Shiny & New

I am excited & proud to announce the unveiling of lovely, updated pages on the web site of Koru Wedding Shoppe! New copy & fresh photographs were added to better showcase Koru & everything Koru offers for Brides.

First, let me introduce the new Invitations page:

The Invitations page replaces the former Boutique page & describes how we can help Brides design the perfect wedding invitation. Here is where we detail anything & everything wedding stationery related, such as the invitation companies we carry, the wedding stationery we provide & the additional services we offer like assembly. Last but not least, there is a direct email link for Brides to make their invitation consultation.

The Ring/Invitation photo was formerly on the Shop Koru page & I loved it too much to lose it. Of course, this beauty was taken by the talented Timothy Glenn Photographers.

Next, here is the updated Planning page:

The Planning page now proudly lists our planning packages to give Brides a better idea of exactly how we can assist them with their wedding. I made a point to include "Custom" on the list so Brides realize we can do anything wedding-related that their little heart desires! The other copy remains the same but the subtle change is an important one.

The Bride & Groom Kiss photo is brand new to Koru's site. & guess what?! It's from my wedding!! I couldn't help but infuse a little bit of my wedding on Koru's site. We have Timothy Glenn Photographers to thank for this one!

&, finally, let me show you the revamped Contact Us page:


The Contact Us page gives Brides the numerous ways they can easily contact & find Koru Wedding Shoppe. Koru is here, there, everywhere! Koru's phone number is listed, as well as links to our email, blog, Facebook & Twitter. There is no way you can miss us with the new Contact Us page!

The Bride & Groom Just Married photo is my absolute favorite photo from my wedding. Again, I couldn't resist adding more of my wedding to Koru's site. Another beautiful photo by Timothy Glenn Photographers.

I'm beyond happy with the updated site for Koru Wedding Shoppe. Much has changed in the six years since I started the business (hello, Twitter!) & I'm pleased the site represents the Koru of today. Many thanks to my wonderful web designer Kate of Bella Mi Design Boutique for designing the new pages & my amazing photographer Tim of Timothy Glenn Photographers for providing the new photos. Take a look & let me know what you think!

Our Ceremony, Part Two

Take a formal ceremony in a beautiful church . . .

Add family & friends,
like our Sister of Honor, Best Man & Reader shown here

Add a dash of decoration,
like our flowers in memory of lost loved ones . . .

Stick with tradition, yet add a few personal touches . . .

And you will be happily married, like us!
(All Photos by Friends)

Read Our Ceremony, Part One HERE

Our church ceremony was the most beautiful, moving experience I've ever had. I didn't always have confidence I would feel this way. I was at odds with our church ceremony throughout much of the planning process.

I'm a casual, relaxed girl at heart. I'm most comfortable in a t-shirt, jeans & flip flops. Sunshine is my goddess. Think San Diego. Think beach.

I didn't mesh well with the grand church & its traditional ways. RZ's top priority was a ceremony held in the Catholic church so I tried my best to embrace our reality. But I worried. Would our church ceremony be too formal, too stuffy & too much for me? For us?

Thankfully, as we infused more & more of ourselves into the ceremony, it became more & more ours. Perfectly us.

A few tips/perks to a church ceremony that I wish I had known in advance:

1. Our gorgeous church is breathtaking. It required little or no decoration which equals savings on the floral budget. We ordered one altar arrangement in memory of our departed loved ones. Otherwise, we let the beautiful venue shine.

2. Our soloist, my godmother, helped me choose meaningful songs. No, I couldn't walk down the aisle to a Beatles song but I was pleasantly surprised by the options like Con Te Partiro, Ave Maria, etc. & she sang them like an angel!

3. We chose traditional vows & I took much comfort & hope from starting our marriage just as others have before us.

4. RZ is Filipino & we incorporated these three Filipino customs: veil, cord & coins. It was a respectful nod to his heritage & it personalized our ceremony.

