerpieces. We are using beautiful capiz Lotus flower tea light candle holder from Luna Bazaar. They are made from shells and come in a variety of colors. I love the fuchsia, gold and teal shades. The candle holders are approximately 6 inches wide and 4.5 inches high, which make them the purrrfect size for a family style dinner.

Wedding Checks & Projects

- Scored my shoes at a local bridal shop for $58! (Free Delivery too)
- Won 6 gold rimmed charger plates on Ebay for $12.99 (including shipping)
- Won one flower girl dress for my niece for $25.00 (including shipping)
- Purchased a $150 Wedding Channel Deal gift certificate via The Knot for $75 from Sara Faella Make up Artistry and Hair Design
- Received a complimentary hair and make up session with pro pics from my lovely make up artist Sara Faella.
- Working on invitations and re-sending some Save the Dates as some people didn't receive it. I don't know what went wrong but it is a bit of a concern for me. I definitely should have stamped a return address on the back. Thank you USPS....
- Working on Two DIY projects including the flower girl baskets using 10" bamboo baskets ($5.99 each) spray painted white, tied with fuchsia ribbons and adorned with silk peony and rose flowers in light pink and fuchsia to match their dresses. I estimate the cost to be under $10 for each. My other project is the shoe clips. I found the backings for $2.50 on ebay and the ivory organza flowers with rhinestone center for $11 from etsy seller Supplier. I can't wait till everything comes in so I can get started!
- I found gold foil origami paper for my sister to make the paper cranes. So I am slowly piecing the smaller components before putting the manzanita tree together.

Modern Meets Vintage Love

When we first started planning our wedding, Pepe and I didn't exactly decide on a particular theme or color scheme but we knew we wanted something Asian, chic, modern and colorful. Our venue, the Rotunda ballroom is a blank slate. It has lovely hard wood floors, sweeping ocean views, and a charming carousel that adds a vintage element to compliment the otherwise modern layout of the reception ballroom. Most of the wedding porn inspiration I found on the web had a vintage or rustic feel to it. The colors were usually saturated or soft playful pastels and grey tones. There was always a hodge podge of nifty cute stuff. Something I love because that is exactly me. Modern Meets Vintage. But I wonder if there can be a happy marriage of both in our wedding? My idea is to add a few pieces of vintage love to our wedding, things that can work harmoniously well with the contemporary look. Like the delicate pearl and swarovski crystal hair comb below (one of my favorites!). I think it will compliment my soft flowy romantic wedding dress.



via Etsy