Jamaica... hmmm

Remember a while back I posted about the Office Groom and I finally deciding on our honeymoon location?

After the recent news coming from the island, it's making us second guess our decision. Although we've been told that we would be ok as long as we weren't in Kingston (we were planning on staying in Negril for one week), it still puts a damper on our plans of staying a second week near Kingston, where OG has some family.

However, since we're only planning on going in December, perhaps the situation won't be as bad?

Sigh. Just when we had one big decision made! Anyone else feeling the same way?

Hugging Books

How perfect would these for our book themed wedding?! Or just as home decor?


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Let The RSVPs Begin!

I just had to share this quickly - We received our first batch of RSVPs on our site today! Is it incredibly cheesy to admit how excited that made me, lol? I'm actually surprised how quickly it happened, considering that the Office Groom and I just started mailing out invites on Tuesday! Canada Post - I'm giving you a virtual High Five.

Now I just have to figure out how to not check the wedding site every 5 minutes for updates.

So sad.

DIY Paper Pendants

Last month I posted about a paper pendant workshop that my sister-in-law was going to take me to, and last night was the outting!

Together with a few other lady friends, we enjoyed a healthy dinner at Fresh on Queen Street W (Try the "Green Destiny," it's delish), and then headed to the Paper Place to get our craft on.

We were a small group of 8, which made it more intimate and less hot (for all those in Toronto, you know that I'm referring to the incredible heat wave we had yesterday). Each person was given their own set of materials and tools to get started. A cutting board, utility knife, 3 types of glue, glass pendants, and oodles of pretty paper to choose from.





The process is fairly simple. Choose your paper (which is probably the hardest part!), clean the glass, add a few drops of Diamond Glaze glue to the flat side and smear it around, and then place it on the paper. And wait...

The waiting is important. You need to be sure the glue is completely dry before you go to the next stage - cutting around the edge to get rid of the excess paper. If the glue isn't set yet, you run the risk of ripping the paper or moving the glass from the desired position.

Once you've cut around the edge, you should end up with something like this:



Oooh...pretty isn't it? Luckily the paper took care of most of that for me :)

To preserve the baskside of the pendant (which is the paper) from wear and tear, add a thin layer of glue on the back, and again, wait for it to dry. When it is, you can then add the hook to the back using the second type of glue, E6000. This is an adhesive (like super glue) so be careful not to get any on your fingers!

Depending on how many you make or how creative you get using different paper and cutouts, the whole process can take anywhere from and hour to two. And again, most of that time is used to select paper and wait for glue to dry.

This is what I ended up with after our 2 hour workshop.



I'm keeping a couple for myself, giving one to each of the moms, and probably the others to friends. Fun times!

Gifts For The Little Ones

Check out these uber cute items we picked up for the flower girls and ring bearer!

Since part of our gift to the BMs are their clutches, we thought that a purse for each of the little ladies would be a nice match. This paired with their pink tulle dresses will be so adorable!



And for the little man, we decided to get him an equally manly gift :) He will be wearing a kilt like the rest of the guys, but for a 4 year old, he may just mistake it for a dress. And dress = girl, which is a big no-no for a boy his age! So we thought a cool (and safe) play sword would give his outfit more of a Braveheart feel, lol.



Now we are in the search for books about being a flower girl and ring bearer. Gives the kids something to read, and fits in nicely with our book theme!

What I Learned About DIY Invitations - Part 1

This should technically be Part 2, as my first lesson about DIY invitations was spelling msitakes and proofreading the sh*t outta them to be sure there are none!

However, let's call it Part 1 nonetheless because this past long weekend, I spent an hour every day fitting the pieces all together. And by "pieces" I mean: writing addresses on envelopes, indicating the number of reserved seats on the RSVP card, and adding the final touch of a custom designed stamp on the back of the envelope. Sounds easy enough, right?

Riiiight.

Writing Addresses
I decided to get all fancy shmancy and purchase a calligraphy pen at a local paper shop.

Just a side note - this particular store is located in the business district of Toronto, which means $$$. At first glace the only calligraphy pens they had were over $150. Pffft. When I asked a saleswoman for a more affordable pen, she showed me one for $90. Again, I asked "Is there anything more affordable?" That's when she half-assedly directed me to a wall of pens for $14. In my head: "WTF didn't you just show me this to begin with?" But I digress...

