Maybe You should GOOSE me!

Yesterday we met with Rev. B to chat a little bit about what kind of ceremony we wanted. We asked if he would be willing to encorporate Korean traditions into the ceremony. He seemed pretty excited about this and explained his degree is in multi-cultural relgious studies. Seems more perfect, right!?


I half heartedly explained in olden days Korea, the Groom would give the Mother of the Bride a live goose to symbolize his commitment to a lifetime together. The Goose only mates once in their life. Turns out in Christianity, the Goose also symbolizes the spirit. This double-meaning goose might end up making an appearance at our wedding. We might actually have enough live geese at the wedding venue to be the star(s). Maybe Mr. P should bring his hunting license?

It’s Official

You heard me right, its official. We have officially hired our officiant for our wedding. Today we met with Rev. B and decided it was a good fit for us and are moving forward with the next steps.

I went to the same High School as Rev. B and was friends with his younger sister. He is also the associate pastor at my mom’s church. Mr. P and I both grew up in churches but haven’t found our church home in Denver. This is in part because we haven’t been looking. It was important to Mr. P and I that we found someone we felt like we knew. We weren’t going to call 1-800-Marry-Me and hire whoever answered the phone. This was a more personal decision and we are very happy with our selection.

A special man in our lives—we’ll call him Grandpa M— may not be able to officiate our wedding due to health circumstances, so we were advised to find someone else. Great news is Rev. B is very open to including said special person if he is able to make it to the wedding! Best of both worlds! In lieu of Grandpa M’s health, we decided we needed to find someone in Colorado and someone we had a connection with.

A few things that I like about Rev. B:

1) He doesn’t do “who gives this bride away”. Big bonus points in my book. No offense to any traditional brides who wish to be given away. It’s just not my thing. I’m not really anyone’s property to be given or received.

2) The word “obey” will NOT be incorporated into our vows. Again, big bonus points in my book. If you know me, you’ll know that I don’t take orders very well. Not only would this be pointless because I don’t take orders, I’ll probably see it as a challenge to do the complete opposite of what you are commanding me to do. Right, Mom?

3) He is willing to do what we want for the ceremony. I hadn’t thought this would be a rarity, but it is. When researching questions to ask the officiant there were some crazy questions out there like “Is there a dress code?” “Can we use flash photography?” “Can we use non-traditional wedding songs or readings?” Apparently in 2010—soon to be 2011—there are restrictions on what the Bride and Groom can do, say, sing or wear for their own wedding. Thankfully Rev B is willing to help us shape a ceremony that, as he says, “reflects who we are as a couple”.

4) He’s young. There is nothing wrong with having someone older perform your wedding, but I really like the fact that Rev B is young. I think it will help us relate to one another and I think it’s one of the main reasons he’s so flexible with shaping the ceremony. It also makes him seem like a real person. Often when I meet clergy they don’t always seem like real people. I like this about Rev B.

5) Mr. P likes him.

My goal of having all the venders booked by January is a very reasonable goal. I may actually meet my goal before the holidays. There are only a handful of things left to figure out. We are well on our way to starting a wonderful marriage!

New ways of working out

I thought I was going to try P90X again. Well, that didn't go very well so I'm back to square one of trying to get (back) into shape. May I introduce you to my newest exercise attempt. Meet Studio Tease. A friend of mine, we'll call her Molly, perked my interest and now we are trying to decide what classes to take. This seems like a really fun idea for a bachelorette party too!! I'm totally not coordinated so hopefully I don't make a fool of myself and hopefully I won't look like this....Sexy, no?

And we all know I can't look this adorable. Think B-Dog wants to learn to pole dance?

I went swimming this morning for the first time in weeks. It was hard. After 100meters, my shoulders were on fire. I need to get back in the pool. I'm convinced swimming is the best workout EVER.

So, I'm committed to 2 classes at the studio and will do my best to continue to get to the gym...

Cork-galore!

After "calling all corks" we have been getting them left and right from friends and family! I have to stop here and boast about how freaking awesome our friends and family are for coming through. There are many sacrifices (clearing throat noise...hangovers and headaches) associated with the corks. Thank you friends and family for taking one for the team and drinking the delicious wine.

Today I have 264 corks. I only need 86 more and I'll have more than enough. A special shout-out to David who brought us around 200 corks, and my Dad and Step-Mom who sent us a package full of corks!

Pretty soon I'll need to invest in a hot glue gun and ribbon to get this project started. I'm eager to start my first do-it-yourself (DIY) project!

