tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27507799454805335152024-02-20T02:37:44.779-08:00a backyard weddingbackyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-45597322272681600552010-10-11T15:56:00.001-07:002010-10-11T16:06:51.529-07:00Joyfull Wedding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5064408246_97b27b2e63.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 327px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5064408246_97b27b2e63.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Two of my good friends are getting married next year. While I am not a photographer, I sometimes pretend to be, so I was happy (though nervous), to take <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/grumpypixie/sets/72157624999466451/with/5065037867/">engagement pictures</a> for them.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5064683517_95e2aff99d.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5064683517_95e2aff99d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>They live in San Francisco, so we walked around their neighborhood (Castro & the Mission...lucky bums) taking pictures in random alleys, driveways, and of course, Delores Park<br /><br /><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5064426792_3d5931a157.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5064426792_3d5931a157.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The lovely Ms Becca has started her own wedding blog, <a href="http://joyfullwedding.wordpress.com/">Joyfull Wedding</a>, so I thought I'd send y'all over there if you are looking for new inspiration in your wedding planning (I obviously don't post much here anymore!).backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-46523142378706104522010-09-22T08:25:00.000-07:002010-09-22T08:38:09.605-07:00Cute bridesmaid dresses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssH0LIfRkF_3wPOc2YXM4wiXQEVAl1wRI4EgVLD-H_9hE3K0OR3IrpcRayt-OASaYwM1Yf3saBtEM96D4Etj9j_3xsYmbnqBxssfpzLyta46KdLZwkrmR7QpdT8VvAc0vKM5gcOUPFYqe/s1600/vivas3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssH0LIfRkF_3wPOc2YXM4wiXQEVAl1wRI4EgVLD-H_9hE3K0OR3IrpcRayt-OASaYwM1Yf3saBtEM96D4Etj9j_3xsYmbnqBxssfpzLyta46KdLZwkrmR7QpdT8VvAc0vKM5gcOUPFYqe/s200/vivas3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519761563635427266" border="0" /></a>I thought these dresses were really cute, and since bridesmaid dresses are near impossible to find I thought I'd point out that <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/vivatveritas7">Vivat Veritas</a> is making some adorable dresses (and will custom make them for bridesmaids).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTkC6SALuMxR1e9kgBSpsTIJvhjJL0Zxil_4Jzdu6vgmqKAOdNqFDN2271XZjtj5522WWdsN1dhQSy9t4QSzZgBdXOVx9ruF6zozaSOyjZeMjq5uziTcsX-cKu3YEKJbeLj_268b8ptrl/s1600/viva1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTkC6SALuMxR1e9kgBSpsTIJvhjJL0Zxil_4Jzdu6vgmqKAOdNqFDN2271XZjtj5522WWdsN1dhQSy9t4QSzZgBdXOVx9ruF6zozaSOyjZeMjq5uziTcsX-cKu3YEKJbeLj_268b8ptrl/s320/viva1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519760372759446722" border="0" /></a><br />Many of them have really cute backs, like so:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGWFFVpKY9CPWgY2jY1n1FwOrDkGKWgh5gjtnOHhyphenhyphen0bHYW0XbvA5VxHYzhiWwQu8ZFrjzWi97VdPuzne_80Nf3y_PSM2t6GIHKRVHWAfN3ULv73E7bh6qRw3UGui_0teMzj-jFThMTaBN/s1600/viva2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGWFFVpKY9CPWgY2jY1n1FwOrDkGKWgh5gjtnOHhyphenhyphen0bHYW0XbvA5VxHYzhiWwQu8ZFrjzWi97VdPuzne_80Nf3y_PSM2t6GIHKRVHWAfN3ULv73E7bh6qRw3UGui_0teMzj-jFThMTaBN/s320/viva2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519760758018088882" border="0" /></a>They're all around $75 which seems pretty reasonable for a custom dress that (at least in my opinion is re-wearable).<br /><br /><a href="http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2010/09/vivat-veritas-50-guest-giveaway.html">Grosgrain</a> is giving away a gift certificate for $50 towards the store, so head on over there and maybe you can cut down the cost even more!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-82409860808633965732010-03-20T00:25:00.000-07:002010-03-20T00:38:01.739-07:00You've Won!<div>Thank you all for entering the <i>Offbeat Bride</i> giveaway! </div><div><br /></div>Random.org has spoken, and Nicole, you are our winner! Please contact me with your contact info!<div><br /></div><div>Nicole writes, <i>"My wedding is in July and I would love to have this book as I cram for a backyard, indie bride, DIY wedding!"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I hear ya on the cramming! Hope this helps! </div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who didn't win, you can purchase a copy of the book <a href="http://offbeatbride.com/book">here</a>.</div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-76769591250567051872010-03-11T17:29:00.000-08:002010-03-20T00:36:22.454-07:00Giveaway: Offbeat Bride<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P8LQp404L._SS500_.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: left;">When I was planning my wedding, I was given and (stupidly) purchased several books that ended up being a huge waste. I didn't really need someone to tell me that I was a horrible person registering for my honeymoon or how to match my flower girl's dresses to my man's tie to my bridesmaid's underwear so everything would be exactly perfect for the big day. Although I'm sure plenty of people think the folks who read <i>Offbeat Bride </i>are pretty weird, for me it was one of those blips of normalcy among all the wedding madness.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I'm very excited to be giving away a copy of Ariel Meadow Stallings' freshly updated<a href="http://offbeatbride.com/book"> </a><i><a href="http://offbeatbride.com/book">Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides</a></i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P8LQp404L._SS500_.jpg"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P8LQp404L._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /></div><div>If you'd like to enter to win a copy, post a comment here. One entry per person. Entries will close at 11:59pm on Friday March 19th, 2010. I am able to ship to the US or Canada. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Entries are now closed! Thank you for entering!</b></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-73559356291949792132010-03-05T17:00:00.000-08:002010-03-05T17:03:45.690-08:00Giveaway coming soon!Stay tuned! A Backyard Wedding is going to be hosting a giveaway!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-31022074937934413562010-02-21T20:36:00.000-08:002010-02-21T21:00:01.173-08:00Reader Question: The Fascinator<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3090402503_429744457c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3090402503_429744457c.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Reader Question:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> My question for you is specifically about your fascinator flower and veil. I love it! I'd seen and saved the image months ago but could never find where it was from. Did you make it/buy it? Do you have any advice about how I could make or buy the same?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">---------</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I made my fascinator and intended to do a tutorial ages ago, but after attempts to make fascinators for a few friends I realized I couldn't recreate what I did well enough to feel comfortable sharing my methods. But, with the help of a few other tutorials, I'm going to do a quick write up of what I did here.<br /><br />To start with, <a href="http://www.craftstylish.com/item/48343/how-to-make-a-floral-fascinator">this</a> tutorial seems pretty good, as does <a href="http://www.craftstylish.com/item/47459/how-to-make-a-fabulous-feather-fascinator">this one</a>. If what I'm writing makes no sense, maybe try one of those?<br /><br />Both are similar to what I did, in that i started with a felt base (mine was two layers glued together). I then glued my first layer of feathers down and waited for them to dry, then my second layer of feathers and let them dry.<br /><br />For the flower I took apart a fake flower I liked the shape of and used it as a template to cut out new "petals" from raw silk I owned (you could just use a pre-made flower, but I liked the color/texture of the silk I had). I sewed and used a tiny bit of glue to attach the longer feathers to the center of the flower, and then sewed the stones I used (they were actually stone beads) through the center of the petals to stick them all together. I wrapped ribbon around the top of a hair comb and sewed that to the felt on the bottom of the fascinator. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3089164802_131bb9b27c.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></span><div><br /></div>The veil was actually entirely separate. For that I removed a piece of vintage veiling from one of the way too many vintage hats I own. I scrunched up one side of it until I liked the shape, sewed that together with white thread, and then attached it to my hair using bobby pins!<br /><br />I did base my fascinator design on the ones made by <a href="http://www.kautumn.com/The_Collection.html">k. autumn</a>, so she'd be a good place to start if all of this looks totally overwhelming. One of my friends had a k. autumn fascinator and loved it. I will say it might be worth trying to do it yourself first if you are on a budget. I spent a total of about $15 making mine, and I know the pre-made ones run at least $100. Hope that helps!