I have, what most people consider, nice hand writing. So when it came down to who would be writing the addresses, all fingers pointed at me (mainly from Office Groom). I was glad to do it, since I loved doing calligraphy as a kid, and I take pride in my neat writing. So with my brand new $14 pen in hand, I started the job. Everything was smooth sailing... until I messed up a name. Damn. And then I messed up an address. Damn damn. And then I was holding the pen incorrectly and it wasn't calligraphy so much as it was just ink scratches. Sigh.



Using Ink Stamps
Once the addresses were completed, the invites were inserted, and I started on the custom stamp on the envelope. That part was really easy. I took a few lessons from Etsy seller AssPocket Productions and learned the ideal way to get ink on the stamp using her on-line tutorial. It's the sealing of the envelope that proved to be more difficult. Not wanting to pull a "Susan," Office Groom used a damp cloth to wet the envelope glue. Unfortunately, with a just a bit too much water, you end up with this:



The ripped up paper is a result of me reopening the envelope in frustration to remove the invitation card. Office Groom said that it wasn't so bad, and I just gave him that look that says "Really?" He left me alone to produce a new envelope, lol.

What I learned: Patience is a virtue. I was exctied to get through as many as possible, but speeding along won't save you time in the long run. So - take your time! Don't it all in one sitting either. I found taking an hour here and there was less stressful. And lastly, having a very clean and clutter free surface to work helps a lot. Chances are it will get cluttered with all the invitation materials anway, so may as well have a clear workspace to begin with.

Part 2 coming up soon!

Revealing The Dress Before The Big Day

Today was the first time that a good friend (not involved in the wedding party) asked if they could see my dress. You'd think after all the time and effort spent looking for one, and the amount of money paid to finally pay for it would make me all gung-ho to show it off.

But I'm not.

Frankly, I'm all about the surprise. I know that a photo of the dress, especially on a model, won't be a true representation of what it will look like on me, but there's something about just keeping it as much of a secret as possible that appeals to me.

Wedding dress aside, I like to have a bit of a "wow" factor when I walk into a room wearing a knock-out outfit for a special function. And there's nothing wrong with that! I think a lot of women would agree that that first initial reaction from others can be very satisfying (especially if it comes from another woman - 'cause let's face it, half the time we dress up to impress other women, not men).

So, in typical passive-aggressive-Office-Bride nature, I've chosen to ignore my friend's request (which was online, thank goodness), lol.

Have you managed to keep your dress under wraps?

Spelling Msitakes

The Office Groom and I printed out our invites last night! That part is a "YAY"! After hours of designing and wording, picking out the paper at The Paper Place, and printing them on one of the office printers at O.G.'s workplace (ssshhhhh), we had ourselves some really nice looking invites. I was so proud of them, that today I decided to take one with me to work and show them off to a co-worker.

The design is pretty different - it's a short funny story of how O.G. and I met. I was inspired by this invitation that I found online over a year ago, so there's a lot of text and in different fonts.

I thought I had proofread it a billion times over - so did OG - so when my co-worker pointed out that I spelled "treked" instead of "trekked" my heart broke into little pieces! That's the "GRRRR" part.

How could I have not noticed that? I feel like such an idiot! Here I am, putting in all this time and effort, only to discover 150 printed invites later than I have a typo. Sigh. Please, oh please, tell me that I'm not the only one out there! I wouldn't normally sweat the small things, but I took a lot of pride in designing them myself :(

We're not reprinting. It's a waste of money and paper. And I can only hope that either guests don't notice or don't mention it if they do. Although, having two parents for teachers, and a plethora of academic friends and family - chances are I'll have to develop thick skin after the invites get sent out.

"Treked." Pffft.

Summer Lovin'

Man on man is it ever beautiful outside today! The clear skies and bright sun was my inspiration for today's inspiration board. Nothing says summer like pink, green, and white :)



Flowers from Fleurs.
Shoes worn by beautiful bride Caitlin.
Bridesmaids photo from The Knot.
Cupcakes created by Mossy Cupcakes.
Wedding Dress by Stephanie James Couture.

The "What If..." List

Today I went out for lunch with the Office Groom and we had a really good talk about marriage and life. A little deep for a mid day conversation, I know, but we've decided that there's been way too much wedding talk, and not enough life talk, like career goals, our "future kids," our personal life goals, and fears.

