Work has been kicking my butt lately. Three people have left my team within the last month and I'm overworked to the bones. Why is it that crappy, uncontrollable circumstances always happen during the craziest periods of wedding planning? It's like there's a wedding ruining troll that feeds off of stressing brides out.

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you all these adorable 1-inch buttons that I purchased from etsy seller button empire for $5.50 after shipping (shipped from Canada). They describe Mr. Eggplant and me PERFECTLY and I thought that they'd be cute for the gratuitous ring shot (picture courtesy of The Image Is Found, who, by the way, are wonderful photographers. I considered them for our wedding but they were already booked).

More cute options for your liking:

...as evidenced by this picture at age six with my wedding gown Barbie.

I've been scanning pictures for our slideshow and it's brought back a flood of childhood memories. Pouring over my family's old photo albums has actually been one of my favorite parts of wedding planning. It's so much fun reliving my childhood!

Brother Eggplant was my little sidekick. He was adorable, no?

Below, Mamma and Pappa Eggplant cutting their wedding cake. Mamma's dress matches Barbies! And I love Pappa's spiffy blue velvet suit.

For those of you who have done slideshows for your wedding, have you found it's something that people enjoy? Or do they go over as boring for most? What creative techniques have you used to to spice up your slideshow?

The responses have been steadily arriving for our wedding. I'm happy to report that almost everyone has said "yes"!

However, while I'm ecstatic that our friends and family can share in our day, I'm also a bit concerned. I actually budgeted for at least a 10% decline rate from our guests, meaning I invited 200 people with the expectation that 180 would be able to make it. Out of seventy-seven replies, only four have declined, three of which I already knew could not come. Most of the guests who have not yet responded are close friends and family that I know will be attending for sure. In the past weeks, I've also added unexpected seats to our guest list, like my ring bearer's baby sitter and a few infants. The babies will not be included for a meal headcount but will still need a space at the table.

The problem is, our venue has size constraints and if we have a guest list of over 180, we'll need to make use of  an awkward "L" section of the banquet room that I was hoping to leave empty. This section is removed and out of sight from the other areas of the banquet room. I'm worried that anyone assigned to the "L" corner will feel neglected or "less important" than the other guests. Oh, the politics of seating arrangements!

Mr. Eggplant has already decided to rent a second projector and screen if we need to utilize the "L" section. With another screen, at least all guests will be able partake in the slideshow and various other media elements that we'll be incorporating. We're also thinking about performing the evening's activities on different areas of the room so that we can be near everyone at some point in the night (cake cutting on one side, first dance and bouquet toss on the other side, etc.).

Does anyone else have venue constraints? What creative solutions have you used to deal with them?

I am soliciting all of your flower expertise! Can anyone tell me what type of flowers are similar to the ones pictured in the cake photo?

Next week I will be dropping off my a copy of my desired cake design to my baker along with silk flowers to decorate the confection. Since the flowers in Sylvia Weinstock's cake pictured above are made of sugar, I can't seem to find similar ones made of silk. Any suggestions? I'm hoping to find some that are rather large (5" in diameter or so).

Thanks so much!

My wedding officiant/pastor has never officiated a wedding before.

Yup, it's true! And I couldn't be more thrilled.

Originally, Mr. Eggplant and I asked the lead pastor at our church to officiate our wedding. He was already scheduled for another wedding on the same day as our nuptuals, and coincidentally, in the same city also. The plan was to start our ceremony in the late afternoon and have our pastor wedding hop once he was done marrying the first couple. Well, there were so many uncontrollable variables involved in timing a wedding, that I didn't feel great about our original plan. So a little over two months left until our big day, Mr. Eggplant and I decided to switch officiants.

Our new officiant (I'll call him Pastor A) is also a pastor at our current church. He's newly married and just celebrated his one year anniversary recently. Our wedding will be the first nuptuals that he'll be overseeing, and I'm totally fine with it. I actually wanted to be the first wedding that he officiated. Call me selfish, but I like the thought of our wedding being just a little bit special to someone other than me and Mr. Eggplant. Plus, since this is Pastor A's first official wedding, he has been able to spend a generous amount of time preparing with us, going over pre-marital counseling, and giving us a realistic view of what our first year of marriage will be like. As it turns out, Pastor A and his wife are quite similar to Mr. Eggplant and me! Our age gap is the same: Pastor A is younger than Mrs. A (and younger than me, I think). Similarly, our personalities are parallel: Mr. Eggplant and Pastor A are both extroverts while I'm shy as pie and Mrs. A is also reserved.

I'm quite excited to have Pastor A marrying us this October. I think he'll do a great job and I already see us all being friends for life.

Funny thing, I met Mrs. Tomato during our first meeting with Pastor A! She happened to be dining at the same restaurant and came up to say hello. It turns out that we go to the same church. What a coincidence, no? Looks like we'll be seeing each other around, Mr. & Mrs. Tomato!

Have you taken a chance on a "green" vendor/officiant/company for your wedding? How did it turn out?

