Weddingbee boards

Aloha!Since I fall under every heading possible (I'm an encore, he's an encore, forty-something, he's older, I'm younger, full-figured, intimate destination wedding, etc.) I decided just post here for the initial post.  First I would really like to thank all of the bees for their helpful, insightful, thought-provoking, and generous ideas for "everything wedding."  I don't have much time to post, but will try to toss in a word of wisdom/support when I can!  If it were not for this board (a one-stop shopping spot!), I'd definitely have had to spend a lot more time trying to pull together a formally informal wedding! So thank you all so much for the wealth of information stockpiled at Wedding Bee!

As for me, well! We live in Hawaii, but are planning an evening destination wedding in Vegas-sans the cheese.  It's easier for family/friends to make the quick trip to Vegas, than to plan an all out vacation to Oahu! Plus, living here for so long, the island gets kinda cliche in the wedding market when surrounded by it to do it for our own.  Don't get me wrong, though! For those bees planning a Hawaiian kine wedding, you will love every moment of your special day and honeymoon, here! :)  We are actually goign to honeymoon at home, taking a couple weeks off  (no teenager at home for the summer!) to actually enjoy the place we have been lucky enough to live for so long.  Hard to find the time anymore as work sucks up so many spare hours it seems!

On top of the wedding, we may be moving back to the mainland somewhere right around the wedding (shortly before or after, so top off the chaos with a bit of panic and hopefully no lost deposits, and that's where we stand!  eSTDs have been sent with a disclaimer NOT to make reservations until formal invitations are sent, so they are all understanding and flexible! Only 2 elder relations did not have email and their children (hopefully) printed and delivered a copy.

Dresses are ordered, everything is in place, and invitations are designed and ready to print. The wedding is scheduled on a Monday, venues have been tentatively selected, but will finalize within the next couple of weeks.  As it falls on a Monday, we aren't too worried about venue as we have a few ceremony locations and reception venues (likely restaurant) tentatively on hold and are negotiating options at this time.

My bridal party is comprised of 1 MOH, who absolutely rocks, and the remaining Jr. BM and teenaged groomsmen are between the ages of 10-17.  if my father cannot attend, my 16 year old will give me away.  Since this is an encore wedding for both of us, we wanted the family/friends to sit, relax, and enjoy their time.  Besides, we thought it was odd to have family participate on the wedding party level this time, when most already had done so for a previous marriage!

The only DIY project I submitted to was our invitations.  Thanks to paperandmore.com I was able to do the full suite of invitations, reception, accomodation, reply cards, and more for approx $4.85ea (includes postage and enough cardstock, paper, and envelopes for announcements and thank you cards!) That is for 65 outgoing invites and 100+ announcements (have not completed THAT list yet!)

I actually sent a tester out in the mail this weekend and much to my dismay, it was returned to me because the label peeled right off the metallic envelope, but the return address remained on the back!  So my one question remaining is  "what is a good adhesive to keep those suckers ON the envelope for the long haul?"

Anyhow, I've babbled on long enough, but think I've covered the generalities and then some--just wanted to say HI and THANK YOU!

PS Here's my wedding attire! Would love to know what y'all think!

@Mrs. DG - Thank you! Have enjoyed it greatly so far!

@Kiki-Thank you :)

@SanDiegoAli- I think that's awesome to be including your children!  I also think it's really important for blended families to maintain that united front--wedding included.

@jordynrose and eeniebeans-thank you!

@daydreamwanderer-thank you for such a warm welcome!

@ccranetobe and blueshoes2 - I have glue strips, I'll see if that works--I bet the dots will work better and will definitely consider the rubber cement!  I have a few weeks before mailing, so whatever it is will have time to dry or affix itself properly, even if I have to stack them under books, haha. Thanks for the ideas!

@ my accessories... my MOH turned me on to Etsy (god forbid, someone close my paypal down, already!)  I bought several pieces i thought woudl make do... but nothing I really liked.  Then I found this gal.  The matching bracelet was originally stretch, but she made it a solid bracelet w/ extender for me and adjust the pieces to exactly what I needed.  The gal *just* moved her etsy shop to her own domain--previously here: http://www.etsy.com/people/joanmareeoriginals/feedback

Joan Maree is currently located here: http://www.joanmareeoriginals.com/ . She definitely produces some beautiful pieces for the price.  I'm thrilled with the final product, anyways :)

@2dbride - wow! I'll bet it was an amazing day for both of you!  That's some kind of planning required, especially with the green card--what a stressor, huh?  Do you have photos up somewhere on here?  Would love to see them.  I've been lurking a while, but have yet to put names/photos/plans together as there are so many.  You are absolutely right about the diversity here: room for everyone, traditional and nontraditional.  That's generally why I decided to delurk and say hi :)  I figured nobody would scream faux pas for having a hotel wedding and restaurant reception in a place where not a single family member lives.

PS I've only had one person ask "Why on a Monday?" Did you get a lot of that question for your Tuesday wedding?  That's our anniversary, so it was just easier not to remember another date.  The additional plus, it's a federal holiday this year, too! ;) Our guests are just making a mini-vacation out of it without much missed work.