The latter brought up a few "what ifs" we each had and we were reminded of something we did a few years ago which we found really helpful. We called it the "What If List" at the time and the name has stuck ever since.

The idea behind the list is for each person to write a list of what if's about themselves and about the relationship. And I mean, ANYTHING. "What if you get a job in another country?" "What if I gain a whole bunch of weight and you don't find me attractive anymore?"

Once you have completed your lists you can either read them out loud or to yourselves, and then literally burn the lists. Word to the wise - use caution when doing this! Remember what your mom told you about playing with fire, ok?!

The idea behind this is that "what if's" are just that. They are questions about things that don't exist. Sometimes we get caught up on scenarios that we create in our heads, which can then lead us to behave as if they actually happened. When you write out a list, you make your fears known. That's the first step. While you shouldn't act on them, you should also not ignore them, because you'll act on them subconsciously anyway. Once you've acknowledged your fears, you can then acknowledge that what you're afraid of is just in your head.

What it comes down to is living in the now. When you do that, you have more time to appreciate everything you have at that very moment, and less time worrying about the future. It can give you and your significant other a huge breath of relief and bring you closer together. And when you discover how many similar "what if's" you share, you'll also realize you're not alone :)

Office Groom - Home Safe & Sound

At about 2 am this morning, Office Groom got back home (that's what you get when you want cheaper flights lol) and got right into bed to snuggle up. I'm so happy to have him back home! Funny how much I could miss him in just a few short days!

Later in the morning, at a more godly hour, we both got up and he surprised me with a gift from Vegas - a Coach wallet! WooOOooOoooo! He also brought home a porcelain 20 oz cup shaped like a hot air balloon from the Paris Hotel. He said that it was filled with tequila and strawberry daquiri and he drank walking down the strip with the guys. Only in Vegas :)

But I'm also somewhat happy to report that he wasn't able to trump my trumpet from Miami, lol. He wanted to steal a wig or set of teeth from one of the many old ladies at the slot machines. Bahaha, could you imagine?! Guess that'll have to happen next time, when we got together!

DIY Veil...unveiled

Rock My Wedding has a great DIY tutorial for a simple veil. I still haven't decided whether I'm buying or making (or *cough* asking my mom to make it) my veil, but if it's easy as it seems in this tutorial I might consider the former!


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Happy Friday everyone!

What Happens In Vegas...

The Office Groom is officially partaking in bachelor party debauchary at this very moment. He and his best buds headed off this morning to the sin city we all love to hate - Las Vegas.


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Am I nervous? Meh - I guess I am a bit. But it's nothing for me to stress about. After all, the girls and I had our fun in Miami, and while the Office Groom admitted to sitting at home with the cat and drinking wine while drumming his fingers on the couch armrest, he knew that ultimately there was nothing to worry about. And he was right.

So now that the tables are turned, I know the same thing. Are there going to be some crazy stories when he gets home? I sure as hell hope so! When I came home from Miami with an old trumpet in my luggage, OG first gave me a "WTF" look and then proceeded to laugh hysterically and ask me what happened (And if I have enough readers interested, I'd be more than happy to share, lol).


My most prized souvenir from Miami

That's the thing - as long as we're honest with each other, there isn't that darn little voice in the back of our heads saying "What happened?!" It's just the waiting for the return of your significant other that's hard! I'm so excited that he's getting a chance to do this with his guys, but I also miss him terribly and a tiny little part of me, just a tiny, wishes I was there too.

So, what am I doing for the next 4 days? LOTSA socializing to keep my mind off things! The way I see it, this is a weekend of opportunity to catch up with friends and family, and to also have some me time at home.

And possibly with the cat, and a few bottles of beer.

For all other brides out there patiently waiting for their men to return from their bachelor parties - you're not alone :)

Marriage Talk - What every couple should have BEFORE the wedding

When it comes to wedding planning, even the most conservative bride can get caught up on the details. Flowers, colour schemes, invitation font, etc. While these are all important in making your day extra special, we often lose sight of why we're doing it to begin with.

Remember: a wedding is essentially just a big party to celebrate a new bond between two people, and to keep that bond strong for a very long time, there are other discussions to be had that don't involve table seating charts or dress fittings.

