shoestringbride's Xanga

Nerd Wedding Music

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:56:23 GMT

Whew! I have been one busy little bride the past few weeks :) Between apartment shopping, finishing my internship, and fitting my girls' pink bridesmaid dresses into a fall color scheme (no easy feat, I assure you), I've barely had time to think, let alone post.

On the flipside, we've been getting tons and tons done! Our big decision yesterday: musical selections for the ceremony!

You will remember, of course, that we'd already decided on "Hey Let's Go" from one of our favorite movies, My Neighbor Totoro. As if that wasn't nerdy enough, we've picked three more fantastic anime tunes for the rest of our ceremony:

Processional: "Merry-Go-Round of Life" from Howl's Moving Castle

A beautifully moving waltz piece, no matter the tempo. We're personally opting for the upbeat version from the beginning of my absolute favorite Miyazaki film of all time.

Bride's Entrance: "Kyoudai" from "Full Metal Alchemist"

A perfect balance of sweet and sad, which is exactly what I was looking for in a bridal processional (you know, to make my mom cry *evil grinz*).

Interlude: "A Seaside Town" from Kiki's Delivery Service

Upbeat, simple tune from another Miyazaki film. Every time I watch the show or listen to the song on Youtube, I get it stuck in my head.

Some more songs from animes, movies, and games that you nerdy brides out there might appreciate:

"Aerith's Theme" from "Final Fantasy VII"
"Tifa's Theme" from "Final Fantasy VII"
"October Sky" from October Sky
"Memory of Fanelia" from "Escaflowne"
"Porco Rosso Theme" from Porco Rosso
"One Summer's Day" from Spirited Away
"Somnus" from "Final Fantasy XIII"
"Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha
"Theme of Love" from "Final Fantasy IX"
"Song of Storms" from "Ocarina of Time"
"Ashokan Farewell" from "The Civil War"
"Feather Theme" from Forest Gump

It goes without saying that most anime and "Final Fantasy" games have some lovely music :)

It also goes without saying that all of these tunes can be found on YouTube. I'd link 'em all for you, but even though we'll probably be forgoing programs (not sure I want my grandparents aware that all of our music is from animated films featuring witches, sorcerers, alchemists, and a giant, fluffy tree spirit), I still have to take the paper to make those invites!

(Sources: 1, 2, 3, )

I Can Has Weding Dayt?

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:01:54 GMT

O hai. I DOES!!

And guess where it's (90% positive) going to be?

You have no idea how much I have been doing the happy dance in my head the past few days! The park is beautiful in September (yep, I'm gonna be a Fall bride), and I'll have only about two months until TDH and I are finally hitched.

Setting the date, however, was far from easy, and reminded me of the all-important lesson I learned way back in grade-school: talk to your parents about important things when they're in a good mood, and never talk about it over the phone! At least, that's true with my parents. Funny how a matter of two days can turn "No! Absolutely not!" into "Well, I think you guys should be able to set your own wedding date."

Next up: color re-scheming, an introduction to our wedding party (and Wedding Secret Service!), and a recap of my lovely Mrs. Aussie's day! :)

The Alleluia Chorus is Playing in My Head

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:00:39 GMT

No. Effin'. Way.

The Impossible Thing has finally happened.

TDH has a job!!!

And now he gets to move HERE *jabs picture excitedly* and we get to get married in a few short months!

This time, I can promise you a very short span betwixt this post and the next. Get ready for shoestring planning, y'all ;)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleeee-lu-iaaaaa!

On Postponement

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:21:27 GMT

I clicked through her Facebook album with a lump of vague disdain growing uncomfortably in the back of my throat. Not two weeks had gone by, and (as if her constant status updates about the number of days hadn't been enough) she had already posted 100-odd pictures of the magical day for the great wide internet world to see. There was the obligatory dress shot. There she was cheek to cheek with her perfectly-coiffed bridesmaids, nose-to-nose with her groom, snuggling up to the unnaturally adorable flower girl. It seemed her magical day had been sunny, perfect, and wonderful.

