Floral Forum I

So Sak and I got an email from his aunt last night asking us about our flower ideas. Well, truthfully, we didn't have any flower ideas! But after sitting down and talking/researching, etc. We can now say we have some ideas:

What we'll need:
-1 bouquet for penga
-1 bouquet for all-in-one bridesmaid-sister Danni
-6 corsages for Saka-mom, Penga-mom, and our four grandmothers (and possibly more for other helpers!)
-Centerpieces/Ceremony decorations

Here's some inspiration boards slides we put together for bouquets:

Click to make them larger!

My favorites are the hibiscus bouquets and the top right bouquet of red and white orchids. Saka's favorites are the hibiscus and the roses/ferns on the bottom right. The problem with the hibiscus though, is that it is fake. Real hibiscus apparently don't make for good bouquets. Tragic!

From this exercise, I think I want something both red and white, and with somewhat of a tropical feel to it. Ferns are a nice touch, I think.

Did anyone else encounter a flower they loved, but for one reason or another, couldn't use (in real form, at least)?

Image sources from left to right, starting from the top:
http://www.allseasonsflowers.ie/gallery.php
http://www.flowercreations.ca/flower_gallery/40
http://greeneryproductions.blogspot.com/2009/07/red-white-and-fun.html
http://www.arenaflowers.com/flowers/white_lily_bouquet
http://eleganceflowerbyelizabeth.com/bridal_bouquets
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyengagements/3401989774/
http://www.romanticweddingflowers.com/bouquets.html
http://www.budgetmindedbrides.com/tropicalbouquets.html
http://theweddingdecorator.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html
http://www.sweetblossomshawaii.com/?cat=17

Tossing Variations

There's a few wedding things that I actively fear. Most have to do with my own clumsiness and the possibility of falling, tripping, ripping, screeching, snorting, etc.

One of my fears is the bouquet toss. Not that no one will catch it, or that too many people will catch it (and crash into some sort of injury, which DOES actually happen)...but that I won't be able to throw it. Not properly or gracefully anyway. So I think we're going to switch it up a bit, and try this new trend that's apparently all the rage in modern Japanese weddings.

Bouquet Pulls

Instead of throwing the flowers, the bride holds them along with a ribbon for each single lady on the floor. She holds all the ribbons against the bouquet, but only one of the ribbons is actually tied to it. You can decorate the ends of the ribbons with beads or pretty charms. So then all the ladies pull the strings, and the one that held the ribbon attached to the flowers wins! Easy yeah? No need for me to throw anything! And everyone can easily participate! And the best part is, even if you lose, you still get to keep the charm ribbon! haha! What do you think?

I asked Sak if he wanted to do something similar with the garter. He said he'd rather throw it, which is fine. I am a little worried about the possible lack of participation, so one idea (from Weddingbee, of course) was to attach some money or a gift card to it:

That's one way to ensure they pay attention! And with so many nice looking money-leis floating around during graduations, it wouldn't be hard to make a money flower to attach to the garter. But it would probably have to be clipped on right before hand, I don't think I'd want to wear a 10 or 20 around my leg the whole day, haha!

(Oh and, as always, click on the pictures for the source of the image!)

If you are doing a bouquet/garter toss, how are you ensuring audience participation? And more importantly, how are you ensuring audience fun? Or are you one of the lucky ones with friends and family that actually like biting and scratching over flowers and lace?

Well Suited

Well, now that Sak-brother has decided to come visit us for Thanksgiving break (he goes to school in L.A.), Sak and our 2 brothers can go suit shopping!

All three boys are fairly skinny. One is tall AND skinny. So I think we'll be needing a more "fitted" suit. These go by many different names: modern fit, European cut, slim cut, etc. And they are really snazzy looking! Here's some samples (click the images for the source):


Aren't they awesome? I can't wait to see them in them! We'll probably get them from Macy's, since we have an awesome Auntie discount we can use! Thanks for that! Here's two I like..

