After Wedding to-do list

during the final days leading up to the wedding, i started to notice that so much of my "normal", non-wedding planning life was on hold...  that got me thinking about what i wanted to do when i got back to life as usual.

well at that point i thought, piece of cake, life will resume once we get outta town and head to tahiti for our honeymoon... haha looking back now i laugh at how naive i was to think that relaxing in tahiti was "normal life" - give me a break!

here's us at the pinnacle of "non-normal life" at our rehearsal dinner

and here we are once again - recovering from the wedding weekend 

on our honeymoon in Bora Bora

we look pretty stress free right?

yes but i realize now that the wedding and then traveling to paradise to "relax" was really more the calm before the storm.

Life has become so crazy for the two of us - J is just preparing for 3rd year law school finals, and here i am with my crazy jobs and trying to run my jewelry & accessory business!

we recovered, then returned, and life never went back to life as we knew it ...

 so in an attempt to retain some type of normalcy i started a list that grows each week.  since i'm a list maker, it helps to know that i'm accomplishing things, no matter how small or trivial they seem - it's just nice to know we're getting things done!

I give you my after wedding to-do list: 

• go to Disneyland - 
• go on a date with J - check (although this is something i'd love to do weekly)
• spend quality time with friends & family - check
• go to the swap meet - 
• look into a business credit card (maybe not such a great idea given the current financial climate) -
• get our apartment organized - quasi check... with the exception of our study
• close out our wedding registries  - check (except Crate & Barrel)
• get holiday items posted in my etsy shop - check
• get caught up on my business blog - check
• get wedding thank you's written and sent - 1/2 check (still have 1/2 the list to go)
• get my credit card paid off - almost check =)
• spend time playing catch up with close friends - 1/2 check
• christmas shopping - almost check!

and the list goes on... did anyone else feel like much of their normal life had disappeared and long to rein it in once the big day had passed!

a Bento Update

since i have really started using/ understanding the gift my dad gave me for Valentines day

i thought i would take a second and give y'all the goods about it.

my dad and i like, scratch that LOVE computers and software, yes we are computer nerds, 

but my nerdiness(sp?) is your gain.

i've been using the bento program for a few things,

but wedding planning has been its primary purpose.

the program is fully customizeable, they organization of it breaks down to either the overall view of the "table" list (shown in 1st photo) and then the "details" pages which is the individual view of (in the case of my guest list) each guest.

here's a screen shot of our whole wedding guest list - viewing the table portion

in the left section you can organize the different address books, and sections within Bento. for example you can have one for you soft ball league, work associates, club members, business inventory, guest lists, and so on... i have 1 for wedding, all contacts, and 1 for inventory for my jewelry business.

in the center section it contains the quick view of all the fields (rank, name, address, contact)

the right most section is where the custom fields can be created, then dropped into the center workspace.

this next screen shot is of the Details section of the list

and yes, we do have a Jerry Garcia on our guest list, and no, he is of no relation! =)

here i have made a custom form for each of our guests, the form has a field for these items:

• name
• guest name
• address
• notes
• date save the date was sent
• check box that STD was sent
• date the invite was sent
• check box that Invite was sent
• a pull down bar with Y or N RSVP
• number of guests attending based on RSVP

here's a screen shot of the Details of my jewelry inventory

i was able to tailor the form to include:

• design name
• materials used/ amounts
• category (necklace, earring....)
• item number
• stock quantity
• cost breakdown
• total cost to produce
• resale price
• and photo of item

the more i use this program, the more i realize it is a very powerful tool for storing/ organizing a lot of information in one easy place.

how have you tried to stay sane and organized with all the info and details thrown at you while planning your wedding?