</div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-37909344444047804892010-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:002010-01-02T18:09:20.629-08:00San Telmo Loft has a website!<div style="text-align: left;">I've sung the praises of the apartment we stayed at in Buenos Aires <a href="http://abackyardwedding.blogspot.com/2009/03/honeymoon-returns.html">before</a>, but they've recently started up a website for their rentals so I thought I'd give them another shout out. They are now located at <a href="http://santelmoloft.com/">http://santelmoloft.com</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/3057437312_7087874c26.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Staying at the loft was a different experience than any other vacation rental or hotel I've ever stayed at. I think there is always a concern when you stay at a rental on vacation that you might be sacrificing quality or the helpful advice of hotel staff. Not so with San Telmo Loft. Best concierge service ever! (Although it feels funny to call what they provided a "service," as I now think of Angela as a friend). While the plane fare makes it hard to get back down to South America, it will happen sometime soon enough, and when it does we will absolutely stay with them again!</div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-13944182531078626942009-11-27T11:55:00.001-08:002009-11-27T12:01:30.944-08:00This would make an adorable wedding dress<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div></a>One of the weddings that was most influential to me in planning my backyard wedding was that of Sarai of <a href="http://www.sweetsassafras.org/2007/10/18/handmade-wedding-the-photos">Sweet Sassafras</a>. She now makes the most beautiful patterns, and one of her <a href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/oolong">recent</a> would make a darling wedding dress. In fact, I suspect that she knows it considering the styling. <div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg"><img src="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 426px; height: 640px; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/images/190/1008-01.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "></a></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-31622956080343292552009-09-28T12:49:00.001-07:002009-09-28T12:56:20.124-07:00Anniversary and research<div style="text-align: left;">P and I celebrated our first anniversary last week while camping in the Southwest. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/3953414513_3a4981bfe5.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 500px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was a fun week, particularly since I'd been working in Texas for over a month so we hadn't seen each other since early August!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In other news, I got an email today from a grad student looking for engaged couples to participate in a research study. I'm not totally sure what the study is about, but I thought I'd help her out an pass along the message. If anyone contacts her and it ends up being something totally crazy, let me know and I'll pull this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Engaged volunteers needed!</span></span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; "><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am looking for volunteers for a study of attitudes towards marriage and parenthood among engaged couples. The study consists of a 25-30 minute online survey. To qualify for the study, you must be 20-35 years old, live in the U.S., and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony within the next 365 days. You and your romantic partner must not have children, and this must be the first marriage for both of you.<br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You can:</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Help a doctoral candidate;</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Increase the pool of scientific knowledge;</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Support research on marriage and families; and</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Spend some time thinking about your relationship!</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. This study has been approved by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board #2009025800.</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you and/or your romantic partner are interested in participating or want further information, please email me at </span></span></i><a href="mailto:GayDadsStudy@gmail.com" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(42, 93, 176); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">surveycouples@gmail.com</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I will send you a link that you can use to access the study.</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks!</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cristina Reitz-Krueger</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Doctoral Student</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">University of Virginia</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(434) 243-8558</span></span></i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(42, 83, 159); "><span style="text-decoration: underline; "><a href="mailto:survey.couples@gmail.com" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(42, 93, 176); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">survey.couples@gmail.com</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></span></i></span></p></blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex; "></blockquote><div> </div></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-26740378094752070312009-07-22T19:10:00.001-07:002009-07-22T19:39:00.981-07:00Reader Question: Wedding Day Timeline<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/3100967220_37b96ef789.jpg?v=0"></a>Reader Question: I was wondering if you could post a timeline of the days leading up to the wedding. I am especially in search of one for the wedding day.<br /><br />I'll have to work on a lead-up to the wedding timeline (I have one, but I want to fiddle with it a bit so it more accurately depicts what actually happened). So, for now, here is our wedding day timeline (including stuff other people were doing and stuff we (P and me) were doing). I've given the timeline that we thought we'd go by and made a note if that thing actually ended up happening at a later time.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">An Illustrated Wedding Day Timeline</span></span><br /></div><br /><div>8:00 am - Breakfast at the B&B (Wedding party plus P & me)<br />9:30 am Meet at house to continue set up -Menfolk, plus my parents and some assorted family<br />9:30 am Women at B&B for hair, getting ready, finishing up flowers w/photographer (we had our hair person come to us, which was just as cheap as us going there because she didn't have to pay for her stall rental).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-size:10px;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/3087544001_d74a643ec2.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 324px; " /></span>11:00 am Prep salads & apps - Mom and assorted friends and family at the house<br />12:00 pm Men get ready for pictures at the house - Groomsmen plus P</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-size:10px;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2882337299_1c21493b42.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px; " /></span>1:o0 pm Meet for pictures at the B&B (Wedding party plus us) </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/3089137190_a5ef22b5f5.jpg?v=0"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/3089137190_a5ef22b5f5.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 500px; " /></a></div><div>3:30 pm Back to house for family pictures - Us, wedding party, family<br />4:15 pm Set up apps & drinks in backyard and water in front - Designated friend helpers<br />4:30 pm People arrive, greet people - Everyone</div><div>5:00 pm Ceremony starts - We based this on when we thought it would start cooling down.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/3096197968_338eb5b092.jpg?v=0"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/3096197968_338eb5b092.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></a></div><div>6:00 pm Drinks, apps, and fun</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/3098379767_864b47bd79.jpg?v=0"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/3098379767_864b47bd79.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></a><br />6:45 pm Buffet starts (Actually ended up starting around 7:15 pm)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-size:10px;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/3098978175_d9abc46e92.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></span></div><div>7:30 pm Cut pie (Dinner actually ended up taking longer than we thought so this actually happened around 8:30)</div><div>7:30 pm Dancing music (Actually ended up starting a bit after 8:30--immediately after cake/pie).</div><div><br /></div><div>We wrapped up just around midnight, though most folks were gone by then and it was mostly the people were were spending the night there after about eleven or so.