Here is what it should look like:

And here is what it looks like today:

Wish me luck on assembling :-)

Officiants and Discounts for Music

I feel like I could take on a used car salesman with my awesome negotiating skills! OH, SNAP! I got our DJ to come down $200 from his original quote. While some brides spend upwards of $2,000 on a DJ, we didn't plan on doing that which is why I am proud of myself for being so (cheap) thrifty. I’m feeling so confident I might even consider trying to talk my grocery bill down next week.

On Thursday we are meeting with a potential officiant. I’m excited, but not sure what to expect. I have an idea for which readings I want (still a secret for guests) and we are picking out the music. But what should we do about vows? Should we write our own? Should we go with traditional vows? When I had talked with Mr. P about this he said “Wait, I have to give a speech in front of people?!” Um, yes Dear. That’s kinda the point of a wedding…to profess your love and commitment to one another in front of witnesses.

I’m also not sure what order things are supposed to go in. Sometimes people do readings before the vows, sometimes after and then throw in an “I Do” at some point. What about music? How is it all supposed to flow? Hopefully our officiant can walk us through these logistics. I found a few questions to ask the Reverend and hopefully we can get to know each other a little more when we meet. I’ll keep you posted.

Rollerskates???

So, I found my new favorite song!!! Check it out!!!



:-) I hope you enjoy it too!!!

Girls Weekend and the Boogie Man

I'm sorry I haven't been bloggin in the last week. Time got away from me. I had a great weekend in Breckenridge with the best girls EVER!! It was a blast! Five girls under the age of 10 and moms. Not what you would traditionally think of as a "girls get away in the mountains", but it was so fun. The girls got along for the most part and it gave the adults some precious time to drink adult grape juice. Thanks ladies for a super-fun weekend!

On another subject, I got the contract for our Boogie Man, aka our DJ! I'm pretty excited about it mostly because I've been able to negotiate at least a 20% discount. Can you say bargain bride?!? So, next comes the signing, sealing and details. I like this DJ because he gives you an online account to add song to play, suggested, and do not play. What songs are on your play and do not play lists?

:-)

Countdown Calendar!!

I just found this fabulous tool and I'm pretty excited about it!!!



Isn't it awesome! You can find it here with a bunch of other fun stuff. :-) Now, I just need to figure out how to program it into my webpage. This blogging thing has a lot of technology thingies associated with it...

Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon

Yesterday, Mrs. E, Mr. E and me ran the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon. It was a beautiful morning for a run. This run has not really been on my radar for the last few weeks because I've occupied myself with everything bridal. I was shocked when it was the night before the race and I still hadn't decided which running clothes to wear, or if I was going to wear an ipod or what watterbottle I would use if I decided to use one at all. Needless to say I was not prepared.

Sunday at 6am arrived very quickly. My office is only a few blocks from the start/finish area and thankfully we had free parking (woot woot!). The race started off pretty well. My miles spanned from 10:20mins to 16:00mins, but averaged 12:44's and finished in 2:47.

I'm happy with my time and thankful to have ran the whole thing with my sister and her hubby. It was awesome to have the company. I'm also thankful I'm able to hobble today because walking is not an option yet. I'm thankful for the ice packs at home and for the wonderful dinner/wine last night which also helped with recovery :-)

I love this picture! See the "I ROCK" from my sister, I'm just chilling and Mr. E is blowing kisses! I think this was at mile 11. We're looking strong!!!

My Favorite Ballot Initiative

Colorado has one of the most direct-democratic system in the US. It only takes a few (3,974 required in Denver) signatures of the public to get on the ballot. My mail-in ballot came in today (woo-hoo!) and there was something a little unexpected. Believe it or not, I did not read my blue book or sample ballot. So, how would you vote on the following initiative?

"Initiative Ordinance 300: Shall the voters for the City and County of Denver adopt an Initiative Ordinance to require the creation of an extraterrestrial affairs commission to help ensure the health, safety and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relation to potential encounters or interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles, and fund such commission from grants, gifts and donations?"

Isn't democracy awesome?

Surprises

I'm planning a special something for Mr. P and it's been so fun! He has no idea and this is one surprise I'm going to keep!!

Muhahahahahahahaha!

Graphers and the special meaning of food

I sent the contract for the photographer today!!!

Now, the search for the wedding videographer is something to consider. I'm pretty sure I've settled on a company here in Denver. I emailed them yesterday and got the following reply:

"Hi Eliza. Thanks for contacting us. We'd love to get together to talk about your wedding in person or prefferably by phone. I just had a baby and I get out of the hospital on Friday. You could come over then, but talking on the phone would be better for us. Again, congrats on your engagement."

