Blue Sky Bride

Bet you’re all wondering what this Blue Sky Bride’s been up to for the last little while, hmm? It’s been a busy couple of weeks since we actually figured out what we wanted. I spent the last week or so trying to convince everyone that this is the best course of action for both me and Mike. Most have been really supportive, surprisingly enough.

But enough of the of so-called elopement.

Originally, Mike and I intended to have my brother, Steve, and his best friend, Rob, meet us at the courthouse here in Burnaby to be our witnesses. Something that’s simple and fuss-free, minus drama and irritation that trying to accomodate the masses brings. Unfortunately, I was silly and forgot that I am the first-born Hoffman girl in a few generations and that this is a pretty big deal to my parents and grandparents. So, we changed our plans again: this time to a small ceremony in Kamloops either at my parents’ place or at one of the public parks in town.

But that wouldn’t work for the day we wanted, which is a little over four weeks away now, as Mike’s sister is due to have a baby around that time and his niece is suffering from leukemia (but she’s doing great now!). It was beginning to look like Kamloops wouldn’t work for us.

Enter my roommates, Brock and Seanna. These two are geniuses.

“Let’s have it in the backyard!” says Brock.

“The backyard? … JEEBUS THAT’S AN AMAZING IDEA!!!” says I.

Thus, the backyard ceremony idea was born.

Our plan is to now have it on August 23 in our backyard here in Burnaby, followed by a small barbeque reception with Brock as our chef du jour and grill specialist. In the meantime, I have a lot of stuff to pull off in the weeks to come, including finding an appropriate dress, wedding rings, a justice of the peace, and some flowers that aren’t prickly and thorny like the roses in the backyard/frontyard. I’m confident we’ll be able to pull this off.

Weather permitting, we’ll try to have this in the early evening and then spend the rest of the evening enjoying ourselves by playing Rock Band, listening to good music on my laptop, and eating delicious food. We’re also hoping to get the bakery up the street to provide us with some tasty cakes so that we can even have cake that doesn’t taste like paste.

So, thoughts on this situation? Anyone else think I’m nuts for trying to pull this off? O_O;

REMINDER: Vendor comments will be filtered.

The last post was a bit of an eye-opener for me and Mike, unfortunately, so we’ve come to an interesting (and mutual) decision that will change our wedding indefinitely… both for the reasons mentioned in the previous post and because… well, we just plain well want to.

Because of the fact that I just got accepted into my program at Simon Fraser University, we both decided that waiting to get married until we can afford it is silly. So… we’re eloping. Yep, you heard it from the horse’s mouth first.

We’re going to take the week of August 25 off from any working obligations, get hitched in a small ceremony here in Vancouver, and then taking off to the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA with Rob, my brother Steve, and our roomie Brock. It’ll be a bit of a mini-moon; we’re both incredible video game enthusiasts so it seems like it’s the most natural decision.

So, stay tuned for more updates on a reception in the future, although the date is no longer known. We’re just stoked to get hitched.

Cheers all. You’re all an incredible inspiration.

Well folks, I must admit, there are some things on the internet that never cease to amaze me. The first of which is the audacity of people who make claims on my personality and my so-called Bridezilla nature. My previous post, which I have hidden from public view for the time being, was about music and DJs. Perhaps it was worded incorrectly but to have a complete stranger, whom had never taken the time to read anything else about me or about my wedding, tell me that I am the worst kind of “child” and that I would be less than successful on my wedding day simply because I cannot bring myself to have a professional wedding DJ is more than appalling.

Here’s the truth about my wedding folks: let’s clear this up so that there will be no more misunderstandings.

1. My wedding funds are incredibly limited. Because I’m going back to school in September, the majority of my money is going to be put towards my education. My parents and my groom’s parents are going to chip in as best they can, but we’re not going to be relying on outside funds to help us out. The truth of the matter is that the majority of the wedding cost is going to be eaten up by the reception. I have limited available for the fluffy aspects like music, flowers, and even my dress.
2. I really don’t have a lot of wants or desires when it comes to this wedding. The biggest part of my day is walking down the aisle to marry the love of my life.
3. It’s unfair to think of me as a “bridezilla” when I ask very little. My bridesmaids have the most options that any bride would give. My groomsmen are under their own discretion. There is no registry. There will be a small honeymoon. My wedding band will be simple. My dress will be simple. The flowers will be simple. Everything about this wedding will be simplicity.
4. My guest list consists of mainly people in their 20’s-40’s. Those in their 40’s may as well be in their 20’s as they can party like nobody’s business. My taste in music is boundless. I enjoy the oldies as much, if not more than any of the new music. Each person will have the option of pre-requesting songs on their RSVP cards and we’ll have an open laptop for people to put down their requests. Hopefully I’ll find someone to fulfill it.
5. I’m not tied up on the “cues” of the night. If our first dance gets a little bungled, it’s no big deal. It’s only a dance. If we don’t have ceremony music for whatever reason, it’s not the end of the world. I really only want the guests to dance and have a good time with me and my husband.
6. Most of my wedding has to be DIY, only because of my budget. It sucks because I’d love to be able to afford a proper florist, photographer, professional wedding planner, etc.
7. If I can’t afford to spend $1500+ on a photographer, I certainly can’t afford to spend $1000+ on a professional DJ, no matter how amazing they are.