MONEY
One of the hottest topics between couples, money is usually the maker or breaker of a relationship. If you and your fiance are clear of each others financial situation and goals, you'll save yourselves a lot of misunderstandings and arguments in the future. A wedding is a great way for a couple to learn how to work together to make something happen. If you don't have financial support from your family (more specifically, your parents) look on the bright side - this is an opportunity for you and your fiance to learn how to budget together. Because you can count on bigger things coming up in the future that you will have to budget for, so you may as well get some practice now!

KIDS
(Funny, because one of my co-workers literally just walked in with her 1-month old. Crazy) Here's a question - do you know whether your fiance wants kids? Do you know if YOU want kids? Learning to live with each other is one thing, but learning to live with a new human being is a completely different thing. And back to the budget point - kids aren't cheap. If the two of you don't know how to budget with jsut the two of, adding on another member in the family isn't going to make the situation any easier.

THE NAME CHANGE
It's a whole different ball game these days. While many women still change their last name, there are more and more that are opting not to. Keeping your name can be for a number of reasons - you are well established in your career and a name change would be confusing, or it could be something as simple as "it's my name and it's a part of who I am." Regardless of what you decide, keeping an open communication with your fiance about this subjust is a good idea. You don't want to wait until the ceremony officiant announces "Mr. and Mrs..." to interrupt and share your thoughts.

FEARS
We all have them. Couples generally don't like to admit they're a little (or a lot) scared about getting married because many people think that admitting it means that there's something wrong with them. SO NOT TRUE. We're human, and anything new is both exciting and scary at the same time. Obviously there's some tact involved when you're admitting your fears, but I think it's better to share than to bottle it up and have it come out much later. you'll be surprised how many you share with your fiance.

What it boils down to is being honest with each other and always keeping an open line of communication for the topics that really matter. And then you can go back to discussing whether you want to go with the ivory of pearl white table linen :)

Flowers and Pin Wheels and Ribbon, oh my!

Here's the idea: I found these beautiful pin wheels made from old book pages, from Etsy seller Twirlie Whirlies.


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The pin wheels can be made out of a wide selection of paper and book pages, and she can also source book pages from favourite titles! I'm thinking of incorporating them with the flowers for the Flower Girls. Playful, pretty, and it will tie in nicely with our book theme.

Instead of the traditional basket of flowers or a full bouquet, I thought just a handful of flowers will look really nice.


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Tie a ribbon around the pin wheels and flowers combined, and voila, one very cute Flower Girl arrangement for each of my nieces to hold!

Hotties In Glasses = A+

I don't know. Maybe it's the inner nerd in me or the fact that's I've been visually impaired for almost 15 years, but a good looking anyone wearing a pair of thick plastic rimmed glasses is a-ok in my books. So when I went shopping with the Office Groom and convinced him to buy a pair for himself, I was livin' the dream. Office Groom has perfect vision (sigh...I remember those days...I was 12) so there's no need for the lens. But he also has looks that could kill and man oh man, do those glasses look good on him.

While I'll save him the embarrassment of posting pics of him here, I thought I would at least share a few photos I found on-line of other nerd hotties.



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Awkward...

As I type this, I can overhear one of our interns talking to my co-worker and the conversation is the epitome of "Awkward." When asked how his weekend was, the intern replied that it wasn't so great because there was an accident at the fast food restaurant where he works. Since they're right behind me, I couldn't ignore his comment, so I turned around and said something along the lines of "hope you're doing ok." That part was fine.

But when I turned back to my computer, he started telling my co-worker that he had to go to a doctor's appointment - but he didn't leave it at just that. He then proceeded to explain the details of WHY he had to go to the doc's, and while I'll spare you the details, I can definitely say that this time, I didn't turn around to comment.

Seriously? I know some people are comfortable with sharing every detail of their personal life at work. However, I am not one of those people and I can never wrap my head around why they do it. Unless, he didn't even realize that I can clearly hear their conversation. But just because my back is to them doesn't mean that there's an invisible wall between us!

Yeesh, whenever I make phone calls (especially if they're wedding related) I try to keep it as hush as possible, which of course annoys the person I'm talking to, since they're constantly having to ask me to speak up, lol. I've learned that these kind of conversations are best made just outside of the office with my cell phone. After all, no one needs to hear whether I'm going with roses or peonies. I just wish others would follow the same rule, so I didn't need to know when their next colonoscopy appointment is.

And no - that's not what the conversation was about, but it was awfully close.

Back to work. More wedding talk later!

