Wax seals: cool looking, but a giant pain

When we were trying to figure out how to personalize our invitations (more than the organization suggested in the boxed set), Vader suggested we wax seal them closed. It sounded fun and classy, so after a long deliberation we ended up ordering a stamp with our "monogram" off Etsy and some wax. When we finally had both we enjoyed practicing by sealing random junk mail until we had it down. We then moved onto sealing our invitations, where we learned why wax sealing has become a thing of the past. It's messy, it hurts, it's temperamental, and no seal looks the same. We're choosing to see that as lending a unique, handmade touch to each invitation. Here's a visual of the process:

The process: light wick, dribble wax in approximation of a circle, stamp. It turns out targeted dribbling is hard to do well.

Vader's battle wound (the white blob is a blister) - while your thumb is burning there is nothing you can do about it, because it's covered in hot wax.

Sometimes while burning the wick catches fire, dropping bits of char into the wax.  Perhaps a wax  color other than white would be advisable for the future.

Sometimes when the wax is flaming or your finger is burning you flail wax all over the place. It is then hard to peel off.

Sometimes you're not paying perfect attention to the stamp you are working on, and  stick your fingers in the not-yet-cooled wax. Even more unique: invitations with our fingerprints!

It turns out the glue squares I was using to hold the ribbon closed melted from the heat of the wax. Oops.

After stamping a hundred invitations, I would only recommend this project to somebody with patience,  callused fingers, and plenty of extra wax paper. Or anybody who wants a fun challenge that looks so cool when done right. Like this: 

Yeah, it looks great. It's one of three in the entire bunch that look this good.

Candy, candy

In the very beginning of wedding planning, when finding pretty pictures was enough and I didn't have to worry about details or payments, I found myself bookmarking several photos of colorful candy buffets. Clearly, this was in the pre-Pinterest days. Since, I've added plenty of pins.

Candy buffets are a trifecta of wedding awesome: edible favors, fun sugary snacks for the after party, and bright, cheery colors that double as decorations. And, since it's our wedding, we get to pick the candy! No black licorice to be found!

As we developed the candy list from things we find delicious, things our friends and family find delicious, and general Maine-themed crowd pleasers, I started hunting on wedding forums for places to get different kinds of candies cheapest. At one point I had identified five different sites to order different varieties of candy from because they were pennies cheaper per pound - until you looked into shipping costs. Because candy may melt, break, get stuck together, etc. during shipping, companies charge an arm and a leg to pack candy specially with cooler packs and those stupid air pack pillows my cat likes to pop loudly in the middle of the night. No, thanks!

Instead, I turned to good ol' two-day shipping and Amazon prime. Amazon had most of the candy varieties we were interested in, and for less than most bulk candy sites. I assembled a wish list of approximately 20 varieties of candy last winter, planning to order as we got closer to the wedding.

Fast forward to two weeks ago when I was in Maine for some wedding errands. Mom suggested we take a look at BJ's prices for candy, and I readily agreed. Given our Amazon list, I was planning to spend $250 - $350 on candy, possibly more for specialty items. I intended to check BJ's prices against Amazon's in store using my phone and purchase the candy that was cheaper at BJ's. As it turns out - all of it was cheaper, by quite a bit. We ended up finding all but 5 of our chosen candy varieties, for about half of what I had planned on spending! We ordered the specialty candy online (candy buttons and Necco wafers are hardly the most sought-after items during April in Maine), and plan to finish the list up soon. This will put our total candy spending at  ~$180, which is terrifically under budget given how much candy we will have on the buffet!

Fear not, wedding cake haters, there'll be plenty of after-dinner sweets at the wedding! And my Dad will happily accept your unwanted cake.

Shower!

Boston is on its way back to normal AND Mom sent me the pictures from the shower, so without further ado...

Me and my carload of friends arrived at Maurice's for my bridal shower twenty minutes early, only to be told by my eight-year-old niece to "skedaddle" very emphatically. After dropping off our stuff we returned twenty five minutes later, and this time were welcomed inside. Mom made sure to get a picture of MOH Moxie dressing me in "shower gear..."

...before she took this shot, likely the most attractive shot my sister and I have taken together in years. Please excuse the glasses :) 

Not long after that, we were seated and munching on delicious platters of veggies, cheese and crackers, mini quiches, and assorted crustini. We laughed, ate, and caught up with everyone for a few minutes.

Then it was time for gift opening, during which Mom and Moxie had created a game for people to remain interested play along while they cheered on the breaking of ribbons, which apparently signifies impending children. The crowd got rowdy at the end as they closed in on some fabulous scratch tickets, hoping I would find rolling pins or dishcloths in my gift bags or pretending cake pans were coasters. Meanwhile, I was roasting to death in a leather chair while everybody watched me open presents. To liven things up (and cool down) I tried out the swag. I call this montage "I put on all of the things."