5. I can't stress enough how honored we were by our family & friends who participated in our ceremony. Our parents, grandparents & bridal party who supported us & stood by our side at the altar. Our friends & family who recited readings & assisted with the Filipino customs. My godmother who sang. Our guests who witnessed our positive new beginning. Everyone warmed our hearts with their very presence & made the ceremony ours.

In the end, our church ceremony was perfect for us. I learned that if something doesn't feel right, there's hope. With a little thought & a lot of heart, you can make anything yours!

Me, The Bride

Me, The Bride
(Friend's Photograph)

I'm the behind-the-scenes girl at weddings, coordinating this, fixing that & managing the event. I wear black to fade into the background & I avoid the camera like it's the plague. I like it that way. It's where I belong, where I find true happiness.

So how did it feel to step into the spotlight, wear a white dress & be the Bride? I won't lie, I stressed about being the center of attention & about letting go of the control in the days leading to our wedding. I shouldn't have worried. On our wedding day, I was the Bride. And it felt fabulous!

I was so honored to walk down the aisle & marry RZ surrounded by our beloved family & friends. Nothing else, not one little thing, mattered. I could feel the love & happiness pulsing through me & I could see it everywhere I looked. I floated through our wedding on the high of marrying the love of my life. This was our wedding day, our new beginning. I wasn't just a Bride. I was RZ's Bride & that was a very, very special. More than I could ever hope to describe.

P.S. Being his wife is even better!

Last Night as a Bride-to-be

Bride & Groom Thank You Speech
The windows behind us overlook downtown NYC & Statue of Liberty

Me & My Bridesmaids
These ladies rock!

Bride & Groom with my Uncles
They walked me down the aisle :-)

True story: we were one hour late to our rehearsal dinner. Only us! Minus that little detail, my last evening as a Bride-to-be was perfect.

RZ & I were greeted by the applause of our family & friends who had gathered to celebrate with us. Maybe they were simply glad we showed up but I prefer to think they were cheering for us, for our love, for our future. I could feel the love in the room & I will remember it forever.

The evening was fun & casual, just as we'd hoped. Everything was simple with hotel-supplied cocktail tables, black linens, votive candles & house music. The buffet & open seating allowed our guests to eat, mix & mingle as they pleased. Conversations & laughter floated in the air. I ate my fair share of funnel cake, I chatted with our guests & I posed for plenty of photos. Looking back now, I'm very grateful for this extra time to spend with our guests because the wedding went so quickly!

This was our golden opportunity to thank our bridal party, families & friends for their presence, support & love during our engagement, at our wedding & always. I'm not a good public speaker & RZ doesn't love it either. We kept the speech short & sweet, then handed out our thank you gifts. I'm not sure we could ever thank everyone enough but we tried.

The next thing I knew, it was time to say good-night after a wonderful rehearsal diner. RZ would be spending the night in the cushy hotel suite while I would be returning to the comforts of our home. Lots of couples talk about sad tears & heartfelt talks as they separate for the night. Not us! RZ was excited to watch tv & relax in the suite & I had a few things on my to-do list to tackle. But there was no mistaking our happiness: the next time we saw each other, I would be walking down the aisle!

Planning Nightmare

My exact sentiment about planning our rehearsal dinner
Print available on Etsy in breedingfancy's shop

Okay, I wanted to share the story of our rehearsal dinner with you today but I can hardly talk about the dinner without mentioning the planning of the dinner . . .

The planning of our rehearsal dinner was one of our biggest challenges. It took us five months, not to mention plenty of blood, sweat & tears. The premise seemed so simple: a casual dinner to celebrate with our bridal party, families & out-of-town guests. Sounds easy, right? Nope, not in Hoboken. I started out focusing on our favorite restaurants, then tried anything & everything. Most restaurants are too small for private parties & the few that can accommodate large parties charge a fortune. Frustrating.

