She Thinks We're Crazy

We had a phone conversation with our videographer last night. Ryan and I are sort of awkward phone conversationalists, so these "meetings" aren't really our thing.

But our videographer, Kristin, was really easy to talk to. She seemed super interested in us and what we're like as a couple. I would say that it's because it's her job and she has to be interested... but I film people almost every day, and I know from experience that it's really hard to fake genuine interest. Woops. ::blush::

We talked to her for almost an hour. She asked a lot of questions about us and our wedding... including how we met.

Ryan and I instantly laughed.

I carefully constructed for her the tale of Ryan and Kelly's Cleveland rendevouz. She's in for a treat (and so are YOU, dear reader!)...

Ryan and I in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

To set the scene... imagine it's late January, 2008. I'm lonely at a new job in a new town in Illinois. Ryan is a bored college student living at home with his parents in Philadelphia. We both see an ad on Facebook for a Christian dating site, and we join.

I saw Ryan as one of my "matches" and thought he was cute (but I insist to this day that he's cuter in person than the photo he used on his profile). Despite our distance, I sent him a "smile" (ughhh dating sites are laaame).

Ryan's dating profile picture in 2008... his hair was really long!

Ryan emailed me listing all the awesome ways in which we were similar... we both majored in tv production, we are both Methodists, and we both love the Simpsons, Weezer, and Green Day. I was instantly impressed and sent him an IM.

My dating profile picture in 2008. Bangs were a (thankfully) fleeting thing.

We spent the next 3 days obsessed with our AIM... checking it morning and night to see if the other person was online.

At 5am on the 4th day, we decided we should meet. Like... immediately (or... as "immediately" as you can get living 13 hours away from eachother). We decided to each leave our respective houses at noon that afternoon, drive 7 hours each, and meet at an Applebee's just outside of Cleveland.

So we did just that.

We had dinner (Ryan ate chicken fingers... winning me over right then and there). After dinner, we attempted to go bowling (but the alley was closed), then decided to watch a movie on his computer. The next day, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and shared an awkward (Kelly-initiated) kiss in a furniture store parking lot before heading home.

Phew!

So there you have it... the beginning of a beautiful relationship. We started officially dating about a month later, and the rest (as they say) is history!

Oh... yes. We were talking about our videographer. Well, I'm pretty sure she thinks we're nuts. She laughed and couldn't believe our story. Nothing could top that...

... until she asked how Ryan proposed.

*All personal photos

The Cost of Being a Bridesmaid

Welcome to my newest follower, Sassmeister!

Back when we first got engaged, I grappled a lot with who I should choose to be in my bridal party. I had to take a lot of things into consideration... my relationship with these ladies, how often I see them, how often I talk to them, and of course... whether or not they could afford it.

It's no secret that being a bridesmaid isn't cheap.

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According to this article, bridesmaids can spend anywhere from $500-$1500 in the name of the wedding. Here's an example:

Dress: $210
Alterations: $75
Shoes: $25
Strapless Bra: $40
Hair, Nails, and Makeup: $150, including tips
Travel: $300
Shower Gifts: $70
Contribution to Shower: $30
Bachelorette Party: $100
Wedding Present: $100

Total = $1100

The cost can be even higher if you're a Maid of Honor. But this girl? She's not a bridezilla. So what am I doing to keep down the costs?

• I'm asking my ladies to choose any dress they'd like, as long as it's navy blue and knee length. I would never demand they wear a $500 dress of my choosing.
• My bridesmaids will be wearing non-matching silver heels. I'm hoping they already own a pair... but if not, I've given them enough notice so they can score a good bargain before June.

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• Their wedding day hair will be paid for. My hairstylist will be doing everyone's hair, and is offering of a steal of a deal.... so covering their 'dos is no problem.
• Bridesmaid makeup will be 100% DIY. My girls are adults and have been doing their own makeup for over a decade. They know what looks good on them and what will make them feel the most comfortable.
• Travel is an unavoidable expense, but I'm trying to help out by having us all meet in the middle (that being Dayton, Ohio) for dress shopping. I will be paying for our hotel room while we're there. It's the least I can do.
• Lastly, I have requested (more like demanded) that none of my bridesmaids throw us a shower or buy us gifts for the shower or the wedding itself. Being by my side is gift enough.