Movie Review: "Teenage Paparazzo"

Last night, the Office Groom and I checked out a Hot Docs Festival film entitled "Teenage Paprazzo." Written and directed by Entourage star Adrian Grenier, the documentary follows the life of a 14-year old paparazzo named Austin in his hometown of Hollywood.

Yup, you read it right. 14.


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Not knowing much about the film going in, OG and I really enjoyed it. Layered with different takes on the world of paparazzi, the documentary included interviews with celebrities such as Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, and Eva Longoria Parker, and much more (surprisingly) candid talks with some of Hollywood's most succesful paparazzi.

While there were a lot of laughs throughout the film, there were moments where the audience was quiet - mostly shocked that this kid is doing this at such a young age, and the implications of his character and his childhood upbringing. There are times where I was shaking my head in disagreement, and when the credits were rolling, OG turned to me and whispered "We're never letting our kids talk to us that way." LOL.

You'll have to watch the film to understand what he meant.

On another note, the film was screened at the new Royal Conservatory of Music venue, Koerner Hall. I was in complete awe of the interior design - a great mix of old and modern architecture.


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Along with musical performances, the venue is also open for private event bookings. No doubt that this would make one spectacular wedding venue! (See how I managed to tie this post to weddings? Crafty!)

Sew cool!

(Sorry, I like puns)

Check out this invitation design I stumbled upon this morning. Yup, you're seeing it right. The designer, Anna Bond, stitched the design with needle and thread! Talk about paying attention to detail (and a whole lotta patience)! I can totally appreciate the craftmandship, growing up with a mom and grandmom who both sew (and taught me everything I know about it).


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For the finished product, check out Anna's Blog.

Paging all Office Brides - Part 2

Did you plan most of your wedding from 9-5 in a cubicle? Then The Office Bride wants to hear from you! Contact officebride@gmail.com and tell us your story, and you might be featured in a "From the Desk of..." blog!

DIY Rubber Stamp Image

To tie in the book theme of our wedding, we've decided that a custom stamp on the outside of the invitation envelope would be a nice added detail. Naturally, the first place that came to mind to find such a thing was Etsy, where I discovered Ass Pocket Productions.

Ok, so I know the name is a bit deceiving, but the artist, Stacey, has been creating custom stamps for a while, and her feedback has been 100% positive after selling to over a thousand customers. She has a wide selection of stamp designs to choose from - everything from bookplates to wedding themed stamps. The best part - she also welcomes personal designs, which is where my DIY project got its start.

I wanted something circular that had soemthing to do with books and with me and Office Groom. The idea is to stamp the back of the envelope on the fold - similar to the wax stamps used in the olden days.


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With a bit of internet research and photoshopping, this is what I came up with:



Waddaya think? I used the same font used in our invitations (more on those later - ooh, can you handle the suspense? LOL) and re-invented the book image (found on-line) by adding a simple heart graphic in the middle. Cute!

Now I just have to find out how much it's going to cost to have one made! More details to come!

Ferre Sposa - My Kinda Shop

So I've been doing all this posting about dresses and realized that I haven't said anything about where the dresses are coming from! As of this past weekend, all of my ladies have put a deposit on their dresses (Yay!) and it all happened at a wonderful boutique shop called Ferre Sposa.


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I discovered this lovely shop on my way home, after a disappointing visit to another bridal store down the street on Bloor Street West. When I walked passed Ferre Sposa I immediately stopped in my tracks. Two beautiful gowns were displayed in the storefront and a quick peak through the window led me to believe that this was one chic (and organized) shop. My instincts were dead on once I stepped inside and had a look at the collection.


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I was greeted by a friendly woman named Alice who was more than happy to show me around. The best part - there was no one else in the shop, so I had her undivided attention without any distractions. After a couple of dresses I found THE DRESS, and she promised that she would speak to the owner about getting me a dicount (high five!) - which I did end up getting (with some additional haggling from my awesome-bargain shopping mom!)

Ferre Sposa also carries the entire Dessy line for Bridesmaid dresses - Dessy, After Six, Alfred Sung, and Lela Rose. I had a look through the catalogue and had no doubt my girls would each find something amazing to wear. As long as they picked the same colour and fabric, they could pretty much choose from over 50 different styles!

If you happen to be in the Toronto area, and more specifically around Bloor and Ossington, I would definitely recommend dropping by Ferre Sposa. A great selection along with great service made for a great shopping experience! And in my opinion, the experience plays a big part in finding the perfect dress :)