While browsing wedding blogs and websites, I often come across comments or forum topics where people are asking for the template for banners, programs, menus . . .you name it. While I know that not everyone has access to Photoshop or is handy enough with scissors to cut perfect circles, I find this a bit disheartening.
I don't think weddings should be cookie cut or designed by templates. I think websites shouldn't be used as a "how-to" guide but rather as a "fodder for future thought" bucket.
Aspiration is defined as a goal or a strong desire for achievement. Used in context with planning a wedding, these is the eye candy you find in magazines, blogs, "real wedding" photos and idea forums. This is what causes the "oh, pretty!" phrase to tumble from our lips. This is what causes us to "pin it" to a board or clip it and paste it in our binders as another "must-have" for our big days.
But don't confuse this with inspiration. Inspiration is something that generates an idea or sparks a creative slant to your project. Inspiration can be found on those same blogs, magazines and forums. However, it isn't the act of finding them but what happens when those images or DIY projects have time to incubate in your mind.
Every new idea is a mashup of one or more ideas. An each idea, picture, project or decorating concept is a remix of everything you have chosen to let into your life. As stated in the book "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon, "you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see . . . you are the sum of your influences."
Read the blogs, study the wedding magazines and scour through the endless forums on wedding websites. As Kleon said, "your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by."
Then, it is necessary to let the dust settle. Step away from the influences and wedding input to allow your mind to work the ideas like a Rubix cube, flipping ideas this way and that way in an attempt to find what works for you.
Use the aspirations to add to your influences and then use the influences to inspire your creativity when it comes to reception decor or the perfect gown. This will help you envision the wedding day of your dreams, and not the vision of the wedding industry, friends or a forum poster.
Showing posts with label wedding planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding planning. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Double-Digits to the Big Day: When I Realized I Was Getting Married
One of the cons to having a countdown clock to the big day on your wedding website is that you know how far away it is until you say "I Do."
For months, the number was in the hundreds. It felt like we were crawling towards our wedding. The day seemed like some far off date and it was never going to get here.
And, then it displayed "99" and the reality of our approaching wedding hit me. We were in the double-digits and "this close" to being married. I'm getting married!
I felt a surge of what I initially thought was panic. My extremely long list of still "to-dos" popped into my head along with the items that we still have yet to work out. But this was just a flash in a pan. A small twinge of feeling overwhelmed before the excitement quickly snipped it in the bud.
I wasn't concerned about the wedding or what needed to be done. For me, it was a countdown to starting a married life with my partner. In less than 100 days, I was going to make vows for the rest of my life with someone I considered my partner. I was going to be a wife.
For me,I think the end goal of a married life was hidden from view behind designs of invites and centerpiece decisions. Maybe it's what can be labeled as "wedding zen" or learning the true meaning of marriage. But I feel that I am counting down towards more than a party but a new beginning.
I'm getting married.
For months, the number was in the hundreds. It felt like we were crawling towards our wedding. The day seemed like some far off date and it was never going to get here.
And, then it displayed "99" and the reality of our approaching wedding hit me. We were in the double-digits and "this close" to being married. I'm getting married!
I felt a surge of what I initially thought was panic. My extremely long list of still "to-dos" popped into my head along with the items that we still have yet to work out. But this was just a flash in a pan. A small twinge of feeling overwhelmed before the excitement quickly snipped it in the bud.
I wasn't concerned about the wedding or what needed to be done. For me, it was a countdown to starting a married life with my partner. In less than 100 days, I was going to make vows for the rest of my life with someone I considered my partner. I was going to be a wife.
For me,I think the end goal of a married life was hidden from view behind designs of invites and centerpiece decisions. Maybe it's what can be labeled as "wedding zen" or learning the true meaning of marriage. But I feel that I am counting down towards more than a party but a new beginning.
I'm getting married.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Year -- Time to Plan a Wedding
As we rang in the new year, Mike and I became one of the many lucky couples who will be married this year. He gleefully shared this realization on his Facebook wall shortly after the new year dawned.
