DIY Project: Origami Paper

Since I'm folding 1000 cranes (I'm up to 200!) for my wedding, that means I need a LOT of origami paper!  Rather than going out and buying all of that paper, though, I've been using ink to create a wide range of colors and patterns myself.  I had originally planned to creating designs on the computer and printing them out, but after creating a few sheets by hand, I realized I wanted to keep doing it!

This is a really easy, cost effective way to get all sorts of great paper.  I just take regular computer printer paper, a sponge, and artist's ink, and you can get all sorts of fantastic papers.  I would recommend using ink over paint, because heavier bodied paints will make the paper stiffer (and harder to fold), while watercolor will have a tendency to make computer paper wrinkled.  I had ink already, but you can get bottles that will last you a long, long time from any art store..

Horrible Housekeeping

Admittedly, this post isn't so much about the wedding itself, but our marriage as a whole.  Joshua and I have a problem; we can't keep our home clean!  Ack!  It's gotten really bad at some points, and even right now, we know we can't have anybody over.  Which is bad, since I have both family and friends coming to visit at the end of October.  So I've decided to spend a few weeks dedicating myself, not just to cleaning up, but to learning new habits that will KEEP the apartment clean.

Our apartment has looked like this before.  It's embarrassing.

Some of the problems I know we've had before include: me having bad habits, and not being able to keep it up for more than a few days, Joshua not trying at all, leading to me being discouraged and feeling like he doesn't respect me, having clutter start forming, and just keep growing until it fills the whole house, and feeling overwhelmed when there is a lot to do, and not trying because I know it'll be too hard.

The Game

So I've been focusing on music for the last few updates, and while dancing is the main entertainment at most weddings, that won't really cut it for ours.   Most of our wedding guests are family, and a lot of our family members don't dance, either for religious reasons or simply because they don't enjoy it.  Though I could dance the night away, and have a great time doing it, the last thing I want is for all of my guests to be bored.  Instead, they get board games!

For my family, playing board games has long been our way of having fun as a family.  I'm hoping that even my older brother, who has Asperger's and difficulty in social settings, will be able to loosen up and have fun if I let him bring a deck of Magic the Gathering cards and play with Joshua, his groomsmen, and my other brother for awhile.  And for our other family members who aren't as familiar with that game, we can have fun, easy to play games.

Reception Music

What better way to follow up the ceremony than with a reception?  I can't say I've narrowed down all of my music choices yet, but I have a few ideas for songs that I'd like played during the reception.  We're going with the cheap and easy 'iPod' DJ, where we create some mp3 playlists and just mash go for instant entertainment!  Playing off the abundance of video game music during the ceremony, I'm going to use a game song for our first dance, too.



However, Joshua and I are actually disagreeing on which song we should use for our first dance.  While I'm a huge fan of "Eyes On Me" (as seen in the above video), Joshua really wants to do a more classical dance, like a waltz.  Or the 'Waltz For The Moon'.  While this would be crazy impressive, I'm not sure if either of us has the patience to learn that whole dance without bickering at each other.  I think this'll just become a 'we'll see' thing and we'll be flexible either way.

Ceremony Music

I'm pretty sure both Joshua and I just want a simple, standard sort of wedding ceremony.  He's not interested in writing his own vows, and I'm not too interested in boring my family with something super long.  But I'm not normally a typical girl, and so I've decided to mix it up a little bit with my preferred music choices.

This is the song I'm planning to use during the processionals (the part where I walk down the aisle, for anybody who's as foreign to this stuff as I am).  Video game music for the win!  But aside from the fact that it's from a great game, it's also a beautiful piece of music.

Nowhere To Go But Up

Ahh, the decor.  You have your tables, centerpieces, floral arrangements, and all sorts of things to think about.  One thing that is always important to consider, and often forgotten, is the ceiling.  At least that's what they taught me in design school.  And when you're starting with either a tent or a picnic shelter as your reception venue, you have a lot of decorating up to do.  Thankfully, there are a lot of great ideas for weddings out there.

