I'm a freakin GENIUS!!! (NOT.)

Or an alternate title could be...How This Bride FAILED in E-pic Planning.

What's going on, you ask in alarm? Well, I'll tell you....

I scheduled our e-pics for June 22 at 5:30pm - you know, to capture that awesome sunset style that's so pretty - like this!

samoancuban photography
They are our awesome photographers too!

The reason I scheduled our e-pics for June 22 (aka tomorrow! eek!) is because our awesome photographers are based in Baltimore, MD...but they are currently vacationing in Wilmington, NC...which is 2.5 hours from where me and MR PB are! So it's more convenient this way, and travel fees are less.

But...

June 21st is the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. That means the sunset is much later in the day. Like, 9pm. Timing FAIL.

Also...

It's freaking hot outside. As my father and I like to say, it is, in fact, "hotter than a nanny goat in a pepper patch." It's wayyyyyyyyyyyy hotter than normal, and tomorrow is going to be a high of 95 freaking degrees. Add some lovely North Cackalacky humidity in there, and you have one giant TEMPERATURE FAIL.

Timing Fail + Temperature Fail + Our awesome photographers....could this still = really awesome pics of me and Mr. PB????

Did you have a time where you FAILed to consider the temperature or timing of something in planning for your wedding?

"A surprise is coming on Monday"... - Part Deux

So, I'm watching in awe as these men bring in my shiny new washer and dryer. Then they say "OK, we'll be right back with the stove."

Miley Cyrus "Say What?" Montage
("OK, Miss Polar Bear has flipped," you're thinking. Look, I work with kids so I know a lot about Hannah Montana. Although I do like that Wizards of Waverly Place with that cutie pie Selena Gomez wayyyyyyy more.)

After having a Miley/Hannah moment...

"Delivery guy say what say what?!?!?"

I freaked out! I jumped up and said "We're getting a new stove TOO??? Wait, are we millionaires now????????????" Mr. Polar Bear assured me that we are not millionaires, that he got a great deal and his work had been going well, and thus he was upgrading some of our old, outdated things.

Woo-freaking-hoo* y'all! I have a new washer, dryer, and stove AND the *American Expletive Fixation is alive and well!

What has your SO surprised you with? Was it a good surprise or a bad one?

The Hunt Continues....

After resting and researching, we headed out to check out some more venues. Truth be told, we probably looked at way more than six. I suppressed the thought of some of them. So these are the three it boiled down to.

Are you my wedding venue? source

#4: Snipes Farm: This place is not super well known in our town, but it IS known among the indie kids. I definitely do not consider myself to be an "indie kid" but I am friends with some of them! They won't let me in their club because I wear too much pink (and other bright colors), have blonde hair, listen to pop music and country, and think those fake mustaches on a stick are absolutely ridiculous.* I know. My one reader probably just left. I've totally lost any audience I ever had.

OK, so Snipes Farm was local, affordable (one of the least expensive sites we found), and "cool." We went to check it out in person, and they had this great tree to have the ceremony under:

source

and this cool "barn" to have the reception in:

source

But...well, Mr. PB thought it was a bit too country. I wasn't a huge fan of the concrete floors in the barn. While I thought it had potential, Mr. PB was not feeling it - and lord knows I want him comfortable and happy on the wedding day! So, this was also just NOT RIGHT.

Next! #5: The Barn at Valhalla. Yes, Viking Heaven. It's owned by a guy named Duffy, and he has a crazy website here that lists a lot of don'ts, such as:

It is not cool for your guests to be honking the horns of their cars at 11:59PM.

Limit all sexual activities to a room upstairs if you have chosen to rent the upstairs. Please dispose of any “evidence of love making” rather than leaving “it” on the floor.

Obviously, we had to check this place out!

The Barn at Night


And during the day...


source
There are beautiful wood walkways, a lake, an gigantic stone outdoor fireplace, and a gazebo.

And it was in our price range! My concerns were that the inside of the actual barn was kind of small, so the reception would be an indoor and outdoor reception. How does this work? How do people know when we are dancing? Am I going to need a bullhorn to alert them that we are cutting the cake? Are all the boys going to be in the gazebo while the girls are tearing it up on the dance floor in the barn? And if so, is that a problem????

I have some anxiety, can you tell?