I know there are a few bridesmaid readers in Weddingbee land and I've repeatedly seen requests for examples of bridal shower games, so I thought I'd share some of the activities that my lovely ladies prepared for my shower. The games were quite a hit! At the end of the event, a group of women who didn't know each other were laughing hysterically together. Hats off to my wonderful bridesmaids for organizing these!

Game #1: The Purse Game
Materials: A list of items that would potentially be in a woman's purse and all your guests' handbags

This game is easy as pie and it's fun to see who is the most prepared out of all the guests. The game host instructs everyone to grab their purses. Next, she (or he) passes out a list of potential purse items with points assigned to each item. For example, the list that my bridesmaid, T, created had the following:

cocktail dress - 5 points (everyone got at least 5 points, since the shower was themed as a cocktail party)
lipstick - 5 points
RED lipstick - additional 5 points
Exactly $10.31 - 10 points (T  used my wedding date as the amount)
BART or bus ticket - 5 points
Stamps - 5 points

I carry EVERYTHING in my bag and I swear, I would've won this game if I hadn't switched my purse to a clutch moments before leaving the house.

Game #2: The Banana Game
Materials: Two ripe bananas, a music player, and a group of willing participants

This game was a great way to break the ice. The first person is instructed to place a banana between her knees. She must pass the banana to the next person without using any hands so that the two women are trading the banana between their knees. This continues until the music stops. Basically, it works like musical chairs, except there aren't any chairs and when the music ends, the person in possession of the banana is "out." To complicate the situation, add another banana circling the opposite direction. It's terribly funny, especially when the bananas are ripe and start smushing out of the sides.

Game #3: The Celebrity Match Game
Materials: A list of celebrities in relationships and guests that read US Weekly religiously

This activity really lets the pop culture whiz kids show off their gossip knowledge. The host passes out a list with one half of each celebrity couple and a blank next to the star's name. Some of the names on my worksheet included:

Jennifer Lopez   ____________
Michael Douglas   ____________
Michelle Williams ____________
Nicholas Cage   ____________

Guests have five minutes to fill in the matching significant other. The person with the most correct answers wins! I sucked something awful at this game. Mr. Eggplant is a pop trivia superstar, so it was no wonder that his sister won.

Game #4: How Well Do You Know Him?
Materials: A willing fiance to prepare a hilarious video answering questions about himself

This game was HILARIOUS and seriously made the bridal shower a hit, probably because Mr. Eggplant is  naturally a ham on camera. In preparation, my MOH sent Mr. Eggplant a list of 28 questions and he made a video recording the answers. At my shower, all the women were asked to predict how many I would get right. My MOH went through the list of questions with me, and at the end, we played the video back to verify the answers. The person who most closely predicted how many I actually got right, won a prize. Some of the questions included:

What is Mr. Eggplant's favorite movie?
If he were to compare both of you to a couple from any movie, who would it be?
What's the first thing Mr. Eggplant does when he wakes up in the morning?
How old was Mr. Eggplant when he had his first kiss and where was he?
What was Mr. Eggplant's high school mascot?
How many first cousins does Mr. Eggplant have?
What's Mr. Eggplant's favorite flavor of ice cream?
What's Mr. Eggplant's dream car?
What shoe does Mr. Eggplant put on first?

I guessed that I would answer 21 correctly, and for the record, I did! Well, my MOH counted 19, but after the shower, I reviewed the questions with Mr. Eggplant. It turns out that he answered some of them wrongly on the video.

And below is the intro of the video that Mr. Eggplant created for my bridal shower. I cut it short because it had some personal information, but I thought it might be useful for the bridesmaids out there who are planning showers for their friends:

Something to note: There were some pretty awesome prizes given out at my shower, which made the games even more fun to play. My bridesmaid, T, provided some adorable makeup bags and products that were all wrapped up so that people could pick their own sur-prize.

Happy planning!

You guys, I totally scored last night!

I stopped by my local Bloomingdales makeup counter to ask if they do application with purchase, since I want to have my face done up for my Sunday Chinese banquet. Before I left the store, I perused the dress department. I came across this lovely ivory taffeta number by BCBG:

Nordstrom is selling it for $400 right now, but it won't be available until October 31st.

Guess how much I got it for...

$148!!

Seriously! What a steal! And it's SO much cuter in person.

Since I just snagged the dress last night, there are probably some sizes left at other stores. Call up a Bloomingdales near you. If they don't have your size, they'll be happy to check the inventory of other Bloomies and give you a list of those that have your size in stock. You can call the stores yourself and have them ship the dress directly to you. (Yes, I shop a lot, can you tell? )

It's Chinese tradtion to change into three or four dresses throughout the wedding night. I was going to forgo that tradition because I couldn't find anything cute or affordable. That is, until yesterday! Now I have a dress to dance in comfortably. I'll probably change into it towards the end of the night, perhaps cake cutting?

Here's one last picture of the dress, from Paul Johnson Photography (thanks for finding this one, Mrs. Ant!):

Yay! My girls got their bridal shower thank you packs in the mail this week, so I can share some more card making craftiness.

