Invite Mock ups

I was pretty proud of my invite mockups, so In thought I'd dedicate a post to them. I might change a couple of things. One being the size of the RSVP: I'd make it smaller, so it can fit in slots cut in the bottom of the pocketfold, rather than sit with the map inside the pocketfold. But here's how they look:

Signature Cocktail

If you haven't heard of this idea yet, a signature cocktail is a special drink served at your reception with a cool name. This cocktail is offered to guests perhaps in lieu of mixed drinks in addition to wine and beer or as just another fun option for your guests to choose. Most couples try to match the drink color to their wedding colors. Ours is blue and delicious! Also called a Blue Lagoon, for our purposes it will have a lovey-dovey name. We haven't decided on that yet, but are leaning toward's "Love Potion"! Here's the ingredients:

-1.5 oz. vodka
-1.5 oz. blue curacao
-7up/sprite
-ice

Simple and yummy! What will your signature drink be?

Writing Your Own Vows - Part 2: Non-Traditional Vows

Here are some ideas to get you started. I pulled these from The Everything Wedding Vows Book , by Janet Anastasio and Michelle Bevilacqua, a book that I have found to be exceedingly helpful in the vow-writing process.

"Today, (name), I join my life to yours, not merely as your (wife/husband), but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my path from this day forward."

"(Name), with free and unconstrained soul, I give you all I am and all I am to become. Take this ring and with it my promise of faith, patience, and love, for the rest of my life."

Two flames, one light. (Name), I offer you this ring as a sign of life, and myself as your (husband/wife). Let us walk together always, and let us always walk toward the light."

"A ceremony is for a day; a marriage is for a lifetime. Today, i join my life with yours for as long as I shall live on this earth, forsaking all others. (Name), I freely offer myself to you as your (husband/wife)."

"To marry the person you have set your heart upon is a joy unparalleled in human life. (Name), take this ring as a sign of my faith and my commitment to our love, and share this joy with me today."

"Where there has been cold, you have brought warmth; where my life was dark, you have brought light. (Name), I pledge before this assembled company to be your (husband/wife) from this day forward. Let us make of our two lives, one life, and let us always honor and respect each other."

"Love has given us wings, and our journey begins today. (Name), where ever the wind may carry me, I will stay by your side as your (husband/wife). Take this ring as a sign of my love."

"Love is to be cherished when we find it in life, and I cherish it in you. (Name), let us build a life together. I give myself to you as your (husband/wife), and I pledge here to cherish for all of my days the love we celebrate today."

Readings for Ceremony: Part 1 - Apache Marriage Blessing

I really like this one. The officiant can say it either right before or right after the pronouncement of marriage, or you can have a special guest come up and read it.

Apache Marriage Blessing
Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before.
Go now to your dwelling place
to enter into the days of your life together.
And may your days be good
and long upon the earth.
Treat yourselves and each other with respect,
and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness,
gentleness, and kindness that your connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulty, and fear assail your relationship-
as they threaten all relationships at one time or another-
remember to focus on what is right between you,
not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms
when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives-
remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment,
the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together,
it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Something Borrowed

I got my something borrowed! My best friend, Shelley is letting me borrow her bridal shoes, which fit me perfectly and look new! They are just what I had envisioned, too!

Now, I am thinking my something blue will be my french nail tips, something new - my jewelry, and something old - my dress. The dress isn't very old, but I got it second-hand, so it isn't new! What will you use for your "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue"?

Personalized Water Bottle Labels

I found an awesome template on the web. Then I modified it for our wedding. It's a Microsoft PowerPoint document, so if you have PowerPoint, I can email it to you if you are interested. Just leave me your email address in the comments section or email me at kalschmi at yahoo dot com. Once you open the file, you can change our names, date, colors, etc. It should also be noted that I had to play around with the greenish color quite a bit to get it to print the pretty tiffany blue-green color I wanted. What you see on the computer is not necessarily what comes out of the printer, so do a test print, before you print the actual labels. By the way, labels can be found at http://onlinelabels.com & http://labelsbythesheet.com .

Photo Sharing Sites and Wedding Photos

I've seen this done at other weddings and am implementing it at ours in addition to our professional photographer. In our ceremony programs, I am including a poem that explains to guests that we'd like them to share their digital pictures of the wedding with us on our site. Their are a few major sharing sites: http://shutterfly.com/ , http://photobucket.com/ , and http://snapfish.com/ . I like all three, but seem to have the most fun on shutterfly, so that is the site we'll be using. Here's the poem:

We’re so glad you’re here
To share our special day,
We hope these wonderful memories
Never go away,
To help us to remember
How special this day was,
There’s something you can do
That really would help us,
Eat, drink, be merry
And enjoy yourself tonight,
But, please take some digital photos
and upload them to our site.

The program insert then gives instructions for uploading photos and our username and password. Not only is this free, but brides and grooms can save beau coup bucks buying albums, photobooks, prints, and canvases from photosharing sites versus their photographer. We are also buying a CD of our pro pics to do just that. I also suggest signing up for email lists on the photo-sharing sites, primarily shutterfly as they often send me coupons for free shipping and other offers.

Emergency, Call 911!

...Or just remember to pack your wedding day emergency kit. Mine consists of:

Ibuprofen
Tums
chalk (to cover smears/smudges on dress)
tweezers
deodorant
touch-up makeup
hairspray
comb
tissues
mints
floss
Visine
super glue
lighter
static cling spray
lint roller
water bottle
extra earring backs
hem tape
scotch tape
moist towelettes
needle & thread
manicure scissors
Tide-to-go
hair pins/clips
corsage pins
Band-aids
granola bars
safety pins
cell phone
cash
hand mirror
nail file
feminine products

What's in your kit?