Except... How could it be wonderful when she was wearing that tiara? With that cake so fondant-y? When the bridesmaids were so abundant, and the reception venue alone had--clearly-- cost her parents a cool $10-thou?

It took me two albums to realize I was being unfairly judgemental. It took me three to realize why.

See, July has been looming large for the past two months or so, and so has TDH's joblessness. Two weeks ago, we decided to postpone the wedding until further notice.

The truth was, that throat lump wasn't so much about distain as it was about pain. I wasn't upset that he went up her skirt for the garter or that everything was fully catered. I was upset because while I'd level-headedly, optimistically put our wedding off, my own sunny, perfect, wonderful day was now back at square one, and her's had come and gone without so much as a cloud.

I'm not envious, not really. It's just that when your plans go down the tubes, it's easy to feel unjustly slighted when everything's coming up roses for everyone else. We Limbo Brides (I know you're out there, ladies) just have to remember that all-important lesson we learned from our first attempted bike ride: let yourself cry a little, pick yourself up, and start again.

Little Miss and her Mr. Aussie are getting married in less than two weeks. I'm sure the twinge of pain will be back at some point, but it's their day, not mine. I'm gonna put on my game face, strap on my heels, and have a great time, because some day soon, the sun is gonna shine, and TDH and I will finally, finally be together.

More adventures in shoestring, seat-of-the-pants wedding planning to come :)

Little Miss is Getting Married :)

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:13:41 GMT

I got a letter yesterday from an address I didn't recognize. It turned out to be an invite for Little Miss' formal shower!

As I mentioned previously, Little Miss is one of my bridesmaids and best friends. She and her sweetheart of a fiance (we will call him Mr. Australia) are also getting married about a month before us!

I am super-de-duper excited to be sharing a wedding summer with my dear friend. Hopefully, I will be able to take many pictures at the shower and wedding and share her creative ideas with you as well (I know there is a LOT to do with Legos at their wedding, which cracks me up because it is so them!).

Do you know someone, or several people, who are getting married close to your wedding? How is that working out for you?

A Note about a Sensitive Subject

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:46:31 GMT

It doesn't often come up in polite conversation, but I have a real issue with skin conditions.

When I was in elementary school, it was falling down and smashing my face on things. When I was in high school, it was a really, really virulent case of verruca vulgaris (aka common warts-- best treatment, by the way, is the one where they inject mild chemo drugs at each site... but that's a story for another day).

But my biggest battle, the one that has outlasted the rest and caused me the most irritation, self-esteem issues, and annoyance, is with acne.

To give you an idea, here's a pic of me a year ago:

*wince* Yikes. Those big red splotches are mostly cystic acne. This is the kind that gets waaay under your skin and makes scars, and I had a lot of it.

Now I know acne doesn't seem like that big of an issue compared to a debilitating disease or a mental disorder, but I can vouch for many, many men and women that being a serious pizza face messes with your self-esteem. Not only can it be painful and itchy, but it's the only part of you everyone always sees, and not everyone is kind.

Luckily, I'm at the other side now. After many, many months, I am nearly acne free, and I rarely have cystic acne issues. I count myself blessed, but I know there are still brides (and grooms) out there who are staring down their wedding day and feeling dismal about their skin, and I want to let you know that there is hope! Here's what worked for me:

Eating Right-- Believe it or not, what you put in your body affects your skin just as much as your other organs (did you know your skin was an organ??). So while chocolate might not cause pimples, not drinking enough water and eating potato chips 24/7 will definitely affect your skin. I try to eat right every single day.
Getting Enough Sleep-- Just like food, sleep intake affects your entire body, including your skin. It's a good idea to get somewhere around 8-10 hours a night. Being young is SO not an excuse to have an erratic sleep schedule-- it will mess you up.
Changing Sheets and Towels-- I try to change mine at least twice a week. It keeps all the accumulated dead skin cells out of your pores, which makes you less likely to have a breakout.
Prescription Drugs-- My dermatologist currently has me taking Minocin (aka Minocycline) every other night, along with applying sodium sulfacetamide lotion to my face in the morning (this helps with dryness) and Differin (aka Adapalene) at night. I can definitely credit these drugs to solving my issues-- but only because I used them every single day, even if it didn't look like it was helping. This is super important especially with pills; Minocin, for example, is an antibiotic, so if you miss even once your system will become immune.
A Consistent Routine-- I wash my face every morning and every night (Neutrogena is my favorite face soap), making absolutely sure to use all my prescriptions. I also use a microdermabrasion lotion (Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Facial Peel is awesome) twice a week to help with scarring.