But reality kicked in the next morning. The magical date that seemed so far away when we picked it in August all of a sudden seemed awfully close. 109 days to be exact. That's about three and a half months to scratch items off the extensive to-do list that we have spent the past four months generating.
In short -- panic ensued.
According to an insert by Kayce Hazelgrove in "A Practical Wedding" book by Meg Keene, Mike and I have entered the third phase of wedding planning -- the "How the Hell?" phase in which we wonder exactly how it is going to be possible to get the wedding together in such a short amount of time.
To put it in perspective, it took us about three weeks to design, create and mail our holiday cards and they are only a fraction of the time commitment that our DIY wedding invites will have, not to mention the other "to make" items. This thought only added fuel to the fire.
Much like resolutions, Mike and I chose to approach the wedding planning as a goal. We know what needs to happen by our big day, it was just a matter of breaking it down into manageable chunks. It is our hope that the manageable chunks will make the list a bit less daunting and not quite so overwhelming.
Since loved ones were contacting us regarding specifics about the wedding day, we knew that invites were a priority. The two of us laid out a schedule to get the labor intensive craft project done by the end of the month.
In the mean time, I decided to use spare down time to work on projects that could be done a bit further out than the last moment, like the brooch bouquet and designing the program.
Each day, I jotted a "wedding item" into my to-do list, like wiring the brooches or finding three songs for our iPod list. At the end of the day, I was able to scratch an item off my daily to-do list and we were one step closer to knocking out our wedding list.
It was having a course of action that helped keep us on track on focused on the goal. It also helped that the two of us are working on the projects together. It felt more like couple bonding and less like an overwhelming task list.
So, here's to 2013 . . . and our upcoming wedding . . . one step at a time.
But reality kicked in the next morning. The magical date that seemed so far away when we picked it in August all of a sudden seemed awfully close. 109 days to be exact. That's about three and a half months to scratch items off the extensive to-do list that we have spent the past four months generating.
In short -- panic ensued.
According to an insert by Kayce Hazelgrove in "A Practical Wedding" book by Meg Keene, Mike and I have entered the third phase of wedding planning -- the "How the Hell?" phase in which we wonder exactly how it is going to be possible to get the wedding together in such a short amount of time.
To put it in perspective, it took us about three weeks to design, create and mail our holiday cards and they are only a fraction of the time commitment that our DIY wedding invites will have, not to mention the other "to make" items. This thought only added fuel to the fire.
Much like resolutions, Mike and I chose to approach the wedding planning as a goal. We know what needs to happen by our big day, it was just a matter of breaking it down into manageable chunks. It is our hope that the manageable chunks will make the list a bit less daunting and not quite so overwhelming.
Since loved ones were contacting us regarding specifics about the wedding day, we knew that invites were a priority. The two of us laid out a schedule to get the labor intensive craft project done by the end of the month.
In the mean time, I decided to use spare down time to work on projects that could be done a bit further out than the last moment, like the brooch bouquet and designing the program.
Each day, I jotted a "wedding item" into my to-do list, like wiring the brooches or finding three songs for our iPod list. At the end of the day, I was able to scratch an item off my daily to-do list and we were one step closer to knocking out our wedding list.
It was having a course of action that helped keep us on track on focused on the goal. It also helped that the two of us are working on the projects together. It felt more like couple bonding and less like an overwhelming task list.
So, here's to 2013 . . . and our upcoming wedding . . . one step at a time.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Awkward In-Between Phase of Wedding Planning
I have ran into a creative wall with wedding planning. At first, I thought it was the holiday crush putting a stall on any nuptial progression. Then, I just thought that maybe I missed the whole "bridey" stress thing and was coasting towards altar bliss without the stress. This, however, was not true.
My wedding stage status became blatantly obvious to me after a trip to my neighborhood arts and crafts superstore. In reality, I had no reason to be there. I had piles of multiple colors and textures of card stock that are waiting to be transformed into beautiful DIY rosettes or cut into intricate shapes for the banners. I had football field lengths of fabric that need to be cut and stitched into wonderful homemade runners for the round tables at the reception.