We had one more place to check out, and I was really excited about it! Why? Because one of the owners of The Inn at Bingham School was French. Ok, he was actually from Texas, but he spoke French. And I love anything French!!!

pretty huh? So, this is a historic site. It was once a Boarding School for young men but now is a beautiful bed and breakfast. The grounds are lovely, the rooms are luxurious and amazing, and it felt perfect for a beautiful, outdoor, under the trees wedding with a tented reception. Ahhhhhh. AND...bonus! There were several friendly cats that hung out on the property! What was the problem then? Well, I had no problem...except for the Confederate memorabilia in the Inn (hey, we live in NC and history is history...but still). And then there was the mention of the slave quarters and the fact that some of the larger stones on the property might have been slaves' gravestones. While this is not uncommon in the South, again...still not giving me good juju. Plus, Mr. PB did NOT like the place, and both our mothers thought it seemed like just a "nice yard." I think they were totally freaked about us not getting married in a church or another physical structure. Also, this place was about twice as much as Snipes Farm and Valhalla. Soooooooo, what'd we pick? Well, if you've been reading along you'll already know, but those of you who are new and were able to keep reading after that indie mustache dig should be rewarded. You will be excited to know that we chose...the... Barn at Valhalla! Awesome huh? We're gonna have lots of fun decorating the many different areas of this venue.

How many venues did you have to look at before finding the one? Did the venue you chose have a list of Dos and Dont's as hilarious as mine?

*If you want mustaches on a stick at your wedding, more power to you, and I'm sure the pics will be awesome!*

Are You Our Wedding Venue?

 

 source

The first big thing Mr. Magic and I really started thinking about was the venue. I really felt like a venue would set the tone for our wedding, and he basically had no idea what to do, so he went along with me on our venue hunt. We looked at a lot, but these were the six main contenders.

Venue #1: In my mind, I had The Perfect Venue alllllllllll picked out, and had been lusting after it since we visited it in May 2010 with a group of friends. So yes, I wanted to get married there (and, ok, I may have already priced it out) six months before we got engaged. I'm nothing if not efficient (except when I am inefficient...or procrastinating...or disorganized).

OK, so what was this "perfect" venue? Bald Head Island of course! It's a tiny island off the NC coast...you can only get to it by ferry and there are no cars there, only golf carts!

Ceremony in this intimate, romantic chapel (the water is behind it!)

Reception under oak trees and the Old Baldy Lighthouse, under the stars.

Pretty huh? Also, wayyyyyyyy out of our budget, and not as convenient as some of the other venues...it is about one hour drive from some of my family, but four hours drive from me, Mr. Magic, and most of his family. So, this venue (although really lovely) was just not right. I know some Bees are getting married there and all I can say is, I am way, way jealous. Also, I make a lovely wedding guest/helper.

Venue #2: Fearrington Barn in Pittsboro, NC. I had lusted after this venue even before the Bald Head Island one. It's only 30 minutes away from Mr. Magic and I, it's very romantic, and they have striped cows. See?

source

source

Alas, we had already been to one wedding here, and while it was very lovely, we wanted to do something different. Oh and also, it was wayyyyyyy too expensive also. See a theme here? Next!

Venue #3: We checked out Chapel Hill Bed and Breakfast because it met our price requirements. I'm a quick learner, so after being wooed and broken hearted by the fancy-schmancy places, I figured I'd try to stick to our budget.

Chapel Hill Bed and Breakfast

This place was nearby and very affordable. Unfortunately, where we would have wanted to have the ceremony was right off the road, and while it's not a super busy road, we definitely noticed the traffic while we were just there visiting. Nixed.

Venue #4: Snipes Farm. This place is not super well known in our town, but it is known among the indie kids. I definitely do not consider myself to be an "indie kid" but I am friends with some of them! They won't let me in their club because I wear too much pink, have blonde hair, listen to pop music and country, and think those fake mustaches on a stick are absolutely ridiculous.* I know. My one reader probably just left...first I insult sweetheart lace gowns, now this. I've totally lost any audience I ever had. I'm just saying, I am misunderstood by the indie crowd...kinda like Pam from True Blood.