After getting nowhere fast, we decided to host our rehearsal dinner at the Hyatt on the Hudson to keep things easy for ourselves & our guests. The Hyatt offered us the Harborside Room, a good-sized room with pretty views of the Statue of Liberty. We were on the right track! But it wasn't as easy as we hoped. We didn't like any of the plated or buffet dinner options because they were too formal, very similar to our wedding menu. We wanted the rehearsal dinner & wedding to be vastly different especially now that the venue was essentially the same. I began to wonder if McDonald's would mind a party of 50.

The Hyatt sent me their complete corporate & private catering menu in what I can only guess was sheer desperation. I stumbled upon a "themed snack break" of soft pretzels, french fries & funnel cake. My stomach growled at the mere thought of my favorite foods. We were on to something! With the easy additions of salads, 3 choices of pizza & 3 choices of sliders, we were set. We sent out easy, cute invitations from Pingg & called it a day. At last, we had managed to create the fun, casual rehearsal dinner of our dreams!

Check in tomorrow for the scoop on my last dinner as a Soon-to-Be Mrs.!

Dress Rehearsal

The Friday before our wedding was a flurry of activity: picking up the marriage license, dropping off our hotel welcome bags, finishing our escort cards, etc. Soon, way too soon, it was time to get ready for our ceremony rehearsal. More rushing, more craziness. We arrived at our church with only a shred of sanity & no time to spare.

RZ & I arrive at the church for our rehearsal

Thankfully, I checked my stress at the door & I took in the moment. Our beautiful church. Our wonderful families. Our fabulous bridal party. Our calming wedding planner. This was it. This was truly happening. We were getting married the very next day!!!

The action at our rehearsal

What followed was a basic ceremony rehearsal run by our priest. Nothing out of the ordinary. Practicing the Processional. Finding out where to stand & sit. Running through the ceremony. Marching the Recessional. I knew I had to simply follow the priest's cues & I didn't worry about one thing.

Soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs.!!!!!

The excitement was building & building & building. We were on the brink of our fantastic wedding day!

Dream Team

RZ & I have been happily married for one month & counting (quickly approaching two months!). Upon our return from our relaxing honeymoon, I began to struggle with the best way to share our wedding story. I want it to be perfect, much like the day itself. I finally came to the conclusion that, like anything in life, I just need to start the story.

One Happy Couple!
Image by Timothy Glenn Photographers (for more, click HERE)

Let's start with our vendors: our amazing, amazing vendors! I must thank our fabulous vendors for making our wedding dreams come true by their talent & efforts. They're simply the best!

Alterations/Veil: Ally Bridal & Tuxedo
Attire (Bride): Celestine by WToo at Lovely Bridal Shop
Attire (Bridesmaids): Cynthia Rowley at Bella Bridesmaid
Band: The Love Jones Band
Cake: Carlo's Bakery
Florist: Elizabeth Koleto Designs

Hair & Make-up: Ashimoto
Honeymoon: All About Honeymoons
Hotel: Hyatt on the Hudson
Invitations & other paper goods: Marsupial Invitations at Koru Wedding Shoppe
Jewelry (Bride): Bracelet by J.Crew & Earrings borrowed
Jewelry (Bridemaids): Earrings & Bracelet by Cookie Lee, Necklace by Chico's
Photography: Timothy Glenn Photography
Transportation (Limo): Santos VIP Limousine
Transportation (Vintage Checker Cab): Film Cars
Tux: Men's Wearhouse
Venue (Ceremony): Church of St. Ann
Venue (Reception, Rehearsal Dinner & Brunch): Hyatt on the Hudson
Videography: document this! productions
Wedding Planner: An Affair to Remember

Some I had worked with before wearing my hat as a wedding planner, some I had been introduced to while planning my own wedding. RZ & I expected the best from them & they delivered. Without exception, our vendors exceeded our expectations. I can only wish & hope to work with each member of our dream team again!