Is your groom-to-be giving you trouble?

while flipping through one of the many wedding mags littered around my bedroom, i found this hand dandy "grooms" calendar accompanying the wedding to do lists that come in every wedding mag.  i quickly ripped it out thinking my oh-so-busy, law school studying, fiance might be in need of a wedding schedule... and as the semester progressed, and the clock started ticking, and it became more and more difficult to coordinate our schedules to accomplish our necessary wedding tasks.

needless to say this was driving me nuts, seeing how i'm mildly obsessive about my wedding timetable, and sticking to it!  well... it was time to search my wedding binder for that tear out that was stored someplace between it's covers. 

if you are like me, paranoid about falling behind on your wedding to do's, and would like some help from you fiance, know this ahead of time...  girls he CANNOT READ YOUR MIND, you'd think i would've known this ahead of time, but no, i've been learning this the hard way and becoming frustrated.  give him a little help this way he knows what you're expecting of him on a monthly basis... he can keep himself on track according to the general guidelines of most wedding planning to do lists.

hope this is a helpful tool to your groom-to-be!

WWW = World Wide Wed (in Style weddings)

above are screen shots of Wedding Window and eWeddings.  i personally chose to go with wedding window, however i purchased our own domain name through godaddy.com.  i recently flipped through the winter 2008 In Style Wedding Mag and found this uber helpful page about wedding websites... i'm picking out the info that i thought was great and was helpful for me.  

get creative

• forgo the standard photos like baby pics and a stiff, posed engagement shot. instead, show more interesting candids of you two together over the years.
• tell the story of how you met, his proposal and other defining moments in your courtship.  offer important details, but try to keep it concise; sometime less is more (i have a problem doing this, but my fiance is great at editing!)
• tip: make sure to only share items suitable for your grandmother.

let guests participate

• ask folks to vote for a first-dance song or to suggest songs they'd like to hear (or don't) at the reception.
• ask for lighthearted advice in a section where other can post words of marital wisdom (we did this).
• include a memory board so guests can share stories about you & your groom. 

put your stamp on it

• repeat elements, such as a motif or a joint monogram, that appear on your save the dates, invitations or other stationery. (we are using a blue paisley pattern and a sand dollar)
• incorporate your wedding colors to give guests a hint of what to expect at the event.
• have you and your groom's song serve as background music while family and friends are logged on.

share honeymoon plans

• don't just give your destination; explain why you two chose it and what places you might visit while there.
• upload photos of the resorts where you'll be staying and colorful local sights.
• when you return, create captions for you favorite pics, and post the text and images for guests to view.

the nitty-gritty

• don't forget the basics: the date and location of both the ceremony and reception, as well as directions, maps, and itineraries. (see screen shot below)
• recommend hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and nearby must-see attractions for out-of-towners, and include links to web sites about your suggested spots where possible. (see screen shot below)

• post a weather forecast a week ahead of time so your guests have an idea of what to pack. (this is also something we've done, i will update it a week before the wedding)

Roses are Red, Violets are blue... but they're violet not blue?

has anyone every thought about that?...

i hate to say i just realized it but that rhyme doesn't make sense...

ok, if you didn't get that, completely dissreagard =)

so part 2 of my valentine's gifts:

the FI (fiance) and i got a little something for each other and here's my part of the exchange

it's called the "mackenna travel folio" from the Pottery Barn Bed & Bath catalogue.

since i design jewelry, and happen to have A LOT of it, this case will make traveling with my jewelry a whole lot easier.  i'm sharing this with you because if you're like me, when you travel you like to have accessory options, it's easy to tangle them, loose them, or flat out misplace them in your luggage.   to go along with that... one of my friends actually lost diamond earrings on her wedding day during the beautification process! not cool....

so this could be a helpful place to keep your precious wedding day and honeymoon baubles (preferably my designs of course!) =)

Side Note: FI and i started a trend to make gift giving more fun/spontaneous again, 

after 4 years we just started the bad habit of

 "hey what do you want for Christmas or __________(holiday)?"

we email each other links (well mainly me) of things we would like, and this folio just so happened to be on my email list. try it out, it would work well with parents, boyfriends, or emailing things you like to yourself!

My Valentine

so my dad gave me my valentine's gift a little early, but i'm pretty sure i'm gonna love this gift and use it for a very long time!

thanks dad...

well it wasn't jewelry, candy, or a cute stuffed animal, no... it was a computer program! maybe to the average girl it might have been received with a yawn, but i'm not your average girl.