</div><div><br /><br /></div></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-12882412780363419732009-06-21T14:43:00.000-07:002009-06-21T14:49:12.208-07:00Reader Question: How many toilets is enough?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/2879988648_ed653d48c7.jpg?v=0"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/2879988648_ed653d48c7.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a>A version of a question I'm commonly asked by readers:<div><br /></div><div>Question:<br />I am planning on having my wedding ceremony and reception in my parent's backyard. I was wondering if you have any advice on bathrooms. We are planning on having about 150 guests and my parents only have 1 restroom. Rather than having all the guests go all over the house looking for a bathroom, we were wondering if you had any suggestions or if 1 bathroom would suffice.</div><div><br /></div><div>My answer:</div><div>We had this debate as well. My parent's bathroom is sort of tempermental so we ended up renting a toilet. It actually wasn't gross at all (it was the rental company's special "wedding toilet") and one was plenty for the 100 guests we had. I was just at another wedding that had around 120 guests and their 1 toilet was a lot busier than ours seemed, but the line was never too long (maybe 2 people at most). I'd say you could probably get by with one if you trust your plumbing!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-87487331157833833762009-05-31T12:51:00.000-07:002009-05-31T13:02:07.403-07:00Wildflower Weddings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.americanmeadows.com/Images/Product/med/DryAreaMix.jpg"></a><div>I don't normally pimp particular companies on this blog, but I'm looking into covering my front yard with self-seeding wildflowers and came across American Meadows, a company that sells regional wildflower seed (including organic and native seed mixes). </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://www.americanmeadows.com/Images/Product/med/DryAreaMix.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 275px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div>On <a href="http://www.americanmeadows.com/HaveAWildFlowerWedding/WildflowerWeddingIdeas.aspx">their website</a> they have a whole section dedicated to including wildflowers in your wedding--throwing wildflower seeds instead of bird seed, rice, confetti or giving them as favors. Wildflowers are really easy to grow, so basically, throwing some seeds on the ground in the fall or spring (prime wedding season) could be enough to grow a meadow of wildflowers.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I don't really condone wedding-specific marketing and we didn't include throwing things or favors in our wedding, I actually think that in our situation throwing wildflower seeds in my parents orchard could have been really nice and would have been a nice reminder of the wedding orchard for years to come. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have any of you used wildflower seeds in your wedding in this way? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-5565590249995457602009-05-20T11:56:00.000-07:002009-05-20T12:22:44.402-07:00How to let your friends know you are having a quaker ceremony...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/3097079714_dd59185e7a.jpg?v=0"></a><div>Why hello again...</div><div><br /></div><div>I've sort of been out of the wedding blogging loop for a bit now, but since wedding season is upon us, and I have some things to post from a wedding I attended last weekend, I thought I'd answer a few questions that people have been pestering me about! </div><div><br /></div><div>(Just kidding, the pestering is a welcome thing!)</div><div><br /></div>I get a lot of emails asking me how we let our friends & family know our ceremony would be open to (and really depend on) their public comment. For the most part our guests have internet and were looking at our wedding website for information about our wedding, so the first thing we did was to post this page on our website:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">While we are not Quakers, we will be holding our wedding ceremony as an edited version of a Quaker Friends Meeting, or Quaker ceremony. After we say our promises to each other, our guests will have an opportunity to say something nice before we exchange rings. Heartfelt toasts or excerpts from texts are examples of what you might prepare for the ceremony. Messages may be literal or metaphorical, and about anything appropriate to the joy and solemnity of the occasion—love, family, marriage, life, or what you will.<br /><br />Please keep your message relatively short (no more than a few minutes) so that all those who would like to speak will have a chance to do so without the ceremony going on for hours!<br /><br />Wikipedia says this about Quaker ceremonies:<br /><br />Since traditionally Friends have no clergy, there is no one person to “marry” them. Instead they declare themselves married before God and those gathered. Usually, there are no bridesmaids or other special roles in the wedding other than that of bride and groom.<br /><br />The couple then signs the Quaker wedding certificate which, for the purposes of the meeting, means they are now married. All those present are invited to share messages with the gathered meeting as they feel led (as in any other Meeting for Worship, see main article on the Society of Friends). At the close of worship all those present at the meeting are asked to sign the wedding certificate as witnesses. Often the certificate is hung prominently in the home of the couple as a reminder of the promises they made, and of the people with whom they shared that moment of their lives.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-style: normal; "><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/3096563952_11dc64c4ed.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Since some of our guests don't have internet, we also casually spread the word to our friends and family and asked that they pass the message along to other family members and friends. We didn't really go out of our way to push this, but we knew the word was getting around a bit. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Finally, at the ceremony we had our officiant/friend say this:</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At the beginning of the ceremony, the bride and groom will stand and exchange vows. After this, anyone may stand and speak if so moved. While messages are welcome, periods of silence are expected and are a time for reflection.<br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />If you would like to speak, please stand as the last person finishes. Messages may be literal or metaphorical, and about anything appropriate to the joy and solemnity of the occasion—love, family, marriage, life, or what you will.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/3097047404_d95de95fab.jpg?v=0"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/3097047404_d95de95fab.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></a></span></span><div>A few people who hadn't prepared anything did stand at this time to say something quick. Some of these spontaneous speeches were some of the best, so I'm happy to report that even if people don't get the message to speak, they might do so anyway! I think a key part of this working was mentioning that periods of silence are part of the process. There weren't any super long pauses, but it allowed for pause without that signaling the end of the ceremony, giving people a bit of time to reflect and build up the courage to talk. </div><div><br /></div><div>I went to a wedding over the weekend that had an open component to the ceremony and while it was lovely, it didn't work quite as well as it did at P and my wedding. I have a few thoughts on why that might be that I thought I'd share for the sake of future quaker weddings:</div><div><br /></div><div>First, they had a very substantial ceremony surrounding the open part that was powerful all on it's own. Our ceremony really was the quaker component, so people hadn't been sitting for more than a few minutes before we opened it up. So if you want to make your wedding open, either keep the rest of the ceremony relatively short or do the open part in the beginning. </div><div><br /></div><div>Their wedding day was also blazing hot so I think people were uncomfortable sitting in the sun. They couldn't have done much about that, but a shady, or otherwise comfortable area for the ceremony (if it's outdoors) probably would be best for this type of ceremony.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, I don't know that people were prepared for the pauses that happen in a quaker ceremony. People seemed uncomfortable when nobody was talking, so that may have led to a premature end to the open speaking. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/3097079714_dd59185e7a.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px; " /></span></div><div>Despite all that, people <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">did</span> speak at their wedding and said some amazing things. I just know there were people in attendance who might have said something more if they'd been more comfortable. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hope that helps and feel free to keep the questions coming!