Anyway, Snipes Farm was local, affordable (one of the least expensive sites we found), and "cool." We went to check it out in person, and they had this great tree to have the ceremony under:

source

and this cool "barn" to have the reception in:

source

But...well, Mr. Magic thought it was a bit too country...again. I wasn't a huge fan of the concrete floors in the barn. While I thought it had potential, Mr. Magic was not feeling it - and Lord knows I want him comfortable and happy on the wedding day! This place got the axe.

Venue #5: The Barn at Valhalla. Yes, Viking Heaven. It's owned by a guy named Duffy, and he has a crazy website that lists a lot of rules. See?

source

 

The Barn at Night

And during the day...

source

There are beautiful wood walkways, a lake, a gigantic stone outdoor fireplace, and a gazebo (where Duffy told us that more than one couple has gone to consummate their marriage. No judgment...ok, a little...).

And it was in our price range! My concerns were that the inside of the actual barn was kind of small, so the reception would be an indoor and outdoor reception. How does this work? How do people know when we are dancing? Am I going to need a bullhorn to alert them that we are cutting the cake? Are all the boys going to be in the gazebo while the girls are tearing it up on the dance floor in the barn? And if so, is that a problem????

I have some anxiety, can you tell?

Venue #6: We had one more place to check out, and I was really excited about it! Why? Because one of the owners of The Inn at Bingham School was French. Ok, he was actually from Texas, but he spoke French. And I love anything French!!!

pretty huh?   So, this is a historic site. It was once a boarding school for young men but now it is a beautiful bed and breakfast. The grounds are lovely, the rooms are luxurious and amazing, and it felt perfect for a beautiful, outdoor, under the trees wedding with a tented reception. Ahhhhhh. AND...bonus! There were several friendly cats that hung out on the property! What was the problem then? Well, I had no problem...except for the Confederate memorabilia in the Inn (hey, we live in NC and history is history...but still...not giving me a good vibe). And then there was the mention of the slave quarters and the fact that some of the larger stones on the property might have been slaves' gravestones. While this is not uncommon in the South, again...still not giving me good juju. Plus, Mr. Magic did not like the place, and both our mothers thought it seemed like just a "nice yard." I think they were totally freaked about us not getting married in a church or other physical structure. Also, this place was about twice as much as Snipes Farm and Valhalla. Dunzo! Soooooooo, what'd we pick? Well, if you've been reading along you'll already know, but those of you who are new and were able to keep reading after that indie mustache dig should be rewarded. You will be excited to know that we chose...the... Barn at Valhalla!

How many venues did you have to look at before finding the one? Did the venue you chose have a list of Dos and Dont's as hilarious as mine?

*If you want mustaches on a stick at your wedding, more power to you...I just have like, a mental block when it comes to those things! Please don't hate me....*

"A surprise is coming on Monday"...

said Mr. Polar Bear.

"For me??? A surprise for me???? Is it a new cat? Is the house being painted? Is it a new washer and dryer?" said I.

Mr. Polar Bear said nothing in reply.

Around comes Monday...no surprise. Instead, the surprise came on Tuesday!

And ding ding ding, I was RIGHT. It was a new washer and dryer!!!!

We DESPERATELY needed a new washer and dryer. Our old ones barely worked. I'd put in a shirt covered in cat hair, and the shirt would come out wet... and covered in cat hair. The dryer was a fire hazard that our cat had peed in one time. In short, the washer and dryer were so old, they were practically antique. Don't believe me? Here's me, doing laundry:

source
My dress is so cute, isn't it?

OK, seriously though, the washer and dryer were really really old. We had talked about getting new ones since we moved in back in 2005. And now, we have a shiny new washer like this (with a matching dryer)!

LG Truesteam Washer and Dryer

I'm certainly no domestic goddess and my nesting instincts have flown the coop, right along with that Protestant work ethic I was allegedly born with...but I could not WAIT to do laundry in these amazingly modern contraptions.

But wait...the surprise did not end there! The nice delivery men brought in another new appliance! Any guesses as to what it was?

Door Adornment - Version 1.0

Miss Magic's Memo: I wrote this post in June 2010. As time goes, on I'm not sure I am still a big fan of these wreaths. That's what happens to indecisive brides who try to get a jump on things in a long engagement!

For our wedding at Viking Heaven (aka, The Barn at Valhalla - oh wow I haven't even posted about that, how backasswards of me!), doors need to be adorned. OK, maybe not need. But this is a craft I could do wayyyyyyy in advance, and seemed do-able for even this sometimes craft impaired bride. So I ordered all that ribbon and got to cutting and tying following directions from The Long Thread.

