jam.slicio.us

The internet is amazing. I would not have been able to plan this wedding as well as I did without it. I would say 95% of the planning occured on the computer. Here are various websites and people that I used/ was assisted by. The only major downside for all of the products I purchased online was their prices were in USD and it was sometimes hard to budget around that since I wouldn't know how much costs were until they were posted on my VISA bill.

1. Wedding Invitations & RSVP cards: Wedding Paper Divas
We ordered our invitations and rsvp cards online from this company. They shipped out quickly and we received them a few days later. Plus they gave us a coupon for our next order, which is nice if you need to order extras or are planning to order your thankyou cards later. Their prodcut was amazing too - just what we wanted. Plus you can order a sample beforehand, which is what we did. They have a more unique selection than many other companies we looked at.

2. Ceremony Programs, Menus & Table Numbers: Impression Invitations
This venddor is located in Canada (w00t!) and they coordinated everything with me. She was really easy to work with and we did everything through online correspondance. Her prices were great and I was pleased with her products. It was nice to have so many items coordinate with each other for the wedding. It gives everything a better flow. She was listed on Etsy which is an amazing site.

3. Seating Plan & Task Schedule:  Mind Meister
I used this free online program to make my seating plan and task schedule. It has a feature where you can have several users so you can collaborate on files together online. Since Jack didn't do much collaborating I didn't really utilize this feature but having it online made it readily accessible wherever I was. Also, since the program is an online mind map I used it for both my seating plan and my task schedule. I liked it better than other free online seating chart programs because 1) I didn't have to download anything, and 2) I could use it for other thingsd other than just the seating plan. I'll probably use this for other planning tasks I'll have in the future.

4. Hair Accessories: Gem Drops Jewelry (headbands) & Lulu Splendor (hairpins)
Both of these vendors are listed on Etsy as well. They both make awesome products and are easy to work with. They were both delievered without any issues. I'm pretty sure I will be ordering more items from them in the future as well.

5. Information Websites:  Toronto Brides & Frugal Bride
They have some great resources and information pages. I got info about tipping, organizing, and scheduling from Frugal Bride. I read quite a lot of online articles but I found frigal bride was more down to earth. Toronto Brides is more local and helps with finding local vendors.

That's all I can think of right now. I might add to this list.

I am not sure how this happened since I've been crunching numbers for months now, but we have now officially saved enough to pay for the wedding. Woah! This wasn't supposed to happen for another couple of months. Thanks God! I guess really watching how much we spend plus saving a shitload of our income really paid off. Honestly, more than 85% of my paycheque went right into savings. We are blessed to even be able to do this because I know this is not feasible for everyone, especially with our current economic situation. I'm still not sure though how we could have this happen earlier than we expected, especially since we had to increase our budget a couple of times in the past couple of months. Either I underestimated how much we could save in our timeframe or...I don't know what other explanation there could be. Regardless we are super happy that we will not be cutting it close at the end of the line. One less thing to worry about. God is good. =)

On another note, more people RSVPed to the reception. Awesomeness! But the past couple of days have been dry and I really hope the rest will come in soon. The sooner we get the numbers the sooner I can start on the seating plan, figure out how many tables we will have, order centrepieces, start on favours, etc. So if you are reading this and have your invitation please try to RSVP soon. Pretty please to help keeps Ams happy. xoxo

In other super fabulous news, Ness' surgery went well and she is now at home resting. She had two close friends stay by her side pretty much the entire time - they stayed with her at the hospital in shifts and helped her with whatever she needed. I'm so grateful to them for all they've done for her. Ness was also visited my numerous members of her church family, which I'm sure really lifted her spirits. Thank God for community. So thanks for all those who prayed for her and wished her well.

Some of my friends have let me know that they have received our wedding invitations and have started to RSVP. Woo hoo! They're not being sent back! And plus, the sooner they all come in the sooner we can start figuring out our seating plan. I still have to mail out the second batch though. I hope those guests won't be mad that they don't get as much time. o_O

So everything finally worked themselves out in order for me to finish printing labels, sticking labels, sticking stamps and sealing envelopes. That's right, I have just completed assembling my first batch of invitations. They will get mailed out promptly tomorrow morning before the mail person arrives. Woo hoo! The test batch seemed to work out well...I think. Only one friend told me that he received the invite. I'm hoping that since I have not been sent the other two back that they have also arrived safely. I'm hoping...*gulp*. Either way these buggers are getting mailed out tomorrow! I really REALLY hope they won't get sent back so please pray hard for me.

If you're wondering why I didn't do all the invitations now, well here is your answer: 1) the ones going to India will be sent later in a parcel and I'll get a family member to mail them out there. This is basically to save money. 2) I still don't have all the mailing addresses I need. 3) I screwed up some labels and I'm too tired to reprint them tonight.