</div></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-8834372531249143542009-03-25T06:53:00.001-07:002009-03-25T07:44:50.910-07:00Honeymoon Recap: TigreWhile Tigre isn't really in Buenos Aires city, it's in the BA province and you'll most likely go as a day trip. It wasn't actually on the top of our list of places to visit, but after all the stress of the first few days of our honeymoon we needed something relaxing, where I wasn't looking over my shoulder every five seconds. So we decided that a day trip to Tigre would fit the bill, and it ended up being one of our favorite days in Argentina.<br /><br />To get there, I recommend taking the subway to the Retiro station. When you get to Retiro follow the signs from the subway station to the train station and buy a train ticket to Tigre. The train ride takes around a half hour and is very interesting if you like seeing how people live in the suburbs. It's actually a fascinating mix of shacks, old mansions, and regular people houses. You'll get to see lots of graffiti art as well, if you're into that sort of thing (which we are).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/3055372506_d244885c32.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/3055372506_d244885c32.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>When you arrive at the Tigre station (the last stop on the line), if you walk straight out of the station and down the street you will see the boat docks on your left. There are many boat options in Tigre including catamaran eco-tours, not so eco-tours, kayak rentals, and the water taxi. If you go into the tourist center they will help you pick a tour and figure out when they run. The problem with the tours (for us) is that while they may go further into the delta they don't actually stop at any of the islands. So for something like 50cents each we decided to just hop on one of the water taxis.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/3055369800_4293ca172f.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/3055369800_4293ca172f.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>I actually assumed that the really amazing old wood boats must be tour boats, and that the water taxis would be something ugly, but the wood ones are the taxis. That made me really really happy. Because the taxis are mainly stopping at private islands, you want to make sure and get on one that will take you to a place you can get off. We decided on Tres Bocas, because it seemed the easiest. But that taxi wasn't leaving for an hour so we walked around Tigre a bit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/3055372060_37720ba74b.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/3055372060_37720ba74b.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>The actual town of Tigre didn't really excite me. It seemed to be mostly tourist shops and then the amusement park and casino. The Tigre Market is similarly packed with shops selling nicknack's and not a whole lot of food or other things you might want at a market if you actually lived there.<br /><br />When we got back to the dock it was really hard to tell exactly what boat we were getting on. I recommend annoying the hell out of the man who works on the dock by asking him every time a boat pull up if it's yours. Unless you are smarter than us and can figure out a way to tell what boat is going where.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/3055376144_0e542dab79.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/3055376144_0e542dab79.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>The views from the taxi were amazing. There are stunningly beautiful old rowing clubs lining the river, funny campgrounds that we promised we'd spend a night at if we ever go back to Argentina, and lots of funky old river houses. The taxi stops frequently, but you'll know when you get to Tres Bocas (it's where the other tourists get off). Once you are there, you can eat at one of the few places to grab a bite. We went to the place right off the boat, because we wanted to eat on the water. While the food wasn't amazing, it was nice to be able to hang out and watch people on the river. Plus there were cute puppies running around that took a liking to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3055380088_4f95a144b1.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3055380088_4f95a144b1.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>I may or may not have lured them all under my table with french fries. Paul was pretty sure I got diseases from them, but I seem to be doing okay.<br /><br />After we ate we walked around the island. Which is basically all there is to do here. No shopping, no museums, just walking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/3055346268_922d51b0ac.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/3055346268_922d51b0ac.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's pretty swampy in the delta, so wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/3054513017_5fa27cb15a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/3054513017_5fa27cb15a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>I loved all the houses. Each one was totally different in its own funky way. And there were flowers everywhere. I kind of went insane sniffing them all.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/3055354960_3a0234f4f4.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/3055354960_3a0234f4f4.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Those red roses were my favorite. I'm not normally a rose person, but those are the best smelling roses I've ever laid my nose on. Mmmm. I spent a good long time trying to figure out if I could propagate a clipping while traveling through Argentina. The answer to that is no--so now I have a lovely dried clipping of the rose.<br /><br />When you are ready to leave the island head back to the dock. They will give you a schedule of when the taxis back to Tigre happen, but it didn't seem to us that they were actually on time. You might have to wait a bit at the dock, but again, it's pretty so it doesn't seem like such a hardship.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3055357496_8935362716.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3055357496_8935362716.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>When you get back to Tigre, just head back to the station and do the reverse of how you got there. Again, Retrio is the end of the line on the way back, so if you fall asleep, they'll likely kick you off when you get there. Then again, if you fall asleep you may not have your bag anymore, so I'd force yourself to stay awake, though it can be difficult after a day on the river.backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-72315869937941557952009-03-19T09:50:00.000-07:002009-03-23T21:20:10.225-07:00Honeymoon Recap: San Telmo, BAI'm not really sure what the best way to go about explaining our honeymoon is. We were gone for three weeks, so a lot happened and my memory of the trip is sort of blurry (due to the traumatic events that started it off and my subsequent fear of taking pictures in public).<br /><br />So...I think I'll just pick places we went and do a quick write-up of each area.<br /><br />First off--San Telmo. The loft we stayed in (the one I gushed about in my previous post) was located in San Telmo. We stayed there a week, so we spent a lot of time walking around the neighborhood.<br /><br />San Telmo is one of the older neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. It's supposedly the home of tango, but there is a lot more going on there than just dancing. In fact, one of the things that we didn't due in Argentina was go tango dancing.<br /><br />Have I mentioned that I was sort of paranoid about going out at night after being robbed our first night? I should point out that while San Telmo sort of gets a bad rap in terms of pickpocketing and other crime, I did not get robbed in San Telmo. I was robbed in Palermo SoHo--the fancy schmancy neighborhood! But walking around San Telmo at night actually felt relatively safe--on par with walking around San Francisco at night.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our Picks in San Telmo</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cafe San Juan</span>- Cafe San Juan is a family-run, family-friendly restaurant that serves very high-quality food in a relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant is open to the kitchen so you can see the skate bumper stickers all over the fridge and the cooks wearing backwards baseball caps while they cook your amazingly delicious rabbit (or whatever you decide to order). They are cash only, which we didn't realize until we arrived, and since there isn't an ATM nearby we didn't go all out here and ended up sharing an entree to make sure we had enough money to pay for our meal. We had a momentary panic when our shared entree came out with two full portions of the rabbit (we spent a good five minutes freaking out, trying to decide whether something we said in our broken Spanish could have been interpreted as us both ordering the same thing). Turns out they just split their portions very, very generously!<br />Highly recommend!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don Ernesto</span>-A casual, but super high-energy, parrilla that seems to cater to both locals and tourists. For the quality of the food, the prices here are amazing. The steak, sausage, salad, and potatoes we ordered here totaled around $30 US, with wine. It's nothing fancy, but it's a steak house, so that's kind of refreshing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3054522967_bf26ea8994.