Um! Are you crazy!? Go Home! Get Settled! Enjoy your new family member!!! Maybe in a few weeks let's chat. My response was:

"Congrats to you and your family!!! We are in no rush and have about a year to plan. Please don't contact me until you are home, settled and back to work. Again, congrats on your baby!!!"

I knew she was due soon. I met her at a bridal show and she was well on her way in the 9 month process. I've emailed them and called a few times and they've been accommodating and responsive. I give them an A++++ for answering my email while in the hospital. That is waaaaaaaayyyyy above the call of duty. Not only do they have great videography, but they are good people :)

In other news, I had a chance to chat a little bit more with the adorable Korean couple that runs the cafe in my building. Elisa and, um, I actually don't how his name. Tomorrow I will find out, but for now I'll call him Mr. Cafe. They are always asking me "How are you!? When are you getting married?! How is your fiance?!". I asked them what Korean tradiditons they think are important to include. At this point, I have asked 4 different Koreans what I should do for a nod to Mr. P's culture. They have all answered with the same answer...FOOD! Yep, that's right. They all suggested different Korean dishes to serve. No wood ducks. No geese. No cranes or hand lanterns.

Mr. Cafe suggested we have pajeon which is like a pancake with onions, spices, and some kind of meat. One time Mr. P's mom made some and Mr. P brought them home. I thought they were pancakes and pulled out the maple syrup. Note to self: fish, onions, and korean spices don't go well with maple syrup. Soy sauce is a much better condiment for these delicious meat cakes. Mr. Cafe said we could include these as appetizers. He also said to make sure we have spicy Korean salad dressing which isn't as "watery" as Italian dressing, but "doesn't have as much mayonnaise as American" dressing. Oh yeah, and we should be sure to include meat on our salad or it's considered "common".

So, 4 people have said Korean food. Hmm....could this be a sign that we need to have a Korean rehearsal dinner? I wonder what my white family would think of kimchi or gogi gui. I bet they'll try it, and (maybe) LOVE it!

To DJ or not to DJ, that is the question...

To DJ at the ceremony or not to DJ? We'll have a DJ for the reception, but should we have one for the ceremony? No, no the guy won't be announcing us or mixing bad-A$$ jams while we are saying our vows. What they will provide is 2 microphones and sound equipment so all the guests are able to hear the ceremony. I'm not sure we'll need it, but I wouldn't want guest who are hard of hearing to miss out on anything. With our smaller wedding (ahem, 100 guests), maybe the last row would need it? Or maybe the third row will need it?

We may (or may not) have a string quartet for the ceremony so music could be covered already.

Have you been to a wedding where you could not hear anything?

Day 2...

Yesterday I pledged to do P90X...again. I had forgot how miserable this workout series is! It's insane and I hurt all over after only 2 days. Yesterday was chest and back which roughly translates to 50 mins of push-ups and pull-ups. I can safely say that I am in much better shape this time around than I was last time around but I still need some work.

Today was plyometrics. It. Is. Really. Hard! Time to relax on the couch and hit the sack. Tomorrow will liekly suck again.

Actually, I really like it :)

Hudson Gardens Viewing with Round 2 of the parents

This morning Mr. P and I toured Hudson Gardens (HG) with a large group of family (my sister, my brother-in-law, 2 nieces who will be the flower girls, my step-mom and dad, Mr. P, and my FMIL). It was a fun group. It was also the first time my FMIL had met my Dad and Step-Mom. I don't think it could have gone any better!

I took more pictures but I don't think my poor photographing skills do it justice. We didn't sign the contract as I had a few unusual requests and they have to check with the manager. Mr. P gives me a hard time for being complicated...it's true most of the time. So what if I want a ceremony cite that doesn't ususally go with the reception cite because they are across the garden from each other? HG is being very accomodating and helping me out of this one. I'm really happy!!

So, if it all works as planned *fingers crossed* here is where the ceremony will be:

We won't have the colors from the changing trees in early Sept, but it's beautiful!!!!!!! There are lilly ponds with pink water lillies all around the ceremony cite!

Here is where we will have the reception:

If we aren't able to secure the first ceremony site, then this is where we would have our ceremony. See my dad being a model. You go dad!SM and Dad looking goofy for the camera. Hopefully we'll get a good one of them at the wedding :)

I'm supposed to get all the details (and hopefully the contract with what I want) on Monday. A special thanks to HG for really being so awesome and touring the gardens THREE separate times with my huge family!

That's all for now. More to come soon :)

Mr. P's Gift to the moms...

Mr. P saw the previous blog about giving the moms a duck or a goose and this is what his initial response was:

He cracks me up. What do you think? Too literal?