In short, I was past the the "oh and awe" point of discovering what our wedding could be, deciding what we wanted and was ready to put it into action; but the date was a bit too far out to start. I was browsing the craft store because that was all I could do at this point.
There's a lovely insert in the "A Practical Wedding" book by Meg Keene written by Kayce Hazelgrove regarding the states of wedding planning.
These states include:
1) Euphoria: Squeeee!
2) Discovery: "Oh, Pretty!"
3) Panic: "How the hell?"
4) Depression: "What the eff? Eff me!"
5) Rebellion: "Eff it!"
6) Zen: "It is what it is."
I think that there is a phase missing. I'm going to call it the "2.6: Awkward In-Between Let's Get It Started in Here Already" stage - for that's exactly what it is.
Between "Discovery" and "Panic" is a period of time when your hands are both tied and idol.You are probably reading wedding blogs, surfing the net for ideas and writing down ideas that broadside you while standing in line for the bus. You are scribbling to-do notes and adding to your list of DIY projects. However, it is a time period when you are too far ahead of your wedding to actually make any headway on those lists. This stage is too far out to finalize and print the invites, design the program or even working on outfits (especially during the holidays/winter hibernation weight gain).
You're excited. You want to do something. But, at this point, there is nothing to do. So, you slip into the usual routine of work, shopping, date nights, book club meetings and, possibly, the gym. Oh, you still check in on your favorite blogs, but it dips down to about once a week. There may even be a couple weeks that you forget to even visit the wedding sites.
It is this relax in the creative sparks and the motivation that may contribute directly to Stage 3. It is the "in-between stage" that allows us to relax our guard and allow some of the deadlines or agendas to slip by with only the passing thought of "we still have time."
Then it happens. One morning you wake up around 2:23 a.m. with your heart racing, a weird spasm in the middle of your back and the odd feeling to just need to have throw a good old fashioned tantrum. All those to-do items that were simmering on the back burner during the 2.6 phase come to a boil in a frightening sense of urgency; each one carrying an immediate due date.
The thought of invites flutters across your mind but the custom envelopes with the cute butterflies haven't been ordered. The custom dress a seamstress on Etsy is making you hasn't even been started because you didn't want to send her the measurements that included the seven extra pounds from spending the holidays with two families this year.
In short, you are knee-deep in Stage 3 or in full-balls-out Panic mode.
For me, the Awkward In-Between stage hit right around the holidays when my extra time was filled with holiday shopping, planning trips back to the States and block-printing custom Christmas cards. Oh, I was making progress on the holiday events but that whole wedding thing was swept under the Christmas tree skirt.
Luckily, my trip to the craft store brought the whole wedding planning process to the foreground before Stage 3 kicked in with a vengeance. I realized that while it was too early for most of my to-do items, like the invites for I still needed to have a meeting with the caterer, I could make small progress on some of the less time sensitive to-do items on my DIY list.
After I got the holiday cards made, filled out and in the out-going box, I made a "wedding planning planner". This was nothing more than a resolution or commitment to do at least one thing a week. Whether it was stitching a few of the runners or researching how to make fabric flowers for the bouquet.
It is a matter of setting small priorities before everything became a priority.When you find yourself in the 2.6 stage, take a look at your to-do list. Figure out your priorities (what you want for the wedding) and what of those can be done ahead of time. Consider the items that aren't on your "have to have" list and maybe use this time to knock some of them out -- this will avoid the "Eff It" stage when these items get cut due to time or costs.
Also, the 2.6 stage is an excellent time to exercise a bit of creative brainstorming. So, you want a burlap banner but what if you could make one using some of your favorite old t-shirts? Or black and white pictures of you and your beau? Use this time to think out of the box and develop a game plan for your new ideas.
In short, don't let this lull before the storm contribute to the wedding frenzy but as a time to prepare for it.