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 248px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3054522967_bf26ea8994.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The best $5 Steak I've ever had.</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">Los Loros</span>-We had our first meal in Argentina at Los Loros--pre-robbery--so I had a wonderful time here. It's a nicer restaurant with prices that match (but will still seem insanely reasonable compared to US prices). The food is elegant and fresh. I'd imagine that if this were in the US they'd be selling it as a seasonal food sort of place. It's got a nice bistro feel and the atmosphere is upscale without seeming at all stuffy. You could show up in jeans and a tee-shirt and nobody would bat an eye.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/3055618995_e0ec971863.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 404px; height: 303px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/3055618995_e0ec971863.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Outside Origen on a beautiful night</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Origen</span>-This is my favorite lunch and light meal stop in San Telmo. The pizzas and salads are highly recommended. And the food is organic. Very casual with outdoor seating that's kind of wonderful on a spring night.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pride Cafe</span>-We ate breakfast at Pride Cafe several times while in San Telmo. People in Argentina don't seem to eat breakfast. And they don't take their coffee to go. So knowing about tiny little Pride Cafe was essential to us not having to cook or eat medialunas for breakfast every morning. The food is good, the coffee is excellent, and the staff is really nice. Also, if it's not obvious, they are a GLBT shop so if you are looking for local info on that scene, this is a great resource.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drink</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">El Federal</span>-This seems to be the go-to place for a beer and a snack in San Telmo. Every guidebook talks about it and it always seemed busy. While I liked the look of the place--it's old and funky--the food was boring and the service was terrible. People all around us were having trouble getting the waiter's attention after sitting for very very long periods of time. And while I don't assume that every waiter in Argentina should know English, this place caters to tourists and this guy seemed annoyed as get-out that we were struggling with the menu. I'd go with a group for a beer or something.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3380596269_e9ff1708d4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 271px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3380596269_e9ff1708d4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This is why people love El Federal.</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Gibraltar</span>-I love this place. Yes, after getting robbed I was seeking out people I could talk to--and loads of people here speak English (including the Englishman owner). But it's also just a nice, fun pub. Great selection of beer, fun atmosphere, and great pub food.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mercado De San Telmo-</span>While the Sunday market is a big to-do, the permanent market in the center of San Telmo is also worth visiting. There are several antique stands up daily, lots of food stalls, and other odds & ends. I bought antique buttons here. Lots and lots of buttons.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/3056608114_9d43f05da5.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 393px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/3056608114_9d43f05da5.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Feria De San Telmo</span>-The Sunday market is like a craft fair, an antique fair, a market, a series of parades and a music festival all combined into one event. It's amazing. Start early, go all day. I didn't want to leave. It seemed like every time we got tired a new drum group went past and lured us in. Or we found another street of stalls and music we hadn't walked down.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/3056613126_2504ae5b31.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 363px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/3056613126_2504ae5b31.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >I wish I knew how to get the video I took of this guy off my camera and onto my computer (it's still on there). His marionette show was fabulous and hilarious.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Plaza Dorrego</span>-If you want to see Tango just hang out near the Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo. People perform almost all day long and offer lessons. The woman we rented the apartment from also recommended Torquato Tasso for Tango in San Telmo.<br /><br />The street art in San Telmo is amazing. One of our favorite things to do was to just walk around looking at it. Though I was mostly afraid to take pictures, as taking a picture of street art is how I got us robbed at gunpoint (did I mention that we were robbed?).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3381405322_7cfcd0f9af.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 298px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3381405322_7cfcd0f9af.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>So that's about that. There is a ton of shopping to be done in San Telmo (both at the markets and in shops), but I imagine that you know your own style better than me, so I'm not going to name names. Lots of antique shops, artsy housewares type places, and all sorts of clothing stores. Oh, and stores that sell baby deer chairs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/3055359116_9bde50ac25.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 456px; height: 342px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/3055359116_9bde50ac25.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I kind of love them because I'm a bad, bad person.</span></span><br /></div>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-80241083695233387112009-03-18T09:00:00.000-07:002009-03-18T09:30:00.581-07:00The Honeymoon ReturnsWhile I normally consider myself somewhat of a homebody, I've been having major wanderlust lately. Actually, I kind of blame the start of my wanderlust on the last day of our honeymoon. While we were waiting for our plane back to the states, we hung out with a newfound friend in Buenos Aires--watched a polo game from her roof, ate good food, and mingled with lots of expats and another young couple who spend half their year traveling.<br /><br />While the reality of me living internationally is that after a few months I'd be crying on a daily basis needing to see my family, I have to admit I'm a little jealous of the expats and the perpetually traveling couple. It hasn't helped that I became Facebook friends with several of the people involved and have spent the las four months watching them explore Argentina. I want to go somewhere. Dang house and dog.<br /><br />So, as a way to put to good use the moping and dreaming that I've been doing about wanting to go somewhere (but not being able to), I figured I'd post a bit more about our honeymoon.<br /><br />So to start with, I already posted a bit about our stay in <a href="http://abackyardwedding.blogspot.com/2008/11/buenos-aires.html">Buenos Aires</a> and <a href="http://abackyardwedding.blogspot.com/2008/11/after-our-first-week-in-buenos-aires-we.html">Iguazu</a>. I'll write more, but that's a place to start if you haven't already read those posts.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/3054605634_1fb9b80b74.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/3054605634_1fb9b80b74.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>One thing I've had several questions about is the loft we rented in Buenos Aires. I don't blame you guys--it was amazing. The building is beautiful. It's in a great location. The loft itself is funky and comfortable. It's a great deal. And the people who rent it will quickly become your friends (if you want that). Who do you think we hung out with the last day we were in Argentina?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://santelmoloft.wordpress.com/the-loft/">So here you all go.</a><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/3056396336_c37da65f1d.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/3056396336_c37da65f1d.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>I feel strangely territorial about it. Which I think is testament to the fact that as soon as you walk in the door it feels like home. That explains why the traveling couple I wrote about spent the last four months living there (they moved in right after we left), although I think they planned on staying about half that much time.<br /><br />If the loft is booked, they also have a new pad in the same building. It looks wonderful and is slightly larger than the loft.<br /><br />Both are $400 US/week (I think), a great deal when you price out how much a nice hotel would cost.<br /><br />So scram! Go! Book the loft!<br /><br />(me making a sad face)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/3055627627_5e6b8b76ab.