Spreading My STD's!

Hehehhee...I may be 27 but that still makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

I bought a gocco a few years ago when I first saw them on Weddingbee.  I was utterly smitten with the idea of all the paper goodness I would create with them.  When I first got it, I created Valentine's Day cards for them.  Then for the next two years, that would be the only thing I would create with it.  During that time, Riso stopped producing supplies for the gocco and I was lucky enough to find a bunch of gocco supplies cheap last year at Rugg Road Paper here in Boston.  Sadly, they only have cloth ink now and no more screens or bulbs.  I really wish I had bought triple what I had bought initially.  Damn you, Riso, for discontinuing.  *shakes fist and gives stink eye*

I finally found an excuse to use my gocco again for my STDs.  I'm not a Boston native - I grew up in the middle of CT where half my friends where Red Sox fans and the other half were Yankees fans.  Me?  I like the Mets (I'm horrible at picking sides).  But Brian is a die-hard Red Sox fan and during these past two years with him, I know more about the Red Sox and baseball than I ever ever EVER thought I would.  Consequently, I've become a fan of the Red Sox as well and I wanted to bring a little of Fenway into our STDs.   So I tried to fashion them to look a little like the Fenway scoreboard.

I was also inspired by these STDs so I over Christmas, I took pictures of lil' Brian and lil' me and had Moo cards made.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the cards - they come on very thick cardboard and are sturdy and non flimsy.  Also, it comes with a matted finish which I prefer over glossy. I definitely recommend with two thumbs up!

Source

Picture time!

Getting the printout ready to burn to the screen.

Brian snapped just as the bulb went off - quick reflexes!

Me with the successfully burned screen.  Please excuse the lack of make up and tired face.  This was the day after Brian and I went down to Times Square for New Years Eve.  We had stood in Times Square for 8 hours in the cold and then took the train back to CT and then drove back to Boston.  This is what the aftermath looks like - not a pretty sight.  Sorry for the lack of warning - I'm a horrible person.

Inkity-inkity-ink!

I found green bakers twine at Rugg Road also but it can be purchased online on ebay (surprisingly didn't find any on etsy).  I taped the moo cards with double sided tape and enlisted Brian with the sticking.  We also had to hand write the "18" by hand because I tried to do in yellow ink and yellow did not want to stay on the green.  I should have stuck with the white gocco ink but I was REALLY tired of getting ink all over the place - it's messssyyyyy.  Brian and I got a white colored pencil and traced around the moo cards to give it a border and make it more cohesive with the entire card.  I love how it came out - it looks like a chalk outline.  Ta Da!  Finished!!!!

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours

STD Preview:

Venue Location - Final Part (Or Is It....)

I loved loved loved The Charles Hotel.  However, it was just a little too much than our budget allowed.  Even after looking at our budget multiple times and trying to reallocate funds, it just didn't seem to work.  I tried to reconcile myself to the Multicultural Center - which I did like.  However, it just didn't speak to me as much as The Regatta Bar did.

When Brian and I were visiting my parents over Thanksgiving, my mom expressed a LOT of interest in holding a Chinese reception as well.  This was something I had thought about briefly because I did want to pay tribute to my heritage.  Also, growing up watching Chinese dramas, I had always imagined myself layered in gold like a princess and who am I to deny my inner princess?  :-P

I had originally thought we could hold the Chinese reception as part of our rehearsal dinner.  But then my cousins let me know that my mom was disappointed that a lot of her friends weren't invited so Brian and I thought about holding the Chinese reception on its own - AFTER our Western wedding.  That way my mom could invite all her friends and we could shift some of the people we had allocated to the Western wedding to the Chinese reception.  By doing so, we reduced about 25 people from the wedding at The Charles - which significantly brought down our costs at The Charles.

My mother has offered to help pay for the Chinese ceremony so even though overall we are adding some unexpected costs, it has allowed us to pick The Charles Hotel for our wedding - EEEEK!!!!!!  *^___^*

Here are some pics of my mom and dad on their wedding day.  My parents are in the middle holding hands (so cute!).  Plus, in case you didn't know who the bride/groom were, they're wearing the nifty red tags with the word "bride" and "groom" on it.  I can't wait to make Brian wear it (he has no idea!).   I am sure I will somehow "lose" mine before the reception....oops!  :)

The tea ceremony.  I am truly excited about this part because 1. I like tea and 2. I will get to honor my parents and family during the ceremony.  Red packets aren't bad either.

I love how  my dad is looking at my mom in this picture.  My mom has been saving the necklace in the picture for me ever since I've been born.  I can't wait to finally wear it.  And in her words, she's glad she finally gets to gift it because she was worried I was never going to get married.  Oh, Mom....I love you...you're so Asian.  :)

Venue Location - Part 2

When I first started reading Weddingbee, the posts I had the most trouble reading were the posts about venues.  It wasn't that the posts were boring - it was just that I couldn't identify with 1. the location and 2. the search itself.  But when I started researching for my own venue, I scoured the web for any glimmer of Boston venue posts.  I really hope that this can help someone with their Boston venue search!