DIY Project #3: K & R

Painted K, Naked R

My final DIY wedding project was our initials, K & R. Because RZ & I branded everything from the spot in the sand where he proposed to our wedding invitations with our initials, I wanted to continue the theme at our wedding reception. I picked out the perfect spot for our initials on a site visit at Hyatt on the Hudson: our guest book table. The guest book table would be against the wall & the letters would add a bit of height & personality. After the wedding, we could hang the letters in our home as a wedding memento. Now all I needed was to complete the project!

K & R in Progress

This DIY project was the quickest & easiest. I bought two wooden letters, one ampersand, two bottles of ivory paint & one bottle of mocha paint at AC Moore. I briefly considered painting the ampersand purple because I had added touches of purple, like the bridesmaid dresses, throughout the celebration. In the end, I went with mocha for the simple reason that it would look best in our living room when the wedding was said & done. I took my supplies home & painted the K & R with about five coats of paint over a period of a few days. I applied the final coat of paint the night before the wedding :-)

The snag was the guest book table wasn't placed against the wall as the catering manager had told me. I went through three catering managers at Hyatt on the Hudson &, unfortunately, the second one who led me on a site tour may not have known everything about the cocktail hour set-up. It never occurred to me to confirm the guest book table placement with my third, final & best Hyatt contact. At our wedding, the guest book table was placed in an excellent position near the ballroom entrance- just not against a wall. I hadn't bought letters that could stand on their own so the initials were awkwardly propped up somehow on the table. For a fleeting moment as I entered the ballroom & noticed the table, I considered putting on my wedding planner hat & trying to fix the problem, then realized it wasn't a big deal. At all.

K & R in our home today

For the record, as you can see above, our initials look just right on our living room wall!

Last Days as a Soon-to-Be Mrs.

My final photo in my Soon-to-Be hoodie
Soon after this photo, I changed into my "getting ready" outfit

In the final days leading to our wedding, I was an easy recipe- one half stress & one half excitement. The two emotions struggled for my attention like 2-year-old twins having a meltdown. The to-do list was a mile long & the hours in each day were too few. But I was a happy Bride-to-be! That trumped everything. Most of the time.

Oh, the never-ending to-do list! I almost break out in hives just thinking about it now. Apply for marriage license. Shop for & assemble hotel welcome bags. Complete DIY projects. Final meeting with venue contact & wedding planner to review timeline, menu & details which was done via phone conference when snow shut down our meeting. Pick-up out-of-town bridesmaid & husband from airport. Last dress fitting for out-of-town bridesmaid. Manicure & pedicure with my sister. Clean engagement ring. Finalize table assignments. Finish escort cards. Make alphabetical guest list with table assignments & table list with guests assigned to that table. Wrap bridal party gifts. Drop-off hotel welcome bags. Pick-up wedding dress. Church rehearsal & rehearsal dinner. Pack overnight bag, ceremony & reception items. Clean the condo. Make final payments & allot tips. Etc, etc, etc.

I couldn't have tackled most of these tasks beforehand & the majority of the tasks were fun. Naturally, picking up my out-of-town bridesmaid & getting a mani-pedi with my sister were more enjoyable than working on welcome letters, table assignments & escort cards with a super-slow printer. Still, as someone who lives & breathes weddings, I enjoy every aspect. The stress crept in because there didn't seem to be enough time! By the last two days before our wedding, I was eating little & sleeping even less.

& yet, I was a glowing Bride-to-be who relished my remaining time as an engaged woman. I didn't want to pass up any opportunity to spend time with my family & friends who came to celebrate with us. It was better to stay up until 4am to work on things than miss a good lunch with my Mom, sister & cousin. Nothing was more important than these special times: dinner with my family including my out-of-town Mom & Grandma, soup, salad & breadsticks lunch with my Mom & dinner at our favorite pizzeria with my cousin & her husband. I will forever remember the love & laughter that poured over my overwhelmed & grateful heart.

Are We There Yet?!