Now that we’ve cleared the wedding up, let’s clear up some facts about me.

1. I’m not a demanding person. At all. I’m generally pretty Zen about life, and especially about my wedding. I don’t let the small details keep me awake at night.
2. The reason why I have this blog is to capture some musings and thoughts of planning for the wedding, not to spark controversy or to hurt anyone. It’s a wedding, ladies and gentlemen, not a chronicle of Grand Theft Auto. If you find me to be particularly offensive, do everyone a favour and close the tab or close the window.
3. The complete stranger had told me that he wished that I had kids exactly like me (because I’m spoiled, aggressive, etc.). Well, it would be lovely to have children that were a mixture of me and my future husband.
4. I am neither ignorant nor am I spoiled. I’m a software developer, a web developer, a student, a writer, a sister, a future wife, and the luckiest auntie in the whole world. I do not know the ins and outs of the wedding world, that’s true, but it is not my profession. I do not claim to be a professional DJ. I simply claim that I do not like them. Each DJ at every wedding that I have ever been to has been less than stellar. Because my wedding is in Kamloops and the wedding industry is very small there, my choices would be limited anyway. I’m sure there are some DJs out there that are wonderful and amazing but, in truth, I wouldn’t be able to afford them anyway.

Lastly, as a word of caution to any further vendors who would love to slice me open, just know that the words do hurt. This is a wedding. Not just my wedding. Not just my groom’s wedding. But a wedding for everyone to experience. If we have malfunctions during the night, I’ll hop up on a table and breakdance (or something), but don’t think for a second that I’m not prepared to have a less than perfect night.

My expectations are low. As long as I marry the man I love and my family and friends are there to party with us, then that’s all that matters.

From now on, I am requesting that all vendors refrain from commenting. This is non-negotiable. My friends, my family, and the other brides/grooms from other blogs on the blogosphere… well, you know you’re always welcome here.

I’m sorry that this post had to be so heavy. I’m just so upset that I had to make sure that something like that simply wouldn’t happen again.

There came a day, when I was a little girl, when I just knew that I was going to be passionate about music. My Dad used to sing in the car, play awesome oldies like Nazareth, and constantly told me stories about how music had been such a huge part of his life. My mom’s father - my Nono (grandpa in Italian) - had a beautiful vintage guitar that he played when my mom and her siblings were growing up. After my Nono passed away in my late childhood, my brother and I inherited his guitar.

I began a mild career in music when I was eleven by playing the clarinet.

So, for as long as I can remember, music has driven my life, told stories that I couldn’t put into words, and shaped the environment that I enjoy surrounding myself in.

At the end of the day, music is one of the most important fluffy aspects of my wedding day. Fluffy, of course, referring to the silly little details that make a wedding more special to the bride and groom!

Because it’s such an important fluffy detail, I don’t feel like anyone else is qualified to make the music decisions aside from me, my groom, and my maid of honour. I don’t trust DJs as far as I can throw them (sorry guys and gals, I’ve never come across a wedding DJ who was worth the $500 the bride and groom threw away, just to keep the music going) so I’ve put myself in a bit of an awkward position.

As the bride, I can’t spend my time pressing play at the right intervals on my iPod (which is going to serve as our mostly DJ for the evening anyway), and none of my other friends are going to particularly available to handle music either (considering the majority of them are either in my wedding party or are fairly unreliable, at best). The bottom line is: how should I handle this? Is this something I should ask my MC to do (which I haven’t found either… haha)? Or should I just suck it up and hire someone anyway?

What are the rest of you brides doing for music? DJ’ing it? iPods? Live Band? Something else?

For those girls who have (or are planning to have) an iPod DJ, how difficult was it to secure sound equipment? Was it more expensive than a DJ? Was it worth it?

Edit: From now on, I am requesting that all vendors and wedding professionals refrain from commenting. This is non-negotiable. My friends, my family, and the other brides/grooms from other blogs on the blogosphere… well, you know you’re always welcome here.

I figured that I’d repost this controversial topic. Hmmmm… bridezilla’s on the loose!

These will either be handmade or at an absolute minimum. Flowers are very expensive and they’re fairy unnecessary for everyone but the bridal party and the guests of honour (like the parents). If we do end up getting a florist, it will probably be Awesome Blossom in Kamloops. They seem reasonable and creative!

