The crew

Hadn't posted pix of the invitation making gang, so here they are in ask their creating glory (well  actually they're all taking a well-deserved break in these pictures)

Not featured: envelope printing crew of Eddie and Mei, Marianne and Matt running for supplies

Love getting mail!

It's so fun to check the mail for RSVPs! 

Eddie's college friend Marc and his wife Jessica get the prize for the first RSVP mailed back (technically the first RSVPs returned were the Daniels and Chans the day of the invitation making). 

This and that...

So I played around with the Adobe Premiere Elements, the movie making software program... I'm def. not feeling this photomontage...  I think I'm going to say we need to go with Alex on this.  If I had more time...or maybe I'm just feeling all my creative juices SAPPED from these clutches and the jewelry that I'm thinking of for the girls' accessories. 

Some of the invites have been sent out.  We're waiting on those "We're registered..." cards.  I've sent the invites out to the relatives who will probably be giving us ang-pows anyway.  We're still waiting on a few addresses from Eddie's side of the family too...we had them at one point, but can't find the paper that had all the addresses written down...

I brought my dress down for Pris ee ee to take  a look at what beadwork we could do to disguise the um... suggestive flowers.  :)  We're going to add more beading to the neckline so as to detract from the high concentration of beading in two particular places.  But to do so, I need to find the correct beads...which I went to Joanns and did not find what I was looking for. :(  I might have to make a trip out to the Garment District again.  Which would be fine with me, as I now have some particular beads that I'm looking for to make a bracelet with peacock feathers.

Mum, Pris ee ee, Joy ee ee and I also went to a baking shop on Beach and La Habra to look for bags for the favors...  The concern was that the bags that I had already bought were too small to fit the sugar cookie AND the pineapple tart.  Also, I think Pris ee ee just wants to make it look prettier too.  :)  We decided on 1 lb Cello bags...though they still might not be quite the right size for the favors...I guess we just have to keep looking and trying it out. 

Graphic Genius

I'm super excited about the invitations!!  Uncle Mike has been working on some designs and sent the rough drafts for us to look over yesterday.  They look FABULOUS!!  I just hope the rest of the invitation lives up to his designs!!  Tossing around the idea of a real peacock feather on the invitation...not sure how it would look with the decorative lettering in the front, but getting ideas from Uncle Mike and Pris ee ee.  I almost don't even want to post the drafts because I want everyone to be blown away when they see it all put together :) 

Wow! My family is so super awesome!

Postage

We're going to be spending about $100 worth of postage alone!!

The progression of our invitation

Response Card

4.25x5.5

The favor of a reply is requested
by May 1, 2011.
M__________________________
____Accepts with pleasure
____Declines with regrets
We have reserved ___ seats in your honor
___ of ___ guest(s) will attend

Envelope info

So we don't get charged extra on postage, here's something about envelopes I need to remember.  I think if I can find the 4x6 envelopes, I should be good.

Staples has Quality Park™ #6 Invitation Envelopes with Gummed Closure, 100/Pack (4-3/4" x 6-1/2") for $20.99

Walmart has Columbian Invitation Envelopes with Grip-Seal, 4.375" x 5.75", White, 100ct for $10.94

Kelley Paper 8 Bar Paramount Premium Super White Envelopes 250/Box  (5.5 x 8.125) for $34.84

Invite wording

The pleasure of your company is requested

at the marriage of

Edward Arnold Gonzales, Jr

and

Charlotte Patricia Ng

at St. Christopher Catholic Church

on Saturday the eighteenth of June two-thousand and eleven

at two o'clock in the afternoon.

Reception to follow.

Together with their parents

Charlotte Patricia Ng

and

Edward Arnold Gonzales, Jr

request the honor of your presence

at their marriage

on Saturday the eighteenth of June

two-thousand and eleven

at two o'clock in the afternoon

St. Christopher Church

Moreno Valley, California

Charlotte Patricia Ng

&

Edward Arnold Gonzales, Jr

invite you to share in their joy at their wedding

Saturday, June 18, 2011

at 2 in the afternoon



Love fills a moment
A moment fills a lifetime
A lifetime begins eternity
Our eternity begins here,
at the wedding of

Charlotte Patricia Ng&
Edward Arnold Gonzales, Jr
Please complete our happiness
by celebrating our wedding
Saturday, June 18, 2011
at 2 pm
St. Christopher Catholic Church
Moreno Valley, Calfornia

More peacock stuff

Purple and white themed save the date - simple

Eddie likes the white background with purple writing more than the purple background and white writing.