Let's see how these little adjustments affect the cost breakdown...

Dress: $200
Alterations: $75
Shoes: $25
Hair, Nails, and Makeup: $15
Travel: $200 (on average)
Bachelorette Party: $100

Total = $615

It's still a good chunk of change, but we knocked off a whopping $485! And since I'm only having 3 bridesmaids, I'm hoping that they really grasp just how special they are to me. It's not one of those situations where they are one of twelve and don't feel appreciated.

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I love them all to death and am so proud to have them there for me during this time.

Meet Our Videographer

A couple weeks ago, I discussed being bit by the videography bug, and a lot of you commiserated in my pain.

Why, oh why couldn't someone have told us up front that wedding videography is so much better than we thought it was? That information should be front and center in the "You're Getting Married" handbook they pass out right after you get engaged.

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What? You didn't get one?

...Don't feel bad. I didn't either ::sad face::

So Ryan was a little on the fence about this whole "videography" thing (it has to be put in quotes to convey the sarcastic tone). He told me if I really wanted to do this, I should poll recently married friends first and see what they thought.

Seeing as I only have one recently married friend, I facebooked her ASAP. Her response (I assure you, this is a direct quote)...

GET A VIDEOGRAPHER - BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY WEDDING was not getting one. Please please please get one.

Wow.

I forwarded her response to Ryan, who said finally jumped on board.

::Jumpy squeal:: It's on!

My videography research got hardcore, and we were able to narrow it down to two finalists. But here's the catch... we didn't end up hiring either of them.

Whaaaaaa?!?!

Right as we were debating which package would best fit our needs, I received an email from a long-forgotten about videographer from out of state. He asked if I was still interested in his videography services.

I replied, "You are, hands down, our favorite... but we just can't afford you right now."

He responded with some numbers and urged me to take another look.

So I calculated out what it would cost to fly the videographer in from D.C., shoot 8 hours of our wedding, and edit it. Believe it or not... it was within our budget.

But we didn't just go with them because they're "within our budget". We went with them because they're fantastic. It was the first (and only) wedding video that made Ryan say "wow".

And that is worth a million bucks.

I now present you with the fabulous company who will be shooting our wedding... HumanStory. You may recognize them because they were the videographers for Mrs. Cloud's wedding:

kate and brian trailer from humanstory on Vimeo.

I'm suuuuper excited about this.

Ryan and I are paying for them all on our own... but I'm not sure we could really put a price on something like this. When Ryan first watched this video, he said it looked like a TLC show (in a good way).

We chose HumanStory because of the amazing way they integrate family and bridal party interviews into the footage. Hearing the people close to us discuss our wedding day and what it means to them is way more important than some fancy video footwork with catchy music. We want it to be a story about us.

Anniversary Wine Box

Welcome to my newest follower, Nicolette!

I have a really exciting idea to share with you all. It is an idea that has evolved over time since our engagement (probably since my discovery of WeddingBee), and has finally come to a grand conclusion.

It began with the Love Letter Wine Box ceremony. This is a ceremony that has gained popularity recently in place of a traditional unity ceremony. The bride and groom each write each other a love letter, then during the ceremony, it's sealed into a box with a bottle of wine and 2 wine glasses. The idea is, if ever their marriage is in jeopardy, they should take out the box and drink the wine while reading eachother's letters. It's sort of a last-ditch effort to save their failing relationship.

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I liked this idea, but I found it a little depressing. I definitely didn't want to do anything like that during the ceremony. Our guests would think we were planning for divorce or something.

Ryan thought it would be a better idea if we did the Love Letter Wine Box by ourselves... and just planned on opening it on a special anniversary (5, 10, 25... whatever). Better, but a little boring.

Then I thought... what if we let our guests write us notes and put them in the box as well?! We could read all their notes when we opened the box. How fun would that be!