I love receiving handmade cards. I just think they're so meaningful. Being a DIY girl, naturally, I wanted to say "thanks" to everyone who was a part of my bridal shower with a card that I crafted myself, rather than purchasing a premade cards (though I almost bought some gorgeous letterpressed thank yous from Paper Source).

To make the thank you cards, I started off with the following supplies: Coffee bean colored ink, branch stamp, "thank you" stamp, 20 blank cards and envelopes from Paper Source, and a flower punch. Not shown: Patterned paper, metal brads, 1/16" hole punch

First, I stamped two branches onto the blank card.

Then, I stamped a "thank you" in the bottom right corner.

Using leftover gift wrap paper from my bridal shower (which my cousin also purchased from Paper Source), I punched a bunch of flowers.

In each flower, I made a 1/16" hole to stick the brad through

I punched corresponding holes ino the card and attached the flowers using metal brads (the mini sized brads with a smaller head).

Voila! A montage of "thank you" cards.

I also stamped the front of the envelope before I tucked the cards inside.

For my bridesmaids, I mailed the cards along with a small package of shower goodies, inlcuding a gel eye mask, terry headband (to pull their hair back when they wash their faces), and an exfoliating face pad.

Tied neatly with a bow and pink tag.

Happy card crafting!

In addition to our wedding reception, Mr. Eggplant and my parents are hosting a 350 guest, traditional Chinese banquet on the Sunday following. Since the guest count for the second event is nearly twice our first reception, the dinner can't be a thoughtless meal that's merely slapped together. Our parents are even considering hiring a Chinese radio personality as an emcee who will be singing karaoke throughout the night. I know, crazy, right?

Well, my mom told me that I can do what I want for our first reception, but the mammas get final say over what is involved in the Chinese banquet, karaoke and all.  Thankfully, this means that I can delegate all the responsibilities of the second event over to Mamma Eggplant and FMIL Eggplant (which is why I write less about it than our first reception). I just can't complain if I'm forced to listen to our emcee crooning "Unchained Melody" while eating my walnut prawns and shark fin soup.

The first Chinese banquet task that fell upon the mammas was to find an affordable wedding invitation printed in both Chinese and English. They chose Ho Tai printing (which literally translates to "look good" printing) in Chinatown, SF. The store is literally a hole in the wall and their invitation samples leave much to be desired (hundreds of invites shoved into boxes that brides dig through themselves). But they are very affordable and the quality of the paper is incredibly thick and luxurious, much nicer than many other invite companies that I've researched. Print for our invites was pressed in metallic red ink, though the font selection was rather limited. Ho Tai does, however, print non-Chinese invitations and really nice program fans similar to the ones Mrs. Tomato designed for her wedding.

I just finished sending out the last batch of our pink and white invitations yesterday. Invitation with requisite double happiness character, pink envelopes, and RSVP cards with envelopes:

I thought the double happiness character was kind of cute.  Which one's the boy? The one on the left?

A thin strand of silver elastic holds the invite together

Inside the invites, the leftside was printed in English with my parents' names listed first. The right, in Chinese with Mr. Eggplant's parents' names listed first.

And simple RSVP cards. Before sending them out, I numbered the back and kept a list of the corresponding guests, in case they were returned blank or illegibly.

Wedding planning has kicked in full force as I round the two-month mark! I barely have time to blog, but as I promised, here are the details of what it cost me to create my wedding invitations.

The ribbon was Offray's mint colored 7/8" grosgrain ribbon, purchased at JKM Ribbon's website. One roll included 100 yards of ribbon, which was plenty. To save on shipping, I also purchased 1/4" and 1 1/2" ribbon in the same color to use for my programs and miscellaneous decorating. I might give the thicker ribbon to our floral designer to decorate the church.

The pockets I used were the Vertigo style pocketfolds in Coffee Bean, purchased from the Cards and Pockets website.

Mr. Eggplant had our cards printed and cut to size on 80lb cover stock using four-color digital process by Fong Brothers Printing. I chose to have these printed and cut professionally because I did not want to take on the task myself, and I wanted to ensure that the cards were cut exactly to specific dimensions. The cards were cut PERFECTLY and I could not have done that with my home paper cutter. Fong Brothers was wonderful and gave us several proofs after I kept tweaking the invites and changing my mind on paper. As for quality, exact color matching was not a priority for me and the colors came out just as I wanted.

I purchased a pack of 100 sheets of rose pink cardstock from Paper and More for $29.99 plus a $5 cutting fee. The cards were cut exactly to my invite matting size, which was very convenient.

The size A7 linen envelopes in warm white were also purchased at Paper and More for $11.99 per 50 envelopes. It was the perfect thickness to feed through my printer. Anything thicker and they would've jammed.

The address labels that were done via mail merge were clear inkjet 2" x 4" shipping labels purchased at Staples.

My invites weighed in at two ounces per piece, so I used the $0.58 wedding stamp. It was a plus that they came in pink! Bonus: I didn't have to purchase any stamps for RSVP envelopes because we're having everyone respond online.

Once again, the hole punch that saved my life. Purchased at Joann and used for many, many wedding projects, including our favor boxes and programs. I LOVE THIS PUNCH.

And last but not least, slave labor: Rented for $free ninety-nine$.