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/3055627627_5e6b8b76ab.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And tell Angela that Paul and Katie said Hi!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-91147009427964559152009-03-15T19:35:00.000-07:002009-03-15T20:37:39.892-07:00Playing with PicturesPaul and I are sick this weekend, so we've been moping around, taking turns trying to get stuff done around the house.<br /><br />In between all of the being sick and the moping, I've discovered Photoshop actions (mostly compliments of <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/">Pioneer Woman</a>).<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>So using her "heartland" action, this photo of Paul, became this:<br /><img style="width: 314px; height: 469px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/3094521149_5888dd208a.jpg?v=0" /><img style="width: 314px; height: 469px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3568/3358053125_de3e6c95be.jpg?v=0" /><br /><br />And this picture of us in front of the steel mill, was done up in Seventies style.<br /><img style="width: 314px; height: 469px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3091346934_e35851a496.jpg?v=0" /><img style="width: 314px; height: 469px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3546/3357788907_5df85af706.jpg?v=0" /><br /><br />And one of the pictures of us in front of an old hotel, that I didn't really like, is much improved with a seventies action.<br /><img style="width: 314px; height: 469px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/3089271059_14b7865eaf.jpg?v=0" /><img style="width: 314px; height: 469px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/3358159251_b6970dcf59.jpg?v=0" /><br /><br />I'm sure you can do something similar on Flickr, using Picnik, but if you don't want to spring for that, and you already own Photoshop, this is an easy way to edit photos without having to pay anything extra.backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-87324222219295884082009-03-11T20:39:00.000-07:002009-03-13T11:27:44.332-07:00Doing dishesMy favorite bit of wedding planning was spending weekends gathering the mismatched dishes we used for our dinner and dessert. I won't say it wasn't a ton of work, we literally spent almost a year of weekends working on it, but since Paul and I both love going thrift store and garage sale shopping, it was worth the extra effort for us.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/3092569549_0ea4028c96.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 334px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/3092569549_0ea4028c96.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>Since we were inviting 130 or so people to the wedding, we collected enough dishes for roughly that many folks. That meant 130 dinner plates, 200 or so small plates for dessert and appetizers (we figured not everyone would take their own plate), 130 dinner forks, dessert forks, and knives, some spoons for sugar & coffee stirring, 100 or so coffee cups, and around 250 glasses for water and wine. Crazy!<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br />Collecting the Dishes</span><br /></div>We probably could have collected the dishes faster but we had a few rules for ourselves.<br /><br />First, while we originally wanted just china, after realizing the limitations of that, we expanded our search to dishes that primarily included white, brown, green, and yellow in their patterns. We wanted things that looked vintage, so we mostly avoided things that looked like they'd been created in the last few years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2432218020_cbe760e08c.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 375px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2432218020_cbe760e08c.jpg" border="0" /></a>Second, we rarely bought something that cost more than it would have cost to rent that dish. So that generally meant buying things on sale. Luckily our local thrift stores have frequent sales and color tag 50% of sales daily, so we were able to do this without too much problem. If you are just doing this for aesthetic reasons, you could probably pick up your dishes much faster than if you are also doing it to help your budget. We did sell most of our dishes after the wedding so we made up some of the money that way as well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/3092559803_245dc53cdb.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 334px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/3092559803_245dc53cdb.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>Third, we tried to get some of the dishes on Freecycle (for free). That meant driving around town picking things up. Again, if you aren't concerned about cost, you could eliminate this and save time.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Preparing the Dishes for the Wedding</span><br /></div><br />Before the wedding, we had to wash all of the dishes. This took two full days. At home, we soaked all of the dishes in big tubs on our lawn. Neighbors thought we were insane hosing off dishes on our lawn, but we found that the sooner we got the price tag stickers off the dishes, the easier it was and our kitchen was too small to unload that many dishes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2431436545_02a3c48e72.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 375px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2431436545_02a3c48e72.jpg?v=0" border="0" /><span id="formatbar_Buttons" style="DISPLAY: block"><span onmouseup="" class="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" id="formatbar_CreateLink" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" title="Link" style="DISPLAY: block" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);"><img class="gl_link" alt="Link" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" border="0" /></span></span></a>Of course you can't really get dishes clean on the lawn, so after a quick rinse and removing the sticker, we would box them up. We drove all the boxes up to my parent's house (where the wedding was held) and a few weeks before the wedding we spent almost a full day running them all through their dish washer before separating them into boxes for each table. You can see pictures of the boxes piled high on the <a href="http://abackyardwedding.blogspot.com/2008/09/dish-washing-part-deux.html">post I wrote about it</a>.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Setting up Mismatched Dishes</span> </div><br />One of the challenges of using mismatched dishes is how to actually use them at the wedding. While I've seen people use one pattern at each table, we decided to mix it up more than that. But we found that it looked not as good (to us) to use both china and stoneware on one table. So we stuck with mismatched china on certain tables and mismatched stoneware on others.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/3098438933_e5f0815176.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 334px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/3098438933_e5f0815176.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>I actually handpicked the specific dishes for each table based on who would be sitting there. Again, crazy.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/3092578919_ed5a2d8c29.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 334px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/3092578919_ed5a2d8c29.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Cleaning Up<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><strong>Edit to Add:</strong> After people ate we had a few wood crates (purchased for cheap from JoAnn's Fabric), set out next to the trash cans. A few people were in the know about this ahead of time and set the tone for others to do the same. Some people left their dishes on the tables, which we just picked up the next morning during clean-up.</div><p>One of the hardest parts of doing your own dishes is that you actually have to do your own dishes after the wedding. We could have hired someone to do it, but we decided to take matters into our own hands. So on Sunday, after most people had left, we spent the afternoon rinsing off all the dishes, throwing out the broken ones, and sorting them into piles (garage sale, keep, give to friends). Honestly, we didn't wash them that well. We basically rinsed in soapy water, hosed off (yup, the hose again), and dried them in the sun.<br /><br />We actually use the dishes from our wedding as our house dishes now (and we have some of our favorites of the china saved for dinner parties). It's kind of a nice, daily reminder of the wedding.<br /><br />And one final note...If we had to do it over we'd rent the silverware. There are 20 knives at every thrift store for every 1 fork. And thrift store silverware isn't cheap and is often kind of gross. Also, some thrift stores package the silverware so you are forced to buy a big bag of knives to get three or four forks. Annoying!<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /></p></span>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-91463644426389222922009-03-09T10:53:00.000-07:002009-03-09T11:23:08.159-07:00No bugs were invited to my weddingThere could be no bugs around and a mosquito will find me. There will be twenty people standing around with not a single bug bite, and I'll have a mosquito bite for every one of them. I do not like bugs.