Inviting the VIPs: An Update!

Remember when we invited the president, the pope, and Mickey Mouse to our wedding?  And we heard back from both Walt Disney World and Disneyland?  Six months later, I had begun to give up hope on the president, when I found this in our mailbox the other day:

Not sure if you can tell by the photo, but the return address is printed via thermography.  The text is beautiful and raised.

We opened the envelope to find this lovely piece of card stock:

Just The Obamas wishing us a happily ever after...no big deal.

If anyone else wants to give it a shot, the address is:

The Honorable and Mrs. Barack Obama

The White House, Greetings Office, Room 39

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, District of Columbia

20502

Anyone else heard back from their VIPs yet?

One Last Paper Project

My trusty ol' Epson has certainly been put to use while planning this wedding!  Lots of card stock and tons of ink later, it's printed everything from invitations to Save the Dates to all sorts of signage.  Now that we're drawing closer and closer to the big day, I figured it was about time to round up every last bit of leftover card stock and print one final paper project: the ceremony programs.  And I'm really excited to share them with you!  The project itself isn't that exciting, but it's a first glance into our ceremony, which I'm looking forward to more and more every day!

I designed the program to fit on #10 paper, front and back.  I used Monterey BT, which has become one of our signature fonts.  Instead of using Ecuyer DAX, our other signature font, I used another serif font to avoid too much clutter: the aptly named, Georgia.  Then, I printed front and back on #10 ivory card stock.

The front reads:

• Processional: "Married Life" by Michael Giacchino (yes, the song from "Up!")
• Officiant's Greeting: "Love" by Roy Croft
• Declaration of Support
• "I'm Yours"/"Over the Rainbow" a la Jason Mraz & Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole, respectively: performed by MOH Sister Lioness and two of the Lioness cousins.  Yes, one of those girls plays the uke.  She is that awesome.
• Romans 12:9-18: Read by Stepsister Lion
• "Union" by Robert Fulghum: Read by another awesome Lioness cousin
• Declaration of Intent
• Exchange of Vows
• Exchange of Rings
• Sheva Brachut, Hebrew Scripture: Read by some friends from PT school
• Pronouncement
• Recessional: "Everlong" a la Vitamin String Quartet (we're entering our reception to Foo Fighters' "Everlong," so we thought it'd be appropriate to bring things full circle!)

Holy moly, you guys.  We're getting married!  It's surreal to see the ceremony written out like that, but it makes me grin from ear to ear.  The back lists our wedding party and our parents.  It also includes a message of gratitude from us, in both English and Spanish!

We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone for being here today.  Your presence makes this day even more meaningful!  We are truly blessed to be surrounded by the love and friendship each of you bring into our lives each day.
Queremos decir gracias a todos por venir hoy. Esta dia es mas especial por su presencia. Estamos bendecidos porque tenemos su amor y su amistad todos los dias.
{with love /con cariño}

Julia & Dave

Remember that beautiful old chair that I found at one of my favorite antique stores?  Well, here's a little mock-up to show what the programs will look like on display at the ceremony:

And here's a picture of Lion Corgi entertaining herself while we complete yet another DIY project:

What do your wedding programs look like?  Did you decide to go the DIY-route?  How do you plan to display them?

Goofy Pictures & Silly Names

Bear with me, Hive...this is gonna be a long and photo-heavy post!  I recently sat down to make our table numbers.  And I'm using the term "numbers" loosely.  You see, our tables aren't really numbered at all!  We picked out one picture for each table.  Some were representative of some of our favorite things.  Some were representative of some of our favorite inside jokes.  Then, we came up with silly names to correspond with each photo, most of which involved using the word "table" as some kind of pun.  Best of all, I found these ornament-shaped cards at Paper Source!

But Miss Lioness!  What in the world would you need ornament-shaped cards for?  Your wedding isn't anywhere near Christmas!  Well, turn it upside down...

Booyah!  Hot air balloon.

I printed out the table names in green ink, using the font Monterey BT and some leftover label paper from our wraparound labels.  Then, I sliced them up with a paper cutter.

Next, I stuck each label onto a "balloon."

Then, I trimmed the excess label paper so that it fit neatly on the balloon.

Then, I did the same thing with photos.

Then, I repeated these steps for each of the 17 cards.

{the front}

{the back}

What's that?  You want to see each individual picture?  I mean they're mostly just embarrassing nerdy things or memories from random Disney vacat--OKAY!  (Lioness wedding guests, leave now if you wanna be surprised!)

There's Gold at That There Table

Disney World, 2006

There used to be a little McDonald's french fry cart in Frontierland and for some reason, this sign became one of my family's favorite inside jokes.

