Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo Heads to Philly!

Don't forget to grab your tickets today at 

www.sayidoexpo.com!

10.25: Say I Do Diaries: Things Have Been Slow

Things have been slow on the wedding planning front.  Simply because life (outside of wedding planning) has been pretty hectic.  We are still on track of course, plus with a 2012 wedding we still have wiggle room.  I think now what we need is a timeline and we discussed sitting down at least once a week just to discuss wedding stuff (hasn't happened yet).  2012 gives us ample planning time, but I know it will be here before we know it!

I also need a book, kinda like a scrapbook so I can place picture of the things and colors I want for the wedding. This will help give my partner and I as well as the vendors we work with a visual idea of what we are looking for.  I think the vendors will appreciate this plus by doing this we make sure we don't forget any detail!

9.5.2010 Diary: No Thank You...We Will Pass On Your Advice...

That's what my gf said when I presented her with the idea of having a bowl asking for people to give advice to the newly married couple (us, of course) at our wedding.  This was so funny to me simply because whenever I ask my gf a question, I rarely get a definitive yes or no.  It's usually, "whatever you want to do, babe", but when I asked her about this I got a loud and clear "NO!"  LOL!

I was inspired by the picture on the right, which I thought was a good idea. But my gf clearly pointed out that most people in her family aren't in happy relationships and/or are on marriage #3.  And I can honestly say that most people in my family aren't in relationships, period.  As the saying goes, never take advice from anyone you wouldn't want to trade places with.  Asking someone who never had a strong, happy and fruitful relationship about how to have a great marriage is like asking a poor man how to be rich.  I still think this is a great idea, especially if you have people whom you know can provide good insight and tips.  But for our wedding, it's a no-go.

But here are some ideas that we plan on using:

What an awesome idea!  A coloring book for the kiddies to give them something to do...if even for just a few minutes.
Of course, the cover would be different!  But this is genius and simple!

These are memory candles. What an awesome way to honor the memory of loved ones who have departed.  I want to do this in honor of my mom.  I figure we can do a few and my sisters and brothers can each take one.

All photos courtesy of: http://blog.splendidweddingco.com

9.1.2010 Diary: "You're A Prepared Bride"

That's what I was told when we went to the Dandelion Patch to look at save-the-date cards.  We wound up going on Monday instead of Saturday.  We didn't make an appointment as they advise, we just walked in and looked through a few books.  They had about five or six bookshelves full of binders with invitation samples. I didn't see any invitations that featured a same-sex wedding...maybe that was in a different book. But I digress.  I can see how people can get overwhelmed with the simple task of picking out invitations.

We saw a few we liked.  I would prefer our save-the-dates be something that people won't be inclined to just toss after they read it, something memorable.  My thought was a bookmark, but my gf came up with an even better idea, magnets!  So as things go we are now on the hunt for save-the-date magnets!

While at the Dandelion Patch one of the consultants asked our wedding date, I replied 2012.  Another bride says to me "you're a prepared bride!"  I would like to hope that is the case.  We have plenty of time but yet time flies so I am going to get busy creating my time line for the wedding, which I will let me know what I should be doing and when. 

But back the magnets. Etsy, a favorite online shopping portal of mine has some great indie stuff. I found some cool magnets at a much lower cost than the save-the-dates we were looking at.  Here are a few pictures:

There are so many to choose from.  What's your favorite?

8.27.10 Diary: Wedding Colors, Invitations and All That Jazz...

Love this idea for
the ceremony!

Not exactly sure how many months we've been "wedding planning" but there's just one thing we have come to a definitive conclusion about, our wedding colors.  Pink, platinum and black.  I'm a pink fan and my gf is a blue fan.  We both decided that pink and blue may be a hard sell for a wedding.  A baby shower, it could work.  But not for our wedding at least.  So, since Tee's second favorite color is black we went with that.  Platinum is a neutral ground for both of us.  I envision those colors working very well together.  So I am excited!

In my conversation today, I told Tee that we could "minimize" the black in the color scheme.  Oh, why did I say that? LOL.  She's not a fan of that idea at all. She went on about how I'm trying to minimize her part in the wedding planning and that leave it to me it will be an all pink wedding. Smh.  Women!  Now, by no means am I seeking to minimize her contribution or ideas; I think that the 3 colors are beautiful together, but they all have a specific role to play.  Too much black and it looks like a funeral, too much pink a baby or bridal shower.  But Tee wasn't trying to hear it.  So, we decided to start looking at inspiration to show us how the 3 colors will play together so we both are happy with the end result.

Compromise is a lot of work!  But worth it.  Here are few pictures I snagged online that have the pink/black/platinum theme:

Pictures courtesy of weddingwire.com, partywarehouse.co.nz and projectwedding.com

We will be heading over to the Dandelion Patch on Saturday to get some ideas for invitations.  The Dandelion Patch participated in the June 6th, Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo we hosted so we will support their business and we invite you to do the same.  They have two locations one in Reston, Va and the other in Vienna.  If you are not nearby I believe you can order online as well.


Since we have a 2012 wedding, I'm thinking that we may start with a "save the date", doesn't make sense sending out invites this year or next.  My resolve is to make this process fun and exciting.  I hate to see when people get all stressed over wedding planning, I don't think that's fair to them or their partner.  It's a celebration after all! 

I'm looking forward to visiting the Dandelion Patch tomorrow!