<br /><br />So when you asked if we had a plan for how to keep bugs off our guests, I think my first thought was that I'm the best bug repellent anyone could ask for. They all fill up on me and leave others alone. But obviously we needed a better plan than that, particularly since my parent's have a creek in their backyard that creates a larger than normal mosquito population.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.traditioncreek.com/storefront/images/products_supplies/lm105_herbal_armor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 276px;" src="http://www.traditioncreek.com/storefront/images/products_supplies/lm105_herbal_armor.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The first thing we did was to have the torches we used to light the yard contain citronella oil. Not the most pleasant smell, but it served its purpose. Second we set up a small table of bathroom supplies near our toilet (tampons, lotion, condoms, and...bug spray). We bought a natural, non-cancer causing, reproductive-harm-inducing, spray from our natural food co-op.<br /><br />I've tried several natural bug repellents and <a href="http://site.iwebcenters.com/allterrain/insect_repellent.html">All Terrain Herbal Armor</a> is the best that I've found. I even took it with me when I went to the jungle on my honeymoon and stayed (mostly) mosquito bite free.<br /><br />So that's what we did to keep the bugs out. And for the most part it seemed to work. I didn't get a single bug bite all night!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-23973508752051883772009-03-04T16:27:00.000-08:002009-03-04T16:46:25.154-08:00On my feetBy far the most frequently asked question I've received from readers about my wedding is where I found my red shoes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3087902557_ec485dfb8e.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 330px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3087902557_ec485dfb8e.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>The shoes don't say on them and since the box is long gone I wasn't really sure. Until person number one-hundred or so asked me today and I realized I should stop sending y'all to <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/">Anthropologie</a>, begging them to sell you shoes that I'm sure they haven't had in months. So I got my act together and realized they came with a cloth bag that I was sure I didn't toss. I dug around a bit, and Ta Da! I have answers...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/3089597487_5d4c8bd4bf.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/3089597487_5d4c8bd4bf.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>The shoes are by UK designer <a href="http://www.misslfire.com/">Miss L Fire</a>. And while I didn't see my particular shoes on the website, she makes some other dang cute shoes. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/3091538640_143f75b35e.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/3091538640_143f75b35e.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Hope that helps!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-22058868548988173522009-03-04T08:31:00.000-08:002009-03-04T08:37:50.908-08:00I'm PracticalLovely, smart, funny Meg of <a href="http://www.apracticalwedding.com/2009/03/wedding-graduate-backyard-weddig.html">A Practical Wedding</a> is featuring Paul and me today as one of her wedding graduates! <br /><br />Of the blogs I went to for inspiration and motivation to keep going before our wedding, Meg ranks pretty high up there.<br /><br />Thanks for the love!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3096661520_3593dc3792.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3096661520_3593dc3792.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>PS-I've been blown away by the response to the last post. Thanks for saying hi!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-61766853589812858212009-03-02T22:36:00.001-08:002009-03-02T22:38:13.789-08:00oh dear!I added my own blog to my Google reader today to see how it looks there, and Google says that there are over 200 people subscribed to this blog. Really? Are there 200 of you out there hiding, not commenting, reading about my wedding?! <br /><br />That makes me feel kinda shy. <br /><br />Love,<br /><br />Katiebackyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-31095882010554003462009-02-27T16:46:00.000-08:002009-02-27T19:37:45.816-08:00DIY: Polaroid PhotoboothLike many who have come before us, we really wanted a photobooth at our wedding. But, the cost of renting a "real" booth was far too high, so we went diy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3099050274_b6672a47d6.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 437px; height: 292px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3099050274_b6672a47d6.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>We wanted people to take pictures for us to keep, but also be able to take some home, so we decided to go the Polaroid route. We already had the camera (we found it by the side of the road, in a junk pile, right after we started dating).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/3099192280_239bf1a017.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/3099192280_239bf1a017.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3098388019_7e2a9234c4.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3098388019_7e2a9234c4.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Of course this came right around when they decided to take the film off the market, so the price of Polaroid film shot way up. We bought some of the film before the crisis, but we ended up scavenging eBay for most of it. All in all I believe we purchased around 200 shots worth of film for 100 people (we didn't use all of it). I've also heard that Fuji is now making Polaroid 600 film, so that should make it easier for those of you who want to try this.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2882334105_d4964377c6.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 261px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2882334105_d4964377c6.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>While some people have a designated picture taker, we knew our friends would be all over taking Polaroids so we figured they could switch off being picture taker and model. That worked out just fine and the booth was literally full all day while people were setting up, all night, and into the next day as we were cleaning up!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2882337299_1c21493b42.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 414px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2882337299_1c21493b42.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>To make the backdrop for the photobooth we purchased two sheets of fabric (three yards of each). One was a regular sized fabric, and the other was upholstery fabric from Ikea. I'd recommend upholstery fabric because the heavier weight hangs better and the extended width allows more people to stand in front of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2883168716_07bb0fb05b.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 395px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2883168716_07bb0fb05b.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3099510504_a8a49a78f6.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3099510504_a8a49a78f6.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>To our advantage, we were able to just tack our fabric to my parent's deck and use their porch lights to light it. You could also make a wood frame to attach the fabric to, hang a line from trees and attach the fabric to that, or nail it to a wall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/2882331581_4ff2b08bdd.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 395px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/2882331581_4ff2b08bdd.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>On the deck we put a table with the film, a board for people to post pictures on, and several costume items. For the costumes we used things I had lying around my house, plus a few purchased pairs of crazy $1 glasses. And yes, I have hats and fur coats and eye patches just lying around. The felt mustaches I made. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3098799255_f943e6f53a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3098799255_f943e6f53a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>And of course, as some of these pictures exhibit, our photographer couldn't help but snap a few pictures of people using the booth as well. They loved it!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2880169164_4e43f8f4ae.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 307px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2880169164_4e43f8f4ae.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-10104776460530850922009-02-26T14:48:00.000-08:002014-11-06T22:44:33.237-08:00DIY: Gocco InvitationsHow did I not write about our invitations? Perhaps I blocked them out because they were so. much work. After they left my house I was happy to have them out of sight, out of mind.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2680708916_5c5f46aef6.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2680708916_5c5f46aef6.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 500px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 375px;" /></a><br />