2010 ended with a blizzard; 2011 starts with another six inches of snow. It's quite beautiful, nearby Columbus Park shown here:


Bailey adores the white stuff which results in long, wet, cold walks:


And makes me look forward to our Hawaii honeymoon more & more! Here is our honeymoon travel information, so beautifully packaged:


We are counting the days until we are relaxing as newlyweds on a warm, picturesque beach!

10 Days & Counting!!!!

Available on Etsy in braggingbags' shop

Somehow, we are here: 10 days away from our wedding!

Part of me is stunned. How can our wedding possibly be 1o days away? Another part of me is stressed. Is there possibly enough time to get everything done in 10 days? The rest of me is over the moon. I'm marrying RZ in 10 days!

My head is dancing & swimming "Wedding" on a continuous loop. Marriage license. Rehearsal dinner. Bridal party gifts. Hotel gift bags. DIY poms. Table assignments. Escort cards. Honeymoon packing. Etc. Etc.

All in all, I'm overwhelmed & amazed. There is much to be done, yet this is a very special time to be cherished. These are the final days of our engagement, my final days as a Bride-to-be. I don't want to waste it worrying & stressing. I want to take my time & enjoy every last moment. These are the days to remember!

ONE Month and Counting

Beautiful Table Number Luminaries
Available on Etsy at MasonRabbitsPaperie's shop

One month from today, RZ & I will become husband & wife!

Everything, just everything, has been leading us to this upcoming, major moment in our lives when we celebrate our love & form our family. Every heartbreak. Every leap of faith. Every wrong turn. Every choice. We knew everything happened for a reason & someday that reason would become clear. We are the reason.

One month, one month, one month!

Busy Bride!

Snowy Winter Wedding
Available at Etsy in LoveNaturally's shop

I have a fun, exciting weekend planned as a Bride-to-be. My Mom flew in from California to join the festivities. Fabulous times ahead!

First, I have my hair & make-up trial with Ashimoto tomorrow. After the trial, we head to Ally's Bridal & Tuxedo for my first dress fitting. Time will tell if I ate too much for Thanksgiving! I'm crossing my fingers!! Glam hair & make-up + my wedding dress + my accessories = a preview of my bridal look. Does it get any better?

Well, believe it or not, it does. On Saturday, I'm attending my bridal shower at local, waterfront restaurant in Hoboken. Other than that, my bridesmaids & Mom have kept me in the dark about the details. Some of my favorite ladies are coming to celebrate with me & that's all I need to know. I'm so honored!

I will fill you in on the juicy details soon enough. Have a wonderful weekend!

Tasting Delight

Our Wedding Tasting: YUM! I loved our cake tasting & I was blown away by our wedding tasting at Hyatt on the Hudson. We had the golden opportunity to sample our four-course wedding feast complete with wine pairings. The Hyatt was kind enough to work with me & my very picky eating habits to create a tasting menu that I would enjoy. On the night of our tasting, RZ, RZ's parents & I arrived at the Hyatt with a healthy appetite.

Our job for the evening was to choose one appetizer, one salad & one dessert. Also, we needed to confirm we liked the entree selections available for our guests to choose from at our wedding. Sounds like a tough job, right?!

We sampled & chose from these three, yummy appetizers: Lobster Bisque, Lamp Chop & Crab Cake:


Then we ate & chose from these three, delicious salads: Apple, Endive & Feta Salad, Organic Green Salad & Caprese Salad:


Finally, we enjoyed these three, savory entrees: Filet of Beef, Pork Medallions & Salmon:


In addition to our wedding cake, we're offering a dessert & we tasted two, incredible options. Unfortunately, we inhaled the selected dessert before I could snag a photograph.

The Official Tasting Crew included me, RZ & RZ's parents:


The evening was very special, full of good food & good cheer. RZ & I are growing more & more excited for our wedding every day!!