Some things that didn't work? I wouldn't recommend:

Proactiv-- Okay, so it worked for Jessica Simpson, but that sure as heck doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone. For me, Proactiv irritated my skin and made my cystic acne worse. Even the Gentle Solutions stuff didn't work. My advice: don't spend the money if your skin is super sensitive.
Vitamins-- My mom and dad are big pill people, so when I almost went on Accutane (Isotretinoin) last year and scared myself out of it, we worked out a complex regimen that was supposed to help flush out all the toxins. See picture above for results :)
Other Drugs?-- Honestly, I've tried about everything under the sun (on acne.org's prescription meds page, there's only one or two I haven't tried). Not all of it worked, but I wasn't always patient. Try something faithfully for two months, and if you don't see improvement, ask about something else.

What body issues have you had to deal with in planning your wedding?

Invite Musings

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:19:25 GMT

120 days to go.

Actually sounds like a manageable number now, doesn't it? That's about four months. In fact, it was exactly four months a few days ago :)

Today's plight of plights is invites! Since dreaming up the little buggers many days ago, I have come down a bit from my DIY cloud and considered that maybe it would be easier to... well, do things a little easier.

I started with gingham.

Let me first say that I loooove me some gingham. Nothing quite says "summery picnic" to me like a swatch of this lovely checked fabric. And as our main colors are green and yellow, I went with the gold gingham motif, snitched some clip art from the internets (very useful), opened my trusty Paint program, and whipped up a vague idea of what I wanted:

Keep Reading...

Wedding Doldrums

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:40:00 GMT

123 days and counting.

Hello again :) I realize I've been a complete and total slacker when it comes to posting here, but it's probably due to the fact that nothing wedding-related is getting done. This is mostly because

1) School is kicking my butt, and I will not be receiving a little piece of paper when I walk in May because of an internship that I have yet to find.
2) TDH is still on the job hunt.
3) It's actually pretty difficult to plan a wedding when you're two hours away from where you're getting married!
4) My mom still won't help us find a caterer (because of 2).

Alright, so I could whine all day about everything that's holding me back. But the simple truth of it is, I have the wedding blues. I'm at that point in most long engagements where I just want to let someone else plan it, or throw it together, or just run off and elope.

The one wedding thing I've "gotten done" since I left school Friday? Yesterday, we were in the grocery store. I looked over at all the flower arrangements and said to TDH, "Let's just get flowers from grocery store the day of." Florist-- check! (Although it doesn't solve the boutonniere/corsage issue, so... maybe not.)

Oh, and my lovely, lovely wedding dress is waiting for me in Bro LJ's closet when I get home tomorrow :) I guess the best cure for wedding blues is remembering all the things you've already gotten done.

Have you run into the blahs yet? What did you do about it?

Having Friends is a Good Thing

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:00:34 GMT

This is my best friend from highschool:

Photo by one of his many female friends... but ladies, he's currently singly and studly!

Besides being a mounted shooting champion, deer slayer, ace mechanic, knife aficionado, and maker of some mighty fine omelets, El Rojo (as he is known west of the Mississippi) has something fantastic to offer our wedding.

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Unusual Ceremony Music... Check!

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:04:02 GMT

159 days and counting.

TDH and I are in complete and utter love with anything Studio Ghibli (particularly anything Miyazaki, though I am a Takehada otaku as well hehe). So it really should be no surprise to any of our friends and family that we want to include some of their fabulous music in our ceremony!

The piece we've picked for our exit is the opening theme, "Hey, Let's Go!" from My Neighbor Totoro, one of both of our favorite Ghibli films. The guitar version, which we found played online by the amazing lonlonjp, is absolutely perfect! And check out the words:

Source

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