If not, it will be provided by Costco, because it’s cheap and easy.

Here are some ideas that I have for the florist.

This one is dark and mysterious; not to mention it’s got dark purple gerbera daisies!

Love, love, love this bouquet. It’s bold, creative, and oh-so-eyecatching. Gorgeous!

For the bridesmaids and me, I’m thinking… although my flowers will probably be a little more interesting than that.

An idea for the flower girls - asters in a pomander shape

These, except in purple cabbage roses, for the flower girls.

More pomander shapes! This would be an interesting arrangement, minus the tiny buds of madness (whatever they are).

For the bridesmaids - instead of doing something in purple (like mine potentially will be), we’ll try something in bold, bright pink! I love the little burst of colour with the green too. I’m thinking that if I had to go to the florist when I get to Kamloops at the end of the month, this would be the picture idea I would take in with me for the bridesmaids. So Sex in the City!

What a fresh take on a multicoloured palette! I love the callas and the multitude of different coloured roses. Not sure what those green flowers and other pink flowers are called, but I love those too.

Another idea for the bridesmaids - purple orchids! Perhaps if we added a few callas in there, it would look even more elegant.

Pink Plumeria bouquet in a perfect ball shape - this was carried by a bride in Hawaii but I think that the bridesmaids would look wonderful with this style too. It’s unique and interesting enough but it’s not over the top with, “Look at me! My Blue Sky Bride picked this out like a crazy person!” Haha.

At the end of the day, I think that the style of their bouquets should be in some way cohesive to one another but can be slightly different. The maid of honour’s bouquet should be the most interesting and ornate in comparison to the other bridesmaids, but they should definitely be on the same page, style-wise.

Has anyone else thought about the flowers for their wedding - if so, share what you think your style should be. I’m gathering bridal recon before taking the information either to my mother, to the florist, or both.

Over the past month or so, I’ve managed to finalize the invitation designs and damn, do I feel good about it. So, just because I love to share a design that I’m happy with, I figured that I’d share it with my readers!

Before I do, though, I’m going to show you the other designs that I’ve gone through since the Blue Sky Groom’s proposal last July.

1. The Grunge Look

   
   

2. Damask

   

And finally, the moment of truth and the final design!

Black, white, and purple all over. I’ve also finished the map insert but I figure that’s a bit too confidential to be showing off on the very public interwebs.

Thoughts on the designs? Did I choose the right one? Let me know in the comments!

Following That Bride’s example, I’m going to give you guys the lo-down on my lovely fiance, the Blue Sky Groom (or Mike, as he’s known to most).

1. He’s inseparable from gaming. At any time on any given day, if he’s not connected to some sort of technology that has the ability to play a game… then he’s usually hanging out with me and I’m not in a gaming mood. He’s mainly a Nintendo junkie but tends to favour our new Xbox 360 for games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Mass Effect.

   

2. As a software developer, he’s an incredible problem solver when it comes to the logically solvable problems that life throws at us. He’s our accountant, payer of bills, and general number cruncher on a day to day basis. When things really start to get insane (like when we found out about our niece’s leukemia a couple weeks back), he’s the best man for solving the problem of who’s sleeping where, how we’re going to get from the hospital to the house, etc. etc.

   

3. He loves kids. A lot. Each and every time that he sees his nieces and nephews, he rearranges his schedule to maximize the time he spends with them. They love him to pieces because he’s a big kid on the inside but a big kid (with strong shoulders) on the outside. Good for piggy back rides and trampoline bouncing!
4. Even though he suffers from Auditory Processing Disorder, he’s still an avidly social person who can assimilate himself in with a number of different kinds of people. Also, did I mention he’s a brilliant and successful software developer?

So that’s my wonderful Blue Sky Groom in 4 points. He’s obviously more multi-faceted than that, but only four should be fine.

After much adieu about nothing for the past little while, I’ve been gathering my thoughts together so that I could rework Blue Sky Bride and archive the old information that I didn’t think actually reflected this blog (or me for that matter). I’ll put the old Blue Sky Bride information on an archival blog so it’ll be easy for reference, in case some of the readers were looking for a particular article.

It’s been a rough month or so since my last update but if you’re interested in my personal madness, check out Schizogeny ’cause that’s where all of the interesting tidbits are located.

On the wedding front, nothing’s really moved along. I’ve been talking to Ivana quite a bit but she’s gone off to Europe for the next two months so we’re going to get back on the wedding dress front very soon. I’ll be happy once I can devote more time to developing a budget (which I can do after I find out how much tuition is) and planning the details for the wedding.

I should be a bit more active now that I’m available a little more often. I’m looking forward to really getting my hands dirty. Next month marks the one-year-since-he-proposed day. Considering how long this engagement is, I think I’ve progressed a lot of stuff fairly quickly.