The top image is an Alfani 3-button in black, and the bottom image is an Alfani 2 button in charcoal. I think I like the 3-button better, but I can't decide whether I like solid black, or charcoal black. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'm envisioning the brothers wearing red vests and ties, with a nice red pocket squares instead of boutonnieres. Sak will have a white vest and tie, with a white pocket square. He decided early on that pocket squares (to him) are much more manly than a flower, and it's one less floral arrangement I'll have to think about.Similar to this vest and pocket square?

Black or Charcoal? 2-button or 3-button? Should I give up the hunt for dragon-embroidered silk vests? Do they need fancy hats? Suspenders?

Or maybe a better question - is all this fanciness going to make them pass out in the hot Hawaiian sun? Air-conditioned buildings are a must!

What are you doing? Going for a certain look regardless of the weather? Or keeping it practical and comfortable?

Dress Stage 0

Two weekends ago Sak and I went to our favorite fabric store in SF, to search for the final dress fabric!

We came home with 20 yards of bleached white muslin for the under layers, 16 yards (the whole roll!) of poly poplin for the top layer of the skirt, and 2 yards of lace for the top layer of the corset.

As you can see, we're still going to have to battle the "shiny" on the lace...but at least the poplin is not as reflective as the taffeta or satin. I may continue to search for a matte-finish lace...so if anyone spots one, please let me know!

We also looked at the eco-friendly fabrics, since that was our original intent. Unfortunately, the only types they had were jersey knit and canvas! And I already have a canvas dress, I don't need another one! So sadly, we'll have to destroy the earth on this one. :P

A closeup of the lace pattern (with flash):

And then again without flash:

Font Trial One

A whole evening wasted on this amazingly addictive site!

Our task was to come up with a two things -

1) A "theme" Bible verse, or at least something to put on our favor bags "In-N-Out" burger style. You know, where they hide Bible verses in the food wrappers?
2) A font to go with it.

For challenge one, we had many options, 1 Corinthians, Ecclesiastes, etc. We chose 1 John 4:9-12. Not only is it awesome, to-the-point gospel truth, but it also happens to be the subject of our latest Church Bible Study, which focuses on the book of 1 John. Here it is (NIV version for now):

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

The outside of the bag will simply have the mon on it, in either red or white ink. The inside edge will have the text. Here's some samples we came up with (click the image to enlarge):

Personally I'm leaning towards #3 with the Rebel Alliance sign in the middle. Pucca and Garu I think are just too small..

For your fonts, are you using the same one for all written things, or are you mixing it up with several of your favorites?

This little light of mine...

Elaborate flashes of color uplighting a lush topiary or architectural feature? Tiny yellow flares sprinkled across a venue like a magical fairy land or distant galaxy? Lighting can sure create an atmosphere, transforming even the dullest of spaces into a breathtaking dreamscape.

Unfortunately for us, interesting lighting is on the the list of 'would be nice, but...' ideas. So no elaborate lighting? Fair enough, but we can still do something simple, right?

Tealights. Perhaps the most commonly used, these little candles are cheap and efficient, bringing instant table-side glow. But we're going to cheat a little.

LED tealights. Much more expensive, I know. But the price difference is worth the peace of mine that come with the small electronics. It's worth it to know that there's no way your 19 year old brother can set himself on fire, or that your fiance himself won't burn something down. Bored budding pyros and open flames don't mix. Not that I think anyone would be bored, but you never know.

So Saka and I flopped over to Big Lots and picked up about 60 of these little guys.


Now what should we put them in? Here's what they look like in the Ross glass holders:

They look better in person..the LED's flicker, so it's hard to take a picture with them all on at the same time! Unfortunately, they are too fragile to make it to Hawaii, so these will only be for the California reception. So what else could we use? Maybe origami holders? a little ribbon? Beads?

Are you using tealights or votives? What are you putting them in?

Photo Perplexion

Photography is really a tricky subject for me. Both my family and Saka's are decent photographers, and Mom&Dad have a pretty good sports photography business going. So my first impulse was - why do I even need a photographer?

I've since been convinced otherwise, don't worry.

