Photo Booth Reveal

After the photo booth drama was resolved, Ryan let me hash out which company to go with. So I picked the company with the least-offensive looking booth (at least according to Ryan... my mom had a completely different opinion).

Just this evening, I signed the contract and sent it on over.

We will have the pleasure of working with Shutterbox Photo Booth Rentals for our reception, and I'm super thrilled.

Photo Courtesy Shutterbox

I was even more excited when I realized that they are based out of my hometown!

Features:

• Accommodates up to 10 guests
• Unlimited number of prints
• DVD copy of all photos
  
• Petite: 4' x 5'
• Simple on-screen instructions
• Guest can choose color or black and white
• Photos print instantly
  
• Live slideshow on the outside of the booth
• Booth attendant to assist guests
• Choose between classic photo strips of 4x6 photos
• Free online gallery of all photos
  

Options:

• Graphics with your event's name and date at the bottom of each strip
  
• Photo guest book with all materials provided
• Party prop box with masks, boas, hats, etc.
  

I know a few of our wedding guests read this blog, but not enough to ruin the surprise. I can't wait to see what fun pictures our friends and family end up taking!

Photo Booth Drama

Discussing a photo booth led to Ryan and I's first wedding planning disagreement.

I had made a pretty extensive Excel spreadsheet comparing all the Chicago area photo booth companies... cost, number of hours, travel fees, cost for double prints, etc.

I narrowed it down to my top 3 and requested a picture of each booth from the companies. Once the photos arrived in my inbox, I showed them to Ryan so he could weigh in. But his reaction was not what I expected.

Chicagoland Photobooth

"They're all black. Do they come in any other color? That's going to look so tacky against our white ballroom."

Ummm..... wow.

The black booth vs. white walls thought had not even crossed my mind. And to be honest... now that it had, I still didn't care. I asked Ryan if the black photo booth was really going to bother him.

His answer? "Yes."

So my search began for white photo booths. Let me tell you right now... there are none.

This minor disagreement about the look of the booth was really bothering me. I was beginning to think the photo booth just wasn't going to happen. I had all but crossed it off my list, when I suddenly had an epiphany.

I went to Ryan, sat him down, and said, "This was the first thing I asked for after we got engaged. I have been wanting and obsessing over having this photo booth for months. I'm going to have to say that my dream trumps your weird thing about aesthetics."

What did he say?

"Okay."

Wow, that was easy. I know it's not exactly a compromise, but in a situation like this... that's not really an option. I figure somewhere along the wedding planning way, there will be one thing that Ryan feels really strongly about. And when that day comes, I'll give it to him.

...Then we'll be even.

Shopping for Wedding Bands

When we took my engagement ring in to be repaired, Ryan and I took the opportunity to do a little wedding band shopping.

Um... pretty bands with pretty diamonds? Yes, please!

As I've mentioned before, Ryan and I are pretty decisive people. So it didn't take us very long to figure out what we wanted.

Ryan's band is being ordered, and won't arrive for another 4-6 weeks, but I was able to take mine home on the spot (thank you sample-sized ring finger!).

I bought a 14K white gold semi-eternity band, and I totally love it (and kinda want to wear it, like... now).

I won't keep you waiting any longer...


I must say.... it's like that ring was made for my engagement ring. They are totally different, yet go so well together.

Once Ryan's ring arrives, we'll be dropping them off at my parents' house in Illinois so I won't be temped to wear it around the house when Ryan's not looking!

Save the Date Reveal

The Save the Dates have landed!

According to my calculations (and the text and facebook messages I've received), our Save the Dates should have arrived at their respective destinations (and if yours hasn't arrived yet, your mailman probably hates you).

So now that the majority of our guests have laid their eyes on our adorable cards, I can reveal them here... including a breakdown of how they were made and how much they cost to make.

Supplies
Gocco PG-10 (used): $150.00, WeddingBee Classifieds
125 A6 Notecards in Blossom (Pink): $20.50, Paper Source
100 A6 Envelopes in Night (Navy): $34.50, Paper Source
Silver Pitt Bullet Tip Pen: $3.95, Paper Source
93 4x6 Photos: $11.84, Snapfish
100 44-cent Stamps: $45.00, USPS
Total (minus the Gocco, which will be used for Invitations and then resold) = $115.79
or $1.41 per Save the Date (82 sent so far)

First of all, here was our inspiration...


Ryan and I are both pretty creative people, and good with graphics, so we knew it would be a breeze to recreate this.

After I made the design in PhotoShop, Ryan transferred it over to InDesign. I created the screen for my Gocco, and I was ready to print!