He informed me that we can use these as the "wood ducks", either tail-to-tail or nose-to-nose. "Common' hun. It's tradition". Oh, Mr. P! You crack me up!

Getting in Shape

Since our 70.3 in Boulder in August I haven't done SQUAT. I've worked out about once a week and the Denver Half Marathon on the calendar, but I need to get motivated again. I did about 7 miles yesterday and will be fine for the Denver Half, but it won't be a personal record or a goal time. I'm just going to finish.


I kept saying, "After the 70.3, I'm totally going to start doing other kinds of training--more strength training and toning down". Now, the action needs to catch up with the talk. So....


I PLEDGE TO START P90X...again. I didn't get very far last time. I don't even think I made it through the frist week. I pledge to do a better job this time around.



I also pledge to swim whenver I can. I've really come to enjoy swimming. It's a great total-body workout!


Here it goes. If I do p90x, by the time New Years comes around, I should be in awesome shape--which also works out because our engagement photos are scheduled for the beginning of January.

Ceremony Readings

Happy 10-10-10 everyone! 326 Days until the wedding!!! Woot Woot!!

There are SOOOOO many readings to pick from for the ceremony. We are definiately staying away from "love it patient, love is kind". While it may be true, it's overused. Today I found a reading that I absolutely LOVE! Well, actually I found 2 that I absolutely love. There needs to be some surprises for the guests who are following the blog, but here is one that I thought was wonderful and very non-traditional.

Shout out to all my law-minded geek friends!

From "Goodridge Vs. Department of Health" by Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall

"Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support; it brings stability to our society. For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage provides an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. In return it imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations....Without question, civil marriage enhances the "welfare of the community." It is a "social institution of the highest importance." ... Marriage also bestows enormous private and social advantages on those who choose to marry. Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family.... Because it fulfils yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life's momentous acts of self-definition."

What readings did you use, or do you like for weddings?

I was supposed to go for a 8 mile run this morning but wanted to sleep in instead. So...looks like I'll need to get the milage in on my own this afternoon. Here's hoping it stops drizzling for my run. One week until my next half marathon. I think it will be fine, but I haven't been training much for this one. I'll be glad when race season is finally over!

Korean Wedding Traditions and the ACO

There is a small cafe in my office building run by a Korean couple. They are always polite and accomodating. After I told them I was going to marry a 1st generation Korean man, their attitude totally changed towards me. I'm now on the "inside". Today I ran down to grab some coffee and the woman said "Oh! So good to see you. How are you? How is wedding planning? When you get married?"

This got me thinking a lot about incorporating Mr. P's heritage into our wedding (ceremony and reception). Here is what I know so far:

1. The Bride is supposed to give the FIL (future in-laws) chestnuts and dates, which the FILs throw at the bride and she is supposed to catch them in the skirt of her wedding dress. The chestnuts and dates are symbols of children and the throwing and catching symbolizes good luck for fertility.

2. Vows are taken in a ceremony called kunbere. Bride and groom bow to each other and seal their vow by sipping a special wine poured into a hollowed-out plant similar to a pumpkin grown by the bride's mother. Mom-better start finding a spot in the back yard for your pumpkin patch :-).

3. A pair a carved wooden ducks represented the married couple, as it was believed that ducks mated for life. So are geese-we'll get to this later. The position of the ducks signifies the state of the household. When the ducks face nose-to-nose there is harmony in the marriage. However, when there is tension/ conflict/ fighting/ sticking out your tongue at one another, the ducks are tail-to-tail. I think this would be AWSOME as a cake-topper!

4. Cranes are a symbol of long life and may be represented on the bride's attire.

5. The Groom is supposed to give the MOB (Mother of the Bride) a live Goose. Wild geese mate for life, so his gift is a promise that he will care for her daughter for life. Today wooden geese are used. I have this hilarious image of Mr. P trying to wrestle with a goose to give to my mom.

6. Traditional Wedding Korean Attire is really cool. I'm considering buying a Hanbok for the rehearsal dinner although they can cost a pretty penny.

7. Hand lanterns were used for lighting the way from the groom's home to the bride's home on the night before the wedding. Maybe we can have hand lanterns on our dinner table? Or at the rehearsal dinner?

8. Entertainment is expected, but can range from classical Korean music to family members singing along with a karaoke machine. Um, I don't think I want karaoke at the wedding...maybe the rehearsal dinner as long as we can all sing along to "Piano Man" like Mr. P and I used to sing on Tuesdays at the "Stagger Inn" on 8th ave. OMG there was an amazing taco stand next door!