I know at this point Brian and I had only visited 3 places but it was 3 venues within a week and a half and I was starting to get tired.  It really felt like we were apartment hunting again - only way more expensive.  But then I watched a couple episodes of Say Yes To The Dress and REAALLLY wanted to start searching for my wedding dress.  But I couldn't get a dress yet until I knew the setting, right?  So that meant we had to keep on going or I wouldn't be able to get a dress.

On we went!  A venue hunting we will go!  Onward and upward!  I think that's Willy Wonka's glass elevator but it's a good mantra to have in life.  Sheraton Commander in Harvard Square was our next destination - also in Harvard Square but a few more blocks set in.  This was also a location that offered a GREAT wedding package.  Their wedding package was very flexible, inclusive, and affordable.  They had a ballroom that was spacious and great for a larger wedding.  But, once again, it just wasn't for us.  Our wedding would have felt cavernous in the ballroom and it just didn't have the type of light/openness we kept obsessing over.

Next we moved back to Boston proper and looked at The Westin Copley.  I honestly really liked this venue while Brian was a little more mixed about it. If I could describe it in one word, it would be modern.  It had very clean lines, open ballroom (you can see it in the picture - the window right below "The Westin" sign).  It overlooks the Boston Public Library as well as Copley Plaza.  The price was a little more expensive than what we wanted but the coordinator was very open to negotiation.  Ultimately, it was a little too modern for us an it didn't quite have the warmth we wanted for our celebration.  I could definitely picture this venue for

I hope I don't sound too much like Goldilocks (too hot/too cold) but we really wanted something just right and we didn't want to feel like we were settling.  If Brian has taught me anything, it's not to settle.  If it doesn't feel right, move on and be patient.  Something right will always come along.  Thanks, lovie.  :)  (gag, right?)

FINAL TWO VENUES!  Home stretch, guys, you can do it!

I tried to quickly find a picture of a lighted tent at night at The Commandant's House but they're all on photographer's blogs so this pic will have to do.  Honestly, my heart skipped a beat when I saw these pictures and I just imagined a night outside with tons of candles, music, dancing and laughing. I really thought I would have my wedding here at The Commandants House out in a tent but for people that live in New England, then we all know how rainy this whole summer was.  We wanted to see how the inside of the house looked also in case we needed to hold our wedding indoors.  It's a very intimate place that gives possibly the greatest views of Boston.  Located right in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the front window looks into Boston and it's magical (or as magical as the Boston skyline can be).  However, if we went with this option, then we would need to coordinate with the tent rental company, the caterers, and get insurance on everything and it was just too much for us to organize.  Also, I really am not an outdoor person - I don't even like walking on grass barefoot.

The last place we visited was the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center - located one block away from Cambridgeside Galleria.  How amazing is that photo?  We both LOVED this place.  It had huge ceilings, charm, and a wonderful outside courtyard.  As a BIG plus, they hold the cocktail hour in a gallery on the first floor and the exhibition for next summer is "Paris at Night".  How romantic and perfect!

We really liked this option because it offered us a lot of flexibility and control with the price.  Our main concern with The Charles Hotel was how expensive the liquor was.  At CMAC, we could bring in alcohol for a fraction of the price.  Also, we thought that by having caterers, we would be able to save some money in that aspect as well.

My only concern with CMAC was the size of the room.  I loved the size, but it also meant we had to do a lot in terms of decorating to make sure it didn't feel too empty since we weren't having that many guests.  As you can see, lighting can do a ton to a room.  While CMAC does provide very good lighting options, we would definitely need a lighting specialist to help design the lighting, which was an additional cost.

SO at the end of this long journey, Brian and I narrowed our choices down to CMAC and The Charles!  We agonized over the decision and did a LOT of number crunching.  I'm not lying, I can send you my Google Spreadsheets of all my venue calculations (10 tabs!) if you want proof.  Ultimately there were a series of events which lead us to our decision...dun dun dun!  Stay tuned!

I Want Your Address! (No Stalking, I Promise)

I think it's pretty typical for people my age to move around a lot and, quite honestly, I don't really need anyone's address since I only contact with people through email, gchat, or facebook.  However, my love of paper and pretty has forced me to not send out electronic save-the-dates (STD's ...hehehehehe).  However, the thought of emailing all of the guests and getting each individual address back, and having to copy-and-paste everything into one spreadsheet nauseated and exhausted me.  The solution?  GOOGLE DOCS (how I love thee).

I love using Google Docs spreadsheet for my wedding related items because I can work on them at home but also work on them during my lunch breaks at work.  When I was playing around with the spreadsheets, I noticed a "form" option.  I then a found great solution to just send out a form to my entire guest list for them to send me their address and Google Docs automatically places their address into a spreadsheet.

Step 1
Google Docs
You must already have a google account for this.  Create New: Form

Step 2
You need to then create the fields for the user to fill out.  I only had two fields for them - name and address.  That way whoever fills out the form will be always remember to add their name so you do't have to guess who lives where.  Here's how my form fields look:

You also can choose the theme of how the form will look to whoever you email to.  Just click: Theme

Here's how my form looks to whoever I emailed it to:

Step 3

Email the form!