These directions are copy and pasted from here:
Supplies:

• 12″ foam wreath form
• 24 yards 1 1/4″ black grosgrain ribbon (or less if using a wider ribbon)
• Scissors
• Measuring tape

Steps:

1. Cut 45-50 16″ pieces of ribbon.
2. Tie one strand of ribbon in a knot around the wreath. I used a “messy knot” — right over left, then right over left again, pulling in the opposite direction. It doesn’t really matter how you do it as long as you are consistent all the way around. Repeat with the knots, pushing them close together, until you fill the wreath.
3. Cut one long piece of ribbon (48″) and tie one end to form a knot. Leave a long loop for hanging and tie another knot onto the wreath.
4. Trim any frayed or long ends.

See?

Ignore the green foam wreath part sticking out. That shouldn't be there.

Helpful tips:

1. Cut a bunch of ribbon, then go ahead and use Fray Check to stop the fraying BEFORE you tie. It's way easier than going around afterward, trimming and fray checking.

2. Some of you may feel like when you tie the knot, there is not possibly enough ribbon to make a bow. It may SEEM like this, to some of you. Not me of course. It certainly did not take me multiple tries and mutiple glasses of wine and multiple episodes of the Gilmore Girls to get the first bow tied correctly. I also didn't cut a bunch of ribbon 4 inches too short either. No sir-ee. But some of you might struggle. So be careful when cutting ribbon to insure it is the right length, and, um, just keep trying to make the bow. Once you make one, you're golden!

3. As you may have noticed above, a bit of my wreath is showing. Oopsy! When tying the bows, you kinda have to have the ribbon overlap on the back part of the wreath, to have the knots close enough to cover the wreath in the front. Usually you can tie the knot and then just slip one ribbon over another in the back.

Cost per wreath:
ribbon: 24 yards x $0.28 = $6.72
wreath: I don't have the exact receipt, but I think it was about 5$ at Michael's, and I had a 40% off coupon, which would make it = $3 approximately

TOTAL COST per wreath = about 10$
and since I'm making 4 wreaths, that's $40 total!

Not so shabby, if I do say so myself! Have you embarked on a DIY project to adorn some doors, or something equally "only brides would do this"? And...what do you think of my wreath???

Decision - Dunzo*!!!

Remember The Great Purple Debate of 2010? Oh, you don't? It was, like, totally on the news and everything - you must have been swamped that week.

Well, that particular debate raged on and on [in my mind] until bam, eBay to the rescue! I was searching for some wine/fall-y purple colored ribbons to make an awesome wedding craft, and I found a color called Currant.

Here is where everything got car-azy! There were several listings for a currant colored 1.5" grosgrain ribbon (pronounced "grow-grain" not "gross grain"...thanks for schooling me on that, Bridesmaid Pumpkin!)...some looked like "the good kind"* of purple...some looked like wino red. I emailed one seller, carriesshowcase, and asked if her currant ribbon was more red or purple...and when she replied purple, I bought it. ALL of it. 250 yards of ribbon to be exact!

The box arrived! And inside was this:

Does that look red to you? Don't worry, it's not really. It's a lovely purpley color, although I did recently notice that some of the ribbon is ever so sliiiiiiightly more red. I think only someone with bride brain would notice this.

{side note: who knew I'd be obsessed with reddish purples and purpley reds? The things we brides endure....}

So, all in all, I got 250 yards of ribbon shipped to me for $70, which equals 28 cents per yard! Not to shabby, if I do say so myself.

And even better, my purple decision was made for me! I'm going with the purple of this ribbon, which is most like plum raisin!

source

Has eBay been good to you? And what do you think I'm making with all this ribbon???

*Mr. Magic says "dunzo" alllll the time. I know others use it now, but I swear he coined it. We've discussed opening a pizza parlor called Dunzo Pizza!

*"The good kind" is an old joke between us (and all of Mr. Magic's friends). One night, Mr. Magic was going to the bathroom and I very sleepily mumbled "Can you bring me a hair band - the good kind." He thought this was hilarious (apart from having no idea what it meant - the ouchless kind, obv!) and told his friends. Now anytime we want to specify something we add "the good kind" onto it.

OK, well, it's funny to us anyway. ;-)