It's On Like Table

Disney World, 2009

Clearly, a Donkey Kong reference.

The Table Who Says Ni

Savannah, 2009

A Monty Python reference.

The Bunny Butt Table

Our first apartment, 2009

Corgis' rear ends look like they belong on some kind of rabbit.  Lion Corgi is no different, and this is our favorite family photo.

Please Stand Clear of the Table

Disney World, 2007

The Disney monorail says "please stand clear of the doors; por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas."  We were actually waiting for the tram when this picture was taken, but we figured it was close enough.

The Tarzan Table

Costa Rica, 2010

Ziplining is awesome.  I highly recommend it.

Knights of the Round Table

UCF E-Pics Session, 2010

UCF's mascot is the Knight.  I think the rest of that name is self-explanatory.  Photo by Evan Hampton.

Where the Girls Are the Fairest, The Table Is the Squarest

UF E-Pics Session, 2010

A line from "We Are the Boys," an old UF song.  Photo by Evan Hampton.

Eat More Table

Chick-Fil-A, 2010

Mr. Lion and I have dressed up for Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A four years in a row now.  What?  They give you free food!

That's What Table Said

New Orleans, 2010

We saw this sign in NOLA and immediately decided that we don't deserve it, because we constantly use the "that's what she said" joke.

Would You Sit at This Table for a Scooby Snack?

Gainesville, 2005

Our very first date.  He wore a blond wig and an ascot for me.  Those other kids in that picture somehow made it into our bridal party...

Beer Pong Table

Gainesville, 2005

Mr. Lion and I first met while playing beer pong.  It may sound strange, but that silly game is still very near to our hearts.

The Table

Atlanta, 2009

Our friend threw a watching-party for the season finale of "Lost" one year, and we decided to dress up as characters from the show.  Mr. Lion and Lion Gman Ryan both decided to dress up as Charlie, and accidentally wore the same outfit...complete with Guitar Hero guitar.  This card doesn't actually say "The Table."  It's just the Dharma Initiative logo with a table on it, instead of a swan or something.

{by Sister Lioness, of course}

Aren't You a Little Short to Be a Table?

Disney World, 2006

Mr. Lion was pretty psyched to meet a Storm Trooper.  The name is a line from Star Wars.  Don't judge me.

I Love Table

South Shore of Massachusetts, 2009

This is the town my family grew up in, where we have summered for four generations.  It was a really big deal when I took Mr. Lion there, knowing that we would someday bring a fifth generation there.  The lighthouse in the distance flashes once, then four times, then three times, thus the nickname of the "I Love You" lighthouse.  So we decided to call this picture "I Love Table."  It also doubles as an "Anchorman" reference.

The Happiest Table on Earth

Disney World, 2009

This one's going on our sweetheart table.

Who's At This Table?

Yankee Stadium, 2006

I'm a Sox fan; Mr. Lion's a Yankees fan.  I couldn't come up with a name for this picture without using the word "evil," and he couldn't come up with a name without using the word "rings."  We agreed on a "Who's On First?" reference.

{all personal photos, unless otherwise noted}

It's not the most beautiful DIY project I've made so far, but I definitely think it'll make for a good conversation-starter!  What are you doing for your table numbers or names?

Some Grand Old Flags

Our venue, a home built in 1797, is understandably particular about sendoffs at their weddings.  Fireworks are prohibited because they're a historic site, so we agreed not to use sparklers.  We're not allowed to use anything that would involve a lot of clean up, like confetti.  After ruling out some of these other sendoff options, we began to consider what would work.  We needed something bright, colorful, and obviously whimsical.  Something like...

Source

Flags!  I especially like the ones that have joyful words printed on them.

Source

Ms. Potato Chip and Mrs. Pretzel have blogged about making these, and I decided to go the DIY route myself.

Materials

• Colorful construction paper (about $3)
• 1/4" dowels ($2 for a pack of 20)
• Tape and/or a glue gun
• Printer
• Paper cutter

Instructions
 
I used the fonts that have now appeared on all of our wedding paper projects, Monterey BT and Ecuyer DAX.  I wrote in large font (think 6ish per page) "Yay!" and "Oh happy day!"  I felt like we needed something that was a little more us, so I also included "Woot!" and "¡Viva amor!"  Make sure that you have your text align right so that you'll have room to attach the left side to the dowel.  Then, I printed these onto construction paper.

Next, I sliced up the paper.

Here's where it gets interesting.  Mr. Lion and I disagreed on how to attach the paper flags to the dowels.  I opted to use my trusty glue gun, while Mr. Lion wanted to use tape.