 

While I was ruining my family's hopes of fielding a football team with my future children by meticulously undoing each ribbon, a combination of Mom, Bridesmaid Comicon, and a longtime friend helped put together my "rehearsal bouquet." There was a long loop extending from one side, which in my silliness I determined made my options "ribbon necklace" or "ribbon Kentucky Derby hat." See below.

 

I got a lot of wonderful gifts, spurring a string of treats made and meals with friends since to enjoy our new things. After everything was opened it was time for cake. On the cake were flamingos WEARING FLIP-FLOPS. So cool. See? 

I cut the cake awkwardly, ate a piece with half a flamingo on it, and settled in for a lovely and rowdy evening with my whole family and college friends for a game of Cards Against Humanity. And I still haven't stopped making silly faces in pictures:

Next up: Mom helps save us $$$$ on candy!

A shower and a manhunt

I spent most of the last week in Maine, all starting with a wonderful shower thrown by Mom and MOH Moxie last weekend! Some lovely ladies, and one dapper groomsman, ate, laughed, and chatted with me and my family and friends while I awkwardly tried not to flash my grandmother as I opened gifts. There is an iconic picture of 5-year-old me who clearly hadn't learned to "sit like a lady" (read: legs splayed wide in a dress, thank God for thick tights) and it's a lesson I still struggle with.

I digress. The shower was delightful and people were extremely generous, but you'll have to wait for photographic evidence until Mom sends me some pictures. Spoiler alert: in them, I try on every gift I received that was even remotely wearable. Many of them at the same time.

After the shower Vader and  I stuck around in Maine for a few days to get wedding things done, and we're pretty thankful we did. The Boston marathon bombs went off about a mile from our apartment, and even now things are sealed off for the investigation with military police standing guard at cross streets that intersect Boylston St. We arrived yesterday morning, giving us enough time to check out the bombing area and get settled in before the current manhunt for the bombing suspect began overnight. As I am writing this, we're holed up in our apartment under orders from Boston PD to stay home until they locate the suspect at large. It's been quite a week for our city, and we are all looking forward to the end of the whole event.

containers

Yesterday, I got two boxes in the mail. TWO! I think I'll plan a wedding for the rest of my life so I get this much mail!

Ha! I do love getting mail, but also saving money.

Anyway, in the first box was the totally flipping cool part of my gifts for my bridesmaids, who are much too nosy for me to announce the contents. In the other box was a thousand bags. I found a ton of bags I think (thought?) will be great for the candy buffet for cheap online from a restaurant supply store. Here's what they look like:

the pint glass is included for size comparison

My thinking on the size of the bags, with much help from wedding sites and other bloggers, was that I wanted bags that were big enough they could hold a mini whoopie pie and some candy, but not bags large enough that the first twenty guests through the line with the munchies would clean out the candy supply. Now that I see them, I'm doubting the size. Does this bag look too small for 1/4 - 1/3 of a pound of candy and a mini whoopie pie? 

In other news, my shower is this weekend! I'm excited for a weekend in Maine with friends and family and food, followed by a week of much-needed vacation with some wedding crafting thrown in. 

Seriously. Are the bags too small?

A completed project!

Given how simple it looks it's a little embarrassing how long this took me, but here's my project of the night:

Our life in a nutshell. Legos, Mark Bittman, and a shelf full  of cocktail accoutrements

There will be something between Mr. and Mrs., but freehand drawing an ampersand or a heart seemed a little beyond my artistic skill, so I'll keep looking for a stencil along those lines.

Also, this banner (which will hang on our sweetheart table at the reception) announces my name decision so far: I'll be adding Apollo to my name in July, keeping all the rest of my current names as well. I still haven't decided whether I'll have two middle names or two non-hyphenated last names - but I still have three months! 

oh boy

Thanks to UPS, I have emerged from the bathroom or come in the front door to my apartment several times since Saturday and found this exactly:

Yep, he won that battle. Somewhere in the country there is a person at an Amazon shipping facility shaking their head, wondering what on Earth is going on. Vader explained the giant boxes to the UPS guy, who congratulated us and remarked "Huh, guess you can find anything online these days."

After mulling over how to spice up my less-cool-than-swords bridesmaid gifts for some time, I was struck with nerdy inspiration by a conversation with a coworker this afternoon. I know for a fact some of the girls are reading this, or I'd share. Stay tuned for the announcement on July 12th! You know, the night before my wedding. When I'm sure I'll be writing a blog post :)