Bento is a personal database program, which will help so much for organizing my real estate business contacts, jewelry company contacts, friends and family, MOST IMPORTANTLY manage my guest list.  the latter was the main reason he picked it up on his trip to the Apple store.  i've been wanting to send my save the dates (STDs, it sounds terrible i know!) since about the ohhh... the day i got them from magnet street  but i needed a way to print the labels with all the addresses i've been stockpiling.  i had been keeping a database spreadsheet with all this important info, and when i couldn't figure out the best way to print the labels, i called my handy dandy local Apple store. what did i find out? oh, that none of the programs on my 1 month old laptop would help! $1000 for this.... as i was about to start grumbling...

dad to the rescue, he tells me about this great new software Filemaker came out with, called Benito??? well that same handy dandy apple store guy kindly corrected us and said it's called Bento, and yes it would be very helpful in solving my problem.

i'll update once i've spent time working with it, and give feed back about the program, but i'm pretty sure it'll suit me just fine!

My Handheld Sanity

folks, i know that there are a great many of you out there fascinated by oh so marvelous iPhone... even though i am an "all things apple person", my phone is not one of those thing.  on the other hand i prefer my Palm Treo for organizing my daily life.  it's perfect because the calendar feature on the treo is amazing! i can set tasks to be accomplished via my handy dandy Bride Ideas notebook, which i add to it at the start of every week (have you noticed that i like being organized?) =).  i can also enter in my work schedule and appointments, not to mention remind myself of the gym classes i so optimistically think i'll make it to every week, but at least it's there.  there's also my vendor appointments, dress fittings, and appointments to go on dates my fiance and the other people who are so near and dear to me. yes i did say "appointments".... but hey when you're planning a wedding time becomes slim and you do what you have to in order to stay sane!

yes the iPhone is a fabulous idea for the people who like to "play" on their smartphone, but i absolutely love my Treo, i bought it last year (doubling as a business write-off) and and i'm still a BIG fan.  other fun features, i can check the web on the go, get emails while i'm our running errands, make audio notes, and best of all... my texts are all kept in folders similar to IM chats (no more deleting old texts to receive new ones).

i love this phone, and if you are i need of a new phone, or have the budget for one, i highly recommend it, the Treo really is a "smartphone" that keeps this crazy bride-to-be on track, most of the time... =)

The Wedding Planning Process

so, right after my fiance and i got engaged, i just like many other giddy girls who have just been proposed to, went into wedding planning mode instantly!  these days a bride-to-be needs to be organized and armed for al her vendor appointments with pictures, notes, and ideas.  well, knowing this, i was at Barnes & Noble one day, searching for the perfect wedding binder, one that would organize what would soon become the wedding insanity.  i randomly picked up this pink, 6x10 inch notepad and hoped for the best.  i couldn't wait to get home and tear off the shrink wrap, to my amazement it was everything i imagined it to be... not only have i used it for all my appointments with vendors, i've recommended it to my recently engaged girlfriends.

what's it called?

Bride Ideas: a creative wedding journal and list maker by Chronicle Books. here's the description from the publisher:

The ultimate creative and practical planning tool for a wedding, Bride Ideas captures all the bride's inspirations, ideas, lists, and to-dos.  A fold-out Master List keeps plans on track, friendly prompts insure important details are not overlooked, and the peel-and-stick tabs allow the bride to customize for quick references.  Fabulously flexible, Bride Ideas is a must-have wedding planner.

there you have it folks... i honestly can't tell you how much i love that this little book fits in my purse, it's a whole lot easier than lugging around my heavy duty 3 ring binder with all my magazine tear outs flying everywhere!  it's a cheap investment at $12, i'm glad that i picked it up on a whim that day.  my life sure has been more organized since then.  it has been a great central place for my wedding thoughts, sketches, pros & cons lists, guest list planning, gift tracking, shopping lists, honeymoon packing, flower inspirations, bridesmaids' favors... ok so i think you get the point and understand my excitement ... =)