Option #1: Tape
The tape required a bit more skill to make sure the paper flag was adequately attached so that it wouldn't slide down the "flagpole."

...however, it did leave room for error.  If Mr. Lion we messed up somehow, we were able to peel the tape off and start over.

Option #2: Glue Gun
This way definitely didn't require as much finesse.  I found it helpful to use the pointy tip (technical term, of course) attachment.

I squirted a little bit of glue on the dowel, then rolled the edge of the flag around it.  Then, I used a little more glue around the edge of the rolled paper, then rolled a little more to secure it.

Next, make sure you have a dance part and wave a flag around when a good song comes on your Pandora.

Total cost was about $17.  Total time spent?  Welllll, let's just say this is the kind of project you should do over several days with several good movies on in the background.  It can get a little time consuming!

{all personal photos, unless otherwise noted}

Lion Corgi approves!  What are you doing for your sendoff?

One Last Invitation Reveal

We're having a traditional Cuban pig roast, called a caja china, for our rehearsal dinner.  The decor of the restaurant is bright and tropical, mostly with shades of red and turquoise.

Source

When we designed the invitations for our rehearsal dinner, we wanted to incorporate this tropical color scheme, but we also wanted it to go along with our invitation suite.  It seemed like a stretch, but then we found one element that could carry over.

The carving on the tree!  Now, how could we make an oak tree tropical?  By turning it into a palm tree of course!  Without further ado, here is our rehearsal dinner postcard invitation:

Does your rehearsal dinner have the same theme as your wedding?  If not, did you carry over some elements from your wedding into your rehearsal dinner?

The Guests Get Creative

Obviously, our wedding has a bit of a whimsical theme interlaced throughout the vintage and Southern and garden decor.  We tried to get the guests on board with the whimsy with a little message in our invitations.  You see, the bottom of the response card read, "Please use the reverse side of this card to provide marriage advice, whimsical doodles, flattering caricatures and/or well wishes!"  The back of the card was blank.  We have now received about a third of our RSVPs, and the entertainment only continues!

We received a special response card in the mail today...from none other than Sister Lioness, who designed the invitations in the first place!  Sister Lioness lives in NYC, and her boyfriend lives in Florida.  I sent one invitation addressed to both of them, and Sister Lioness informed me that they planned to open it "together" via Skype.

Their response card included a YouTube link, so I'll let the video do the talking from here.  You really should watch the whole thing because they are hilaaarious.  But, if you only have a couple of minutes, skip to about 7:25.  That's when you can really start to see the wheels turning inside Sister Lioness' head!


They weren't kidding, either:

That reminds me, Lioness guests.  The other 2/3 of you?  Yeah, you've got two more weeks to get those RSVPs in!  So, yeah!

We'll have to do something fun with the backs of these cards, but what?  Any ideas?

Candy & Cupcakes

First, let me begin with an update on our cake situation.  Y'all are AMAZING and I LOVED reading through all of your ideas and advice!  We decided on the family-style option.  We're going to have our servers bring platters to each table of eight.  Each platter will include two cupcakes of each of the three flavors, as well as two slices of groom's cake.  This way, there is one serving per guest (that is, I'm not buying 300 pieces of cake for 150 people!) but people still have options.

Until the cupcakes and groom's cake are served, they will be situated on a little table in the ballroom.  I plan to arrange the cupcakes on a tree like this:

Source

The top tier of the tree will actually be a small cake (in one of our cupcake flavors) that we'll cut.  Instead of cake toppers, we'll be topping each cupcake with one small pinwheel.

 Created by Twirlie Whirlies

By the way, I am so glad I bought those pinwheels instead of trying to make them!  The thought of making 150 of them...eeek!  We assigned a different color combination to each flavor of cupcake, so we thought it would be a good idea to include a little key or legend for our guests.  We also wanted to include our Knightro-shaped groom's cake in the legend.  I threw this thing together on Pages, printed it on card stock, and placed it inside one of two 8x10 frames that I found at an antique store.

Lion Corgi approves!

We also ordered larger matching pinwheels to decorate our candy buffet, which we plan to fill with green and pool blue candy.

I made a little banner for the candy buffet out of baker's twine and card stock that reads "Love is Sweet."  Maybe we'll drape that between two larger pinwheels?

I filled the other frame with this sign that I made:

Lion Corgi is now taking a boredom nap.

Keeping consistent with our balloon motif, I made these little stickers to seal the bags our guests will fill with candy:

I feel like the pinwheels and signage carrying from the cake table to the candy buffet will help pull the theme together.  What did you do to make your reception theme come together?