My Wedding Planner

Wedding Gown Print
Available on Etsy in trulyvera's shop

Way back when, I worked in Manhattan as a wedding planner. I worked with wonderful Brides & learned much about weddings. I had the pleasure of working with fabulous co-workers, most of whom taught me a lot. Eventually, all of us moved on to bigger & better things. I spent the next ten years moving to California & working with a special event company, then moving back to Hoboken & starting my own company, Koru Wedding Shoppe. Through it all, I kept in touch with one former co-worker, Eileen Kaden Dean.

I thank my lucky stars we stayed in contact because as a wedding planner, I can only trust our wedding day to the very best wedding planner. And the very best is Eileen of An Affair to Remember Wedding & Event Planning. Eileen is low-key & calm, yet she knows how to get things done- just the kind of girl you need on your side for your wedding! And she is talented!! I have witnessed her do anything & everything necessary for a smooth, stress-free wedding from making last-minute, emergency alterations on a wedding dress to clearing up confusion with another vendor.

After knowing & admiring Eileen for so long, you may think I'm a bit biased but I'm not the only one who sings her praises. Her company was voted "Best of" Wedding Planners in The Knot 2010 & was selected as 2010 Bride's Choice for Wedding Planning by Wedding Wire & Martha Stewart Weddings. Impressive!

RZ & I hired Eileen as our day-of wedding coordinator, a service that I think is absolutely essential for every wedding. It is worth every penny! Eileen & her staff will facilitate the wedding day schedule, coordinate the Bridal Party, cue events, set-up & breakdown ceremony & reception items, solve unexpected surprises, calm nerves, relieve stress, etc, etc. All while RZ & I eat, drink & be married without a worry or care!

Two Months and Counting

Damask Table Number Luminary

Available at Etsy in SouthernBellWeddings' shop

Two months from today, I will walk down the aisle to marry RZ.

Part of me wonders where the last nine months of our engagement went. Is it possible to slow down time so I can savor each & every moment in the next two months?

The other part of me is ready for the days to fly by quickly & happily until we're Mr. and Mrs. How much longer until we're relaxing on the Hawaii beach as newlyweds?!

Two months, two months, two months!

Meeting the Boss

Cake Boss aka Carlo's Bakery
The site of our cake tasting

Fall cake display at Carlo's Bakery

Halloween treats
(we were there Halloween weekend)

"Love at First Bite"
Our bakery box of treats

3 vanilla spiderweb cupcake for Halloween
3 red velvet cupcakes just cause

Cake Boss, that is.

Our wedding package at the Hyatt includes a wedding cake from Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken. Sound familiar? Carlo's Bakery is featured in the popular TLC show, Cake Boss. On a recent Saturday morning, RZ & I found ourselves at the packed bakery for our cake tasting.

Although the line of tourists hadn't formed outside yet, the inside of the bakery was a zoo. It took some grit & determination to alert someone we were here for a cake tasting. Then we were ushered past the velvet ropes (no kidding, there are ropes), into the bakery where Buddy was posing for photos with a cake & upstairs to Buddy's office to met with Mauro. Buddy made a brief appearance to say hello & good morning to kick off the appointment.

The Hyatt had told us there was a selection of cakes included in our package or we could choose a custom design on our dime. We started the appointment looking at the selections & I was pleasantly surprised by the designs available. I had been sure the selection would be slim & we would be forced to pay more for our cake. Instead, we could choose from quite a few pretty cakes. One looked like stacked Tiffany boxes tied with white ribbon, one featured a beautiful swirl pattern & another was decorated with the NYC fondant skyline. I drooled over the swirl cake but we went with another clean, modern design.

Then came the fun part- tasting the cake! We were served ten, small slices of cake, each a different cake flavor paired with a different filling. Did you ever dream of eating cake for breakfast as a kid? Well, this was a dream come true. Yum, yum!! RZ & I easily narrowed it down to two choices & we had a tough time with the final decision. In the end, we went with the most popular cake/filling combination that Mauro suggested. Our wedding cake will be beautiful & delicious.