Step 4

View responses.  Here's how all the responses will look

Then you can sort the spreadsheet however you like!

The only thing I wish I could change is a better way of keeping track of how many people responded out of who I sent it to.  I forgot who I sent the form to and really had to dig to find the list I originally emailed the form to.  But other than that, I love this form!  Nice and easy to get addresses!

Pretty Maids All In A Row

I knew Brian and I would be having a small wedding party so I automatically knew I'd be asking my 3 cousins to be my bridesmaids.  My two older cousins will be co-maids of honor.  I was g-chatting with my oldest cousin Alice when she asked who my maid of honor would be.  I then realized I had never officially asked anyone and just point blank asked her then.  So much for the plans of hand-making pretty cards...next best plan = gchat  :)  She then immediately asked if her sister Virginia could be a MOH as well which I hadn't thought of but said yes anyway.  The more the merrier!

I then started combing through the web for bridesmaid dresses that all 3 could wear.  I was a little concerned about finding a dress that would also be appropriate for my youngest cousin who will be 15 at the time of the wedding.  I also wanted to find the typical cliche wish for BM dresses: affordable and re-wearable.  That's why I by-passed the traditional BM dress designers and immediately went to Nordstrom.  I found a couple of choices I liked and turned to my trusted Google Docs to create a slideshow for my cousins.  (P.S. More on how much I love Google Docs to come)

I was REALLY relieved when they all said they liked the 2nd option the best by DeLaRue since it was the most affordable and also the one I liked the most.  As a surprise, I bought the dresses for them and gave it to them as a Christmas present.  Luckily, the sizes I bought for them just fit them perfectly but I have since forbidden any of them to lose/gain weight (KIDDING for anyone who thought I meant that - I don't care if they switch sizes with each other, as long as I don't have to buy a new dress - KIDDING again).  But here are their reaction's to the dress which I thought of as a positive reaction.  P.S. Please don't kill me for posting this pic!

Venue Location - Part 1

Brian and I set a budget of $25K for a 100 guest wedding to be held in the city. We're really trying hard to stay within the budget but it's been hard. Given the current economy, it's hard for us to justify spending more than that. Brian's comment when we started setting the budget was, "Do you really want to spend more than you would on a car?" Considering I drive a 1999 Kia, I probably spend more at Whole Foods than I did on my car. ;)

The first place we visited was The Langham Hotel in Post Office Square. I have to admit, when I first saw pictures, I was completely enamored with the thought of having our wedding here. The pictures seemed to make the venue seem modern, chic, and the price in their package seemed to be the best deal around. However, when I visited the venue, I was a little disappointed to learn that there was a $25,000 food and beverage minimum (not including taxes and tips). I did like the main reception room with its floor to ceiling windows; however, the rest of the hotel is very traditional and did not quite have the vibe we were looking for. The main reception room overlooks Post Office Square which is amazingly cute and makes you forget you're in the middle of the financial district. As another bonus, Bond is the hotel bar which recently opened. It's a very swanky bar that will be sure to get your guests talking. But the price minimum was just too much for us and we moved on.

Next up was Le Meridien (formerly known as The Hotel @ MIT). They just recently renovated their lobby and it's very sleek and contemporary. Our contact at Le Meridien was very friendly and experienced in the we

dding catering business and she gave us a tour while in the middle of setting up a wedding to give us an idea of how everything would look. I have to be honest and say that Le Meridien had the best prices out of all the places we looked. They have a cute courtyard area in the back hidden from the main view which can serve as the ceremony location. However, I found that their ballrooms just felt a little cramped for my style but it would be great for anyone who is having a smaller wedding. Ultimately Brian and I felt the style of the ballroom and courtyard just wasn't what we were looking for but it was definitely an option for us.

Within that same week, we visited The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. Brian had been to The Charles Hotel before for brunch at Henrietta's Table which serves an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. Someone else had recommended The Charles Hotel to me as having the best food also so I had high expectations. When we arrived, the coordinator Alexis gave us a full tour of the hotel. She not only showed us around the main ground areas(including the outdoor ceremony space), she was sure to give us a tour of all the different rooms available in case the weather prevented an outdoor ceremony. We were able to view the hotel rooms available for the guests (the bathroom mirror is fogless and has a built-in tv - OMG!). However, what really impressed us was the main reception room. The space she showed us was not the ballroom but the Regatta Bar, the room they use for jazz performances. I walked in and was immediately in love - it had floor to ceiling windows, was the perfect size for dining and dancing, and had the open feeling that Brian and I were looking for. I could tell that Brian and I were on the same page and we walked out feeling elated. Alexis was very prompt in getting to us a quote and that was when we discovered that there were rental fees involved with the ceremony space and also The Regatta Bar. Unfortunately this was something we had not anticipated. In addition, the taxes and fees pushed the total price way past our maximum amount we had budgeted for the reception. So the search went on for us....very sadly....