My wedding stage status became blatantly obvious to me after a trip to my neighborhood arts and crafts superstore. In reality, I had no reason to be there. I had piles of multiple colors and textures of card stock that are waiting to be transformed into beautiful DIY rosettes or cut into intricate shapes for the banners. I had football field lengths of fabric that need to be cut and stitched into wonderful homemade runners for the round tables at the reception.
In short, I was past the the "oh and awe" point of discovering what our wedding could be, deciding what we wanted and was ready to put it into action; but the date was a bit too far out to start. I was browsing the craft store because that was all I could do at this point.
There's a lovely insert in the "A Practical Wedding" book by Meg Keene written by Kayce Hazelgrove regarding the states of wedding planning.
These states include:
1) Euphoria: Squeeee!
2) Discovery: "Oh, Pretty!"
3) Panic: "How the hell?"
4) Depression: "What the eff? Eff me!"
5) Rebellion: "Eff it!"
6) Zen: "It is what it is."
I think that there is a phase missing. I'm going to call it the "2.6: Awkward In-Between Let's Get It Started in Here Already" stage - for that's exactly what it is.
Between "Discovery" and "Panic" is a period of time when your hands are both tied and idol.You are probably reading wedding blogs, surfing the net for ideas and writing down ideas that broadside you while standing in line for the bus. You are scribbling to-do notes and adding to your list of DIY projects. However, it is a time period when you are too far ahead of your wedding to actually make any headway on those lists. This stage is too far out to finalize and print the invites, design the program or even working on outfits (especially during the holidays/winter hibernation weight gain).
You're excited. You want to do something. But, at this point, there is nothing to do. So, you slip into the usual routine of work, shopping, date nights, book club meetings and, possibly, the gym. Oh, you still check in on your favorite blogs, but it dips down to about once a week. There may even be a couple weeks that you forget to even visit the wedding sites.
It is this relax in the creative sparks and the motivation that may contribute directly to Stage 3. It is the "in-between stage" that allows us to relax our guard and allow some of the deadlines or agendas to slip by with only the passing thought of "we still have time."
Then it happens. One morning you wake up around 2:23 a.m. with your heart racing, a weird spasm in the middle of your back and the odd feeling to just need to have throw a good old fashioned tantrum. All those to-do items that were simmering on the back burner during the 2.6 phase come to a boil in a frightening sense of urgency; each one carrying an immediate due date.
The thought of invites flutters across your mind but the custom envelopes with the cute butterflies haven't been ordered. The custom dress a seamstress on Etsy is making you hasn't even been started because you didn't want to send her the measurements that included the seven extra pounds from spending the holidays with two families this year.
In short, you are knee-deep in Stage 3 or in full-balls-out Panic mode.
For me, the Awkward In-Between stage hit right around the holidays when my extra time was filled with holiday shopping, planning trips back to the States and block-printing custom Christmas cards. Oh, I was making progress on the holiday events but that whole wedding thing was swept under the Christmas tree skirt.
Luckily, my trip to the craft store brought the whole wedding planning process to the foreground before Stage 3 kicked in with a vengeance. I realized that while it was too early for most of my to-do items, like the invites for I still needed to have a meeting with the caterer, I could make small progress on some of the less time sensitive to-do items on my DIY list.
After I got the holiday cards made, filled out and in the out-going box, I made a "wedding planning planner". This was nothing more than a resolution or commitment to do at least one thing a week. Whether it was stitching a few of the runners or researching how to make fabric flowers for the bouquet.
It is a matter of setting small priorities before everything became a priority.When you find yourself in the 2.6 stage, take a look at your to-do list. Figure out your priorities (what you want for the wedding) and what of those can be done ahead of time. Consider the items that aren't on your "have to have" list and maybe use this time to knock some of them out -- this will avoid the "Eff It" stage when these items get cut due to time or costs.
Also, the 2.6 stage is an excellent time to exercise a bit of creative brainstorming. So, you want a burlap banner but what if you could make one using some of your favorite old t-shirts? Or black and white pictures of you and your beau? Use this time to think out of the box and develop a game plan for your new ideas.
In short, don't let this lull before the storm contribute to the wedding frenzy but as a time to prepare for it.
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