But then.

Ohhh, wait for it.

I discovered something called the Anniversary Box. Start your brain with a clean slate and picture this: During the rehearsal dinner, each guest is given a numbered card. They are asked to write a short letter to the couple on the card and seal it in an envelope. The cards are then placed in a box. The couple may read one card at each anniversary (the card whose number corresponds with the anniversary).

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Super cute!

Do you see where I'm going with this?

I'm going to combine the two!

We will have a box (which I already purchased at Hobby Lobby). It will have a bottle of wine in it and will be on display at the rehearsal dinner. Before or after dinner, the guests will write their numbered notes and leave them in the box. Then, at each anniversary, we will open the box, drink the wine, and read one card from a loved one. After the anniversary is over, we will put in a new bottle of wine, seal it back up, and wait for the next anniversary.

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OMG. I can't believe my little brain came up with this all on its own! I'm excited... and it's a great way to incorporate our guests into every single one of our anniversaries from now until 50.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (That is... except for our Canadian blogger friends.)

I'm spending the long weekend at the future in-laws' house near Philadelphia, so Internet usage will be minimal (I'm posting this from an iPad as we speak).

Take a moment (or two) today to stop and be thankful for family, friends, and fiances today. I know I will!

Ryan's niece playing in a box... my favorite photo I've taken today.

See you all next week!

Marriage and Infidelity

There once was an episode of Sex and the City where Charlotte was engaged, and upset with Carrie because she was the "other woman" in Big's marriage. The only reason Charlotte was upset was because she was preparing to wed the man she loved while her friend was making a mockery of the institution of marriage.

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Now that we have the picture, I'd like to say that I'm encountering a similar situation.

A coworker friend of mine (who shall remain nameless and title-less) is having an affair with another of my coworkers (who shall also remain all that stuff). Only a few people at my office know about it, and I happen to be one of them.

Every time he talks about their dates or the time they spend together, I feel awkward. It's not that I don't think they make a good couple (which, let's face it... they don't)... it's just that I can't stop thinking about his poor wife.

Despite the fact that they've been having marital problems for years, I can't help but feel like it's just not right. What if the poor wife thinks things are finally turning around for them... while he's secretly off with another woman?

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::shudder::

But it gets better (and more relative to this whole "wedding blog" operation I'm running here). Because I have no idea how to address the invitation!

I assume that if he came to our wedding, he would bring the girlfriend (mostly because we all work together, but also because he isn't too fond of his wife). But I can't possibly address the invitation to the two of them!

I could address it to him only... but then I'd have awkwardly ask him in person who he plans on bringing (so I can properly address the placecard).

Has anyone else run into this dilemma? (I doubt it... it's a unique one!)

Taking a Sick Day

I'm currently home sick.

Not that I had any big plans for the day... but I missed church and our weekly grocery shopping trip. I haven't stepped foot outside our house all day.

I've got a sore throat and a general "sickly blah" feeling. I guess you could call it a cold with a side of no talking.

Unfortunately, this isn't unusual for me. I get this exact illness 3-4 times per year! Ugh.

So when I sat down to write this post, I began to think of the ways in which my illness relates to weddings.

And then it hit me. DUH. Because no one wants to be sick on their wedding day. I actually have no idea what I would do!

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Ryan told me that his father was sick on his wedding day. If I recall the story correctly, I think it was something he ate the day before. Come the day of the wedding, he was throwing up and generally felt like crap. He barely made it through the ceremony and the reception.

OMG. Knowing my luck, that is totally something that would happen to me.

If I get sick on our wedding day, can we have a "do over"?

Please?

All the hard work and money put into that one day... and you forever remember it as a day you were miserable and ill.

Maybe the overall excitement of the day would ward off too many bad feelings. Perhaps the adrenaline would get you through to the end. But if the wedding was today... I'm not sure I would even have the voice to say my vows!

So stay healthy, fellow brides! (And be careful what you serve at your rehearsal dinner!)

I'll just take the fact that I'm sick today to mean one less chance I'll be sick come June 25th.