But because of the sheer amount of photos I know will be taken already, I want something extra special from whoever we decide to hire. Something artistic. Something with strange angles, perspective, color. Something that doesn't look like a picture, but more like a painting or illustration. In other words, I want art. Fisheye lenses, foreground/background perspective, mirror images, you name it. Oh, and also at a reasonable price, did I mention that?

(source)

How crazy cool is this shot? Art!

Dress Flowers Part 2

Just a little experimentation with the flowers...
The giant star, with an impromptu shoulder strap put in. Sak likes this one, he thinks it's "statement making". It is indeed!

And now the flower with the strap!

And the flower without a strap!

And finally, the back flowers! The skirt is getting pretty wrinkly at this point, haha! Ribbons or beads hanging down, anyone?

I think I'll have to go back and make a few more rosettes if I go with the flower at the top. I think one by itself is a little lonely. Maybe a few different sizes bunched together in a cluster?

I know not many people make their dress, but I'm wondering - has anyone else decided to add or detract from their gowns to better suit their style?

Dress Flowers?

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Unfortunately, poor Saka is at work.. But it's just one sacrifice he'll have to make for our hopefully three week honeymoon to Japan!

In the meantime, I've been experimenting with dress flowers!

The first attempt was from a book I have called "Kokoro No Te", but it turned out much too pointy..

The book example used a lighter fabric, and was only a few inches tall. This one is, well, nearly a foot!

Next I went online to look at different "DIY" flowers..here's some of the links I found:
rosette
fabric flower
geisha flower
fabric roses
Martha's silk flower

I went with the rosette for now, since it seemed like a good match for the bumpy skirt.

Tah-dah!

I did cheat a little though. Instead of sewing the entire flower& beads together, I used hot glue! Gotta love the easy-way out!

Will you be utilizing any fabric flowers on your wedding day? Are you making them yourself?

Dress Mock-Up Stage 3

Saka gets all the credit for this one..

With our leftover muslin pieces, he decided to try and make the top corset with our pattern:

He extended the bottom of the pattern by about 2 inches, since I wanted it to fall at my hips rather than my waist. We also decided that instead of buttons, we'd modify the pattern to use a corset-style, lace-up back.

Isn't it beaaauuuttifulll??

What do you think? should we add some straps?

Here's the back:


I think he did an excellent job! I hope the actual dress turns out this good!

Next steps? I'm going to try and make some fabric flowers to pin onto the back, and maybe the shoulder if we go with straps. Then we'll be ready for the real thing!

We're thinking some nice, non-shiny sturdy cotton fabric for the bottom, and the same for the top, only the top will have an outer layer of some sort of lacy fabric. It's so exciting to know I have a budding tailor for a future husband!

Save the Date Final Phase

With great joy, we've received all our printed save-the-dates!

Sak: "Wow, they look better than I imagined."

I wonder what he was imagining?

We used some sticky repositionable tape to adher the magnet to the card..


..and stuck the airfare discount sticker on the back.

Sak helped seal them up, while I put the stamps on!

Halfway there~

Here they are! Stamped and ready to go!

And now the drop-off! Goodbye little guys, you'll be at your next home in 3-4 days!

How did it feel to mail off your first task? Were you sad to see them go, nervous to how they'd be received, or maybe just happy to finally get them out of the way?

So what are we waiting for?

While we wait for our save-the-dates to come in the mail, we're missing one crucial step in this process.

The stamp:

The post office released this stamp to commemorate Hawaii's 50th birthday as a part of the USA. But upon visting several post offices, it seemed like they were fresh out. So naturally, we went online instead. I ordered several sheets of the new Hawaii Statehood stamps to adorn our envelopes, at only a dollar's cost for the shipping. USPS's website says they will be mailed with 1 day priority mailing, arriving in 3-5 days.

Planning a wedding has really opened me up to the world of online ordering. It's a great way of getting exactly what you need - and for weddings, we often need somewhat obscure things. How have your online purchases gone? Any hiccups along the way?