A major part of my new job involves inDesign, a pretty simple design program. There was a learning curve of a couple days, but since I'd kind of been thrown in the deep end with Canvas Graphics as a grad student, I feel like I picked things up pretty quickly. The program can actually be pretty fun to work with, and if you're OCD like me, finally getting something to come together is one of the best feelings of a work day. "But, Jill, what does this have to do with cheap weddings?" you might be asking.
I created some seriously kick ass invitations in inDesign. I wish I could post them here for you all to ooh and aah at, but I want people to be at least a little surprised (and impressed) when they get them in the mail. A big thanks to Bryce and Keely, though, who were forced to admire them - I appreciate the oohs and aahs!
We'd been pricing out invitations and suffering a little bit of sticker shock - even with the 40% off Michael's coupons that company is so kind as to send anyone who signs up to receive their e-mail newsletters (and then promptly unsubscribes). I have the feeling those invitations you print on your own wouldn't turn out like they look on the box, and home-made cards on Etsy were out of our price range - even when you buy a pdf and have Kinko's print it for you. But the pdf idea got me thinking - why pay someone to make something in inDesign when I know how to use it. It was kind of an "aha" moment, and I'm a little sad it took me this long to think of it.
So I took the time, scrounged the internet, and made an amalgam of all the invitations I've been envying but could never afford, with the added bonus of the perfect wording, the perfect size (no extra postage!) and getting all those bits and pieces I thought might be luxuries. Like matching thank you cards, name cards, place cards, address labels, coasters, matchbooks.... ok, I might have gotten a little inDesign slap happy.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Long Time No See
I'm ba-ack!
I haven't posted since October, and there has been a lot of blog-guilt associated with starting this puppy back up. I fell off the blog-horse - can I get back up? And I'm done with the metaphors.
In reality, I haven't been posting because there just wasn't anything to post about. I started a new job, which took up a lot of my time, and without the finances the wedding planning was relegated to the back burner. But thanks to some gracious donations by our collective loving parents, the wedding planning is back on! And going at full tilt, believe you me.
In the past month or so, we have set a date, reserved the reception space, had our first session with our pastor, bought polaroid film, and, the most surprising development yet, I bought another dress.
Let me just say, I fully acknowledge that now I am one of those women, one who buys a dress indiscriminately and then has to replace it. It made me feel selfish and greedy, but then I would look at myself in the mirror again and knew that this new dress was worth all those feelings. I was also told it made me look like a 1960's Barbie doll (in a good way) and that sealed the deal. This dress makes me excited to stand up in front of all my friends and be the center of attention for half a day. The other dress made me wonder if all the guests would be looking at my arm fat.
I am also pretty excited about the polaroid film. My original idea with the polaroid pictures was cheap, kitschy fun for the guests - but then a month after I bought my polaroid camera, the company stopped making the film, so the prices on E-Bay skyrocketed. It may be the most expensive part of the wedding (not counting the food and alcohol), and guests may not be able to snap tons of cheap, kitschy candids - but it's still going to be fun. And that's what counts.
More updates to come - and there will be more!
I haven't posted since October, and there has been a lot of blog-guilt associated with starting this puppy back up. I fell off the blog-horse - can I get back up? And I'm done with the metaphors.
In reality, I haven't been posting because there just wasn't anything to post about. I started a new job, which took up a lot of my time, and without the finances the wedding planning was relegated to the back burner. But thanks to some gracious donations by our collective loving parents, the wedding planning is back on! And going at full tilt, believe you me.
In the past month or so, we have set a date, reserved the reception space, had our first session with our pastor, bought polaroid film, and, the most surprising development yet, I bought another dress.
Let me just say, I fully acknowledge that now I am one of those women, one who buys a dress indiscriminately and then has to replace it. It made me feel selfish and greedy, but then I would look at myself in the mirror again and knew that this new dress was worth all those feelings. I was also told it made me look like a 1960's Barbie doll (in a good way) and that sealed the deal. This dress makes me excited to stand up in front of all my friends and be the center of attention for half a day. The other dress made me wonder if all the guests would be looking at my arm fat.
I am also pretty excited about the polaroid film. My original idea with the polaroid pictures was cheap, kitschy fun for the guests - but then a month after I bought my polaroid camera, the company stopped making the film, so the prices on E-Bay skyrocketed. It may be the most expensive part of the wedding (not counting the food and alcohol), and guests may not be able to snap tons of cheap, kitschy candids - but it's still going to be fun. And that's what counts.
More updates to come - and there will be more!
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