Our invites were entirely designed and created by little ol' me (using <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/">purchased</a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nikkimcclure.com/">art</a>...I'm not an artist!). P. bought me a gocco for my birthday so the invites were really my first project using the gocco. I highly recommend practicing a bit more before you create your invites. The gocco isn't hard to use once you get the hang of it, but we burned through several frames and lots o' ink before we figured out how to burn the screens to create clean, crisp pictures on the other side.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2680709054_232f6c75ac.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2680709054_232f6c75ac.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 336px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 448px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">Gocco, straight out of the box, with computer tutorial.<br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2680708326_35fc5f6abc.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2680708326_35fc5f6abc.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 358px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 478px;" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 85%;">There were papers everywhere. Everywhere.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">Our invitations had four components. The actual invite, the response card, an info sheet, and the envelope.</span>This image is probably the closest to the actual color of the paper (which came from <a href="http://www.paper-source.com/">Paper Source</a>). For the envelope I handwrote a screen using the gocco pen and then printed them so we wouldn't have to handwrite a return address on each envelope. As a sidenote, we no longer live at that address so good luck stalking me there :)<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2646960413_597fc221d1.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2646960413_597fc221d1.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>While I wanted to use vintage stamps, that ended up being a cost that I couldn't justify. My way of getting around using the flag stamps (the only stamps available when I was sending out invites), was to use a variety of smaller amount stamps. This involved running around to four post offices who looked at me like I was a crazy person for buying hundreds of 5cent stamps.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2640872650_eb82aa5784.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2640872650_eb82aa5784.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 500px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 370px;" /></a>Our invitations were simple, using an image from Nikki McClure, one of my absolute favorite artists. The text is in a dark brown color, with gold ink for the image.<br />
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Our info cards used two screens: one for the image done in gold ink and another for the text, done in a raspberry color. We intended to have driving directions on the back of this sheet, but for some reason could not get the screen to print clearly so after several ruined screens we just scrapped the idea and stuck directions on the website.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2640044045_7d58e16b3e.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2640044045_7d58e16b3e.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 322px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 430px;" /></a>You may notice that on our reply card we didn't really make it clear that people should still write their name if they weren't planning on attending. Several people responded with "no" responses and no names. We had to guess based on postage and process of elimination who those people were. Kind of a pain.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/3312059543_46e088ccf9.jpg?v=0" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/3312059543_46e088ccf9.jpg?v=0" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 375px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 500px;" /></a>So all in all I really liked how they turned out. They aren't professional. They aren't letter pressed. But they were fairly cheap. For save the dates, all the gocco supplies, paper, and stamps we spent a total of $310.<br />
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And, since I'm sure someone will ask, here is our save the date. We made my sister take the pictures of us lying under my parent's apple trees holding blank pieces of paper, but wouldn't tell her why. She thought we were crazy. I added in the text after the fact. We printed them using VistaPrint, with a discount code, and I think we paid around $15 total.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3312107545_830292572c.jpg?v=1235694287" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3312107545_830292572c.jpg?v=1235694287" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 500px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 375px;" /></a><br />
Thanks for all the questions! Keep them coming!<br />
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backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750779945480533515.post-85007570207871070172009-02-25T13:01:00.000-08:002009-02-25T13:55:52.095-08:00BYOB DrinksA few people have asked about what we did for drinks, so y'all get another post. Actually, you can keep having posts if you keep asking questions! Ask and you shall receive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3093388190_b125dfd41b.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 264px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3093388190_b125dfd41b.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Since we were not hiring someone to watch the drinks, we didn't want to make them too complicated. We decided to do bottled drinks for non-booze drinkers, and beer, wine, and one special drink for those who wanted to get a bit crazier.<br /><br />We actually had plans to use wine we'd made ourselves for the wedding. They even had cute, custom labels just for us, but it wasn't quite done in time. We put a few bottles out, but they are pretty horrid and headache inducing. So instead we made a last minute run to Trader Joe's where we picked up four cases of red wine and one case of white. We didn't do the Two Buck stuff, although I don't think it's a bad option if your guests don't really care about wine. Ours were all around $5-7/bottle, which seems to buy you decent wine if you are on a budget.<br /><br />We had a few people bring their own, fancier bottles of wine to share at their tables. Our table had a few bottles of expensive wine that I'd saved for the wedding, though we also ended up drinking some of the cheap TJ's stuff (it wasn't bad).<br /><br />The rest of the wine was set up on our drinks table, with all the cups and a few bottle openers. The kegs were in buckets next to the table (we had two pony kegs of local microbrews), and the non-alcoholic drinks were in a steel bucket on the ground next to the table as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/3098329577_5c93bc3c8d.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/3098329577_5c93bc3c8d.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>For our extra drink we made vodka spiked sangria. All of our friends are big sangria drinkers so we knew it would go over well. Plus it's incredible easy to make. We threw several of the big juice bottles from Trader Joe's into a punch bowl with boxed wine, several glugs of vodka, and some frozen fruit. There was no particular science to it. One of my brideswomen made it pre-ceremony by tasting it as she went along until it seemed right. I did do some research before buying the boxed wine to find the good stuff.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tG3couNQBEcY_rnskGO92tUcu4P7kk2tjEvqer6smLQiaCeQzw481DNbGqq97tKO3ojRcFNt_G9tAIU8cn0jUiOeqF759YLVD6gYikzMvGWga9ibwBPjOqAP0FE4KgGnJQzXx_4chpG9/s1600-h/coke.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tG3couNQBEcY_rnskGO92tUcu4P7kk2tjEvqer6smLQiaCeQzw481DNbGqq97tKO3ojRcFNt_G9tAIU8cn0jUiOeqF759YLVD6gYikzMvGWga9ibwBPjOqAP0FE4KgGnJQzXx_4chpG9/s400/coke.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306855089448180066" border="0" /></a>For non-alocholic drinks we accompanied my mom and her CostCo card to CostCo to buy bulk Mexican Cokes, sparkling water, and Izze sparkling juices.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/3098884183_1322a61a75.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/3098884183_1322a61a75.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>We also did regular and decaf coffee with dinner which we made in two regular drip coffee makers (my parent's and a borrowed one) and then put in the pretty press pots seen in the far corner of the picture below.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/3100079611_77d6121faf.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/3100079611_77d6121faf.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>You can see in this picture that we had a box under the table for people to put empties in for later recycling. For the most part people were good about keeping the table clean, putting empty bottles down below, and generally keeping things nice. <br /><br />Any other questions about drinks? Let me know!backyardweddinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02183612185291880272noreply@blogger.com3