Peacock Style Board: Like the blue straws and purple orchids

Cute peacock invitation (but Eddie doesn't want a peacock on the invite)

Am feeling the feathers in a vase more so than feathers with flowers. Maybe a purple ribbon? And a purple table cloth?

Think purple swirls all around, and probably no peacock feathers on the table.

Blue and purple dendrobium!

DIY Invites

I made an invitation modeled after the one we had liked from before.

I'm thinking of asking Uncle Mike with help on the lettering. And will use the same style for the programs etc. If not Uncle Mike, maybe Pris ee ee or Luke?...

I have another idea for an invitation kinda taking shape in my mind. When we were at the Wedding Expo over the weekend, Eddie saw a custom invitation that had a piece of tulle sticking out of it, as the veil on a bride (it was the back of a bride and groom's heads; they were sitting in a car and the wording on the invitation had something to do with a journey together or on the road to something or other). He liked the dimension it added to the invitation...so I have some tulle and now need some ideas how to incorporate it into an invitation...

Invite Template

For the invites, I was thinking of having the outside become a folder that holds the response card/envelope etc.

Here's a template I found online... not sure that it would be as big as the template though... I'm thinking of something more square.


I'm thinking of having two sets of invites: 1 for people invited to the ceremony and reception and 1 for people only invited to the ceremony.

There are lots of people I'd like to invite (esp. church people for Mum and Dad), but we can't afford to have them at the reception, and they're not super close to me...

I was also thinking of what to do about maybe not having to mail back RSVPs for some of the guests?... Probably more of my friends and family who are proficient with email? That way there's that much less paper to use... Then again, I also heard about how one bride didn't get any RSVPs because they were online. And Eddie's saying no one on his family would know how to RSVP online and like 5 of his friends would...but I guess that's 5 friends less of paper?... Bah... I don't know if it's worth the hassle?...

Maybe we wouldn't need a pocket. We could use the vertical ribbon to hold the RSVP cards.

Ring around the rosy...

White gold, tungsten, titanium, stainless steel.
Comfort fit, brushed, matte, antiqued.
Hezelberg's, Zales, Daniel's, Kay's.

So many choices...
that after a while all look the same...
Good thing that it's Eddie looking, not me. :)

When we were at Jared's yesterday, he did find a ring that he liked... 14K white gold, grooved, and brushed something or other...



Today, a ring with pinstripes caught his eye...Eddie and his pinstripes...

He was also finding out more about the Tungsten and Titanium rings. He likes the color, but not the fact that you can't resize the ring. Tungsten and Titanium are also supposed to be super durable. One woman at Kay suggested that he buys two rings..one for formal wear and one for everyday wear.

Still no luck finding a wedding band that fits with my ring...so my options are 1) go without a wedding band and have the engagement ring serve both purposes or 2) custom made to fit my ring.

Talking about where we are with our wedding plans:

Photographer: www.triversityweddings.com Eddie's mom's coworker's husband (twice removed once replaced yadda yadda yadda ... ;) ) does photography. His starting price is $1000 for a full album, but we have yet to call for updated prices. We get all the photos on a CD and the price also includes engagement pictures. He works with a videographer who charges $500. I've looked at his website and his pictures look okay. I like his engagement pictures more than the wedding ones though.

Flowers: Eddie's friend Jeff's mom's company, a florist recommended to Eddie's mom, my friend's sister-in-law, flowers from LA....

DJ: Eddie's brother's friend is charging us $50.

Invitations: Make our own. Here's what I had in mind...

Favors: Back to the family theme...I was thinking we'd do cookies. Pineapple tarts for me, and the sugar cookies Eddie's grandmother used to make for them at Christmas.