I love the look of paper lanterns, and there are several websites where you can purchase them for a little over a dollar apiece.  If I look around, I might even be able to find other brides who are selling theirs after their own weddings, and save even more.  These can make a very big impact, and with some LED lights and batteries, can even light up the reception as it begins to get dark.  And after the wedding, I might be able to sell mine back to yet another bride, saving her a lot of money.  All in all, it's a lot of look for not a lot of money.

Colors, Colors, Colors!

Though weddings were traditionally the time for white to shine, it's since opened up to all sorts of possibilities.  I've seen brides rocking it out in dresses in every color of the rainbow, though red seems to be especially popular.  In terms of decor colors, you're no longer limited to red roses, but whatever color of the rainbow suits you.  A lot of brides have been going for Peacock lately, or the stricking combo of black and white.  But I need something brighter, something more poppy.

Something more orange.  Paired with gray, it makes a striking combo that's hard to ignore.  Martha Stewart calls it Marigold and Pewter, but if I was going to attach a frou frou name to this particular, yellowy orange, I'd have to pick Apricot.  So, Apricot and Pewter it is!

Visiting Venues

Though I know it's usually traditional to hold the wedding ceremony and reception at different locations, I never quite understood that.  Since I wanted the same sort of location for both (a nice, outdoor area), I'm planning on just using the same location for both.  And at first, I had a really great plan.  The college I attended, O'More College of Design, used to let students use the campus for events for free.  A historic mansion as a backdrop, a recently renovated landscape, lots of pretty details.  I was in love.

Front Lawn

New Landscaping

Sadly, when I finally went and contacted them about it, this policy had changed, and it was no longer free.  It's still incredibly affordable for any bride on any sort of average budget.  And even with my piddly budget, I'm considering it.  But it's probably dropped down on my list.  I still suggest it to other brides, though, looking for that perfect outdoor venue.  It's really lovely.  

Wedding Dress Woes

Fancy dress shops, formal fittings, surrounded by family and friends.  Pah, who needs them.  Well...  I can't say that it wouldn't have been nice to have somebody there with me, to tell me what they thought.  But my mom is halfway across the country, and I didn't have a whole lot of notice before the Goodwill Bridal Gala, so I couldn't get my friends on board that fast.  Besides, it started at 6AM, way before anybody wanted to be awake.

Both of these numbers on my dress were higher.

And yes.  I did say 'Goodwill' there.  Meaning those charity thrift shops, selling secondhand clothing.  It was actually pretty fabulous, with a really nice set up and everything.  Lots of mirrors, staff on hand to help out whenever necessary, cake.  We all stormed in.  Shopping happened, and it happened hard.  Gowns, bridesmaid dresses, veils, decor...  It all vanished off the racks before I left.

Suddenly, Cranes! Thousands of them!

1000 paper cranes.  Based on an ancient Japanese legend, any person who can fold 1000 of them will be granted a wish by a crane.  There's also a more contemporary story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who tried to fold 1000 cranes to fight her leukemia as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima.  Whether she was actually able to finish is up to speculation, but either way, her efforts are remembered by many.

I don't know if I really believe that I'll have a wish granted if I fold 1000 of them.  But I do believe that the level of dedication, perseverance, and joyful effort required in folding them all will be helpful to a marriage, as well.  On top of that, the strings of cranes are beautiful, and a single folded crane looks an awful lot like a flower.

Guest List Management

So, you sit down together, come up with a list of all the fabulous people you know and care about in your life, and when you're done, you have this massive list of about 300 people to come to your wedding.  Then you have to prune and pick down and cut off this person and that person.  In the end, you have to feel crushed because you couldn't invite Auntie Margo, or your friend from high school.

I actually envy brides who have so much trouble, though.  I wrote down a list of the closest friends and family that I wanted at my wedding, including those people on Josh's side, and I had a list of 35 people.  Joshua came home and added a few more, upping us to 42.  I'm going to guess that there might be more people I've forgotten, or who we might become close with, or that I might let some out of town friends bring guests...  So I'm rounding up to 50, to be safe.  But this is pretty much every person close enough in my life that I want them in my wedding, and I find this a bit sad.