First, I mixed the blue and black ink to make a Navy Blue...


I set up my work station on our coffee table...


I inked the screen and was ready to print!


I practiced on a few pieces of printer paper...


The first few prints turned out kinda splotchy...


But after a few practices and ink readjustments, they started coming out pretty good. I finally just sucked it up and began printing on our pink cards.


When they were all done and dry, Ryan and I made a pile of "good" prints and "bad" prints so we could make sure everyone got a legible Save the Date.

We had a photo of the two of us printed to include in the envelopes, then Ryan helped me stuff...



I did some lovely faux-ligraphy (aka fancy cursive) to address all 82 envelopes...


We stamped them with 44-cent King and Queen of Hearts LOVE stamps, and they were ready to go!


Into the mailbox they go!


Here is the final product (click to enlarge)!


I'm really excited to receive such positive response from family and friends. Totally worth our time, and not too costly.

Hey Mr. DJ...

Put a record on!

We have booked our DJ. So what if we only interviewed one company. We talked to them on the phone and just knew they were perfect.

We are going with Style Matters DJs. They've got stellar reviews all over the internet, answered all our questions right away, and seem to be exactly what we're looking for in a DJ.


Less than 24 hours after speaking with them, we were mailing in our deposit. The total cost came in under budget (yayyy!), but the real sneak-attack killer was the traveling expenses. We are getting married in a Chicago suburb, and they charge you for every 25 miles outside of Chicago they have to travel. We are over 50 miles away. Ouch. But I'm finding this common among Chicago vendors.

But even so... it's totally worth it to have a real professional Chicago DJ instead of just some kid from the suburbs who spins in his basement.

Now that we have that covered, our major vendor To Do list is dwindling. All that's left is the florist and bakery.

Oh Crap

The diamond in my engagement ring fell out.

I was going to blog about other things, but I think this pretty much trumps them all.

Before I give anyone any heart attacks, I'll tell you that yes, I still have the diamond.

It all started yesterday morning when I looked down at my ring and thought, "hmm... the diamond looks crooked."

All day long, I kept looking down and noticing more and more just how crooked the diamond was. Here is the email I sent Ryan from work yesterday afternoon:

"This is weird, but I'm pretty sure the diamond in my ring is crooked. I don't know if it's always been that way of if I knocked it out of alignment, but we should definitely get it checked out this weekend. Don't want it falling out!"

Ha. Total foreshadowing.

So yesterday evening, after dinner, I was sitting at my desk, admiring my crooked diamond, when I pressed my finger down on the top of it. There was a tiny "click", like the diamond had moved. Well, that's not good!

I pressed it again, and POP... the diamond fell out. Right there onto my desk.


I laughed (yes, laughed), because I had totally seen this coming, yet I was still surprised. But I was relieved that it had happened while I was paying attention instead of, say... going for a run.

I called Ryan and he couldn't believe it. We already had plans to visit the jeweler on Saturday to shop wedding bands, so the timing couldn't have been better. But, still... it's only been four months. That doesn't really give me too much confidence in my ring!

The Honeymoon Reveal

After weighing our options and eliminating some fierce competition, Ryan and I have decided to spend our honeymoon at the Excellence Playa Mujeres.

So what was it that sealed the deal? This YouTube video, actually. The resort has absolutely everything we could ask for in a honeymoon, plus things we had never even thought of. The video highlights just how unbelievable gorgeous and immaculate it really is.

Here's just some of the stuff we'll enjoy on our trip...

• 7 swimming pools
• 8 international restaurants (reservations are never required)
• 11 bars
• 24-hour free room-service
• Pool and beach waiter service
• Free non-motorized water sports (sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, snorkeling, etc)
• Food and drinks whenever you want (omg, you know this is my favorite part!)
• Daily activities and nightly entertainment
• All taxes and gratuity included (so you don't have to carry around money... ever!)

And of course, here are the special honeymoon perks...

• Fresh basket of fruit upon arrival
• Bottle of sparkling wine
• Romantic dinner
• Turn-Down service
• Champagne breakfast in bed
• 15% discount on spa treatments (I think this calls for a couples massage!)

Here are some photos of the resort...

Who wouldn't want to enjoy that view during lunch?

The lazy river, which wraps around the entire resort.

Private romantic dinner on the beach.

You can even get a suite with your own private rooftop pool!

Perhaps we should have held off on making this decision until later in the year. Now that I know where we're going, I just want to go now! I may or may not be looking forward to the honeymoon just as much as the wedding.

Ryan says he plans on having alcohol with every meal. Looks like we made a good choice.