Our Cake tasting was definitely one of the best parts of wedding planning to date. Oh, how sweet it was.

Purple Reign

Pretty, Pretty Peony Invitation

Modern Monogram Seal

Open Pocket reveals Wedding Invitation, Response Card,
Rehearsal Dinner Invitation & Accommodations Card

Peony font pairs perfectly with Lavender design

Invitation by Marsupial Invitations
Available at Koru Wedding Shoppe

Oh Purple, you are so beautiful & regal. They say you rule in the wedding world. In fact, there are rumors Purple is the new Black. If this gorgeous wedding invitation is any indication, Purple will reign Queen for awhile.

The Purple beauty started with a referral from the Bride's sister who had done her destination wedding invitations at Koru. The Bride's sister was an absolute delight to work with on wedding invitations & the Bride was the exact same delight. She's getting married in May 2011 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina &, like her sister, she wants pocket invitations for a clean, orderly presentation of the travel information. Unlike her sister, she doesn't want to assemble the invitations herself. Marsupial Invitations it is!

We didn't even have to crack open the invitation book because the Bride spies the perfect invitation displayed in Koru's stationery nook: the Pretty in Yellow & Grey invitation. The colors aren't right & neither are the fonts but otherwise, the design, layout & wording is exactly what she wants. The Bride wants to ask her guests for music suggestions on the response card too (a new fad that I'm loving). Perfect! The Bride easily settles on a Peony purple pocket, Alabaster shimmer paper, Peony font color & Lavender design color. She chooses a pretty script font for emphasis & a clear block font for the copy. It's so stylish I can hardly stand it.

What a lovely purple package. Be still my heart, the Peony Purple invitation is quite a gorgeous sight!

Invitations: Stuff, Stamp & Mail

Ready to prep for mailing!

Mark your response cards-
it's very helpful if guests forget to fill out their name!

My tissue & stamps

Coming soon: time to mail our wedding invitations!

Our wedding invitations arrived & we took some time to drool over, oops- admire them. There were the fun & games (no, really games!) of getting the correct postage. Finally, the time came to check, assemble, stuff, stamp & mail our wedding invitations.

I cleared the dining room table & carefully laid out my supplies. Laptop. Invitations, response cards, reception cards, accommodations cards & directions cards. Gauzy tissue. Response & outer envelopes. Stamps. Pencils. Scissors although I have no idea what I was going to use those for to mail invitations. I tend to be Type A at times like this & everything was laid out in exact order to leave little room for error.

First, I checked the outer envelope to make sure the guest name & address was correct. Next, I marked the back of the response card with the guest's line number on our Excel spreadsheet. I've heard plenty of nightmares about guests returning their responses with no name & this will help us identify unmarked response cards. Then the invitation pocket was stuffed with a response card, a reception card, an accommodations card & a directions card. (By the way, thank goodness for the pocket to keep things organized- it was RZ's idea!) The response envelope was stamped & placed in the pocket. Then the pocket was checked to make sure all items were enclosed. The gauzy tissue was placed over the invitation, the pocket was closed & invitation was put in the outer envelope. Last but not least, the outer envelope was stamped. I did this over & over- about 100 times!

Ready to deliver our wedding invitations with love!

Transportation: Bridal Party

Wedding Limo
Decal available on Etsy at snadyinfl's shop

After we secured transportation for our wedding guests, RZ & I turned our attention to our lovely ladies & handsome men, aka our Bridal Party. We have to get our Bridal Party to the church on time, transport them to our photo session & return them to the Hyatt for our reception. With a group of 10, the obvious answer is a limousine. No stretch Hummers or Escalades! We found & booked a 10-passenger limo to be at our Bridal Party's beck & call before the ceremony through the start of the reception.

Our wedding guests are covered. Our Bridal Party is set.

What about the Bride & Groom? Details coming on Friday!