I'd also like to include some Korean music in the ceremony but am totally lost on where to look.

What traditions should Mr. P and I include in our wedding?

On a total non-wedding related subject, I went to a conference hosted by the Colorado Coaltion for the Medically Underserved (one of our clients) and saw the most hillarious video. If you aren't a total health policy nerd, then you probably won't think it's funny at all. In fact, you'll probably think it's really stupid. Since I was in the room with a bunch of wonky-nerds we all enjoyed it.

That's all for today. We are going to the venue tomorrow with Mr. P's mom, my dad and step-mom. Hopefully it's a beautiful day and we can look around the 30-acers of gardens :-). This time I'm taking pictures!

Photographer

I met with David and Lynn of David Lynn Photography yesterday and decided to book them for the wedding! I am thrilled. Thier pictures are fantastic and to make it even better, they are pretty awesome people!

We booked our e-photo shoot for early January and now it's time for the creative juices to start flowing to think of something wonderful and fun for the shoot. Picture winter+snow in Denver. Maybe a rooftop shot or a downtown shot. Time to start thinking of really fun ideas!

Saturday we meet with the Venue and will (hopefully) sign that contract too!

My first blog!!!

I feel like such a dork for starting a blog, but I've had a BLAST looking at other wedding and family blogs so I decided it's my turn! I have a feeling this blog will be mostly wedding related (DIY and other planning) but will also include family, work and trying to stay in shape...for the wedding :-)

So far for the wedding I have picked out:

~Venue~

Hudson Gardens in Littleton is 30-acers of wonderful gardens. We hope to have the ceremony at Monet's Place and the reception in the Inn. When we meet with the venu on Saturday we'll finalize all the details. I'm so excited for this BEAUTIFUL venue!

~Date~

September 1, 2011

~Dress~

I won't be posted pictures here as Mr. P might want to look at the blog and I don't want to spoil the surprise. But, I can tell you I got it at a sample sale at Blue Bridal Boutique in Downtown Denver. They are GREAT! I love it and it will be perfect for a garden wedding.

~Theme~

Mr. P is a Wine Sommilier so it is only appropriate that we have a wine-themed wedding. Our invitations have grapes on them, our tables are named after fun wine regions, and our place cards and colors fit perfectly with the theme. More on these later...

~Stationary~

~Caterer~

We are going with Footer's Catering. They are a Denver-based company that has FANTASTIC food and excellent customer service. We like giving our money to local businesses.

~Menu~

Picking out the menu was Mr. P's FAVORITE part. Here is a picture of us starting our wonderful menu tasting! I might add that it was freaking amazing food! We will have wonderful choices for our guests and I can't wait to eat it all. I don't want to spoil the choices for our guests so I'll just keep my (watering) mouth shut!

~Place Card Holders~

I saw this awesome idea on WeddingBee and had to steal it! It goes perfectly with our wine-themed wedding!

~Guest List~

We are working on keeping the guest list from getting out of control, but it seems to be happening rather quickly! This has been the most difficult part about the whole wedding. My parents are divorced and remarried and Mr. P's family is a little split as well. I'm sure it will all work out, but we are trying to include everyone without breaking the bank!

~Colors/Linnens~

Our Colors are Purple, Burgundy and Champaign/Ivory. Here are the linnens we plan on using :-). We'll do the table linnens with the champaign and the napkins with purple with red roses for centerpieces. We might even alternate napkis to encorporate all the colors. We plan on having an ivory plate. I'm really excited to see how the all the candles with sparkle and shine off the campaign linnens!

~Centerpieces~

I've been leaning towards all white flowers, OR, one submerged red rose. Either way, each table will have lots of candles. The reception venue is rustic and romantic and we want to make it feel more intimate since it's a little big for our party. I'm anxious to see some centerpieces in person. It's hard to decide based on pictures from the internet.

I'm meeting with the photographer tomorrow and signing the contract for the venue on Saturday. I've been engaged for a little over a month. People think I'm crazy for going gung-hoe on the planning, but I'm just enjoying it so much! Not to mention I have an insanely busy work schedule from January through May. With a September 1st wedding, it's too late to start planning in May. The goal is to have most everything done by January. Whew! Here's hoping it all works as planned.


There are a few things that have been on my mind lately. Mostly the photography and wedding attire accesories and hair styles. I'm in love with the pictures from a potential photographer (David Lynn Photography). They are a married couple who specialize in weddings. I can't wait to meet them tomorrow!








I have a half marathon in 2 weeks and I'm not ready for it at all! I plan on getting a long run in this weekend (hopefully like 9-10 miles) so I can at least feel a bit ready for it.