DIY Projects have colonized a bit of my time

I am currently trying to wrap as many DIY wedding projects as possible before I begin my new faculty job. Above are the containers for our cookie table. I ordered and affixed custom labels for all 200 of them! Granted we are inviting more people than containers, but hopefully some couples will share. We'll see, I guess! For those of you not familiar with the "cookie table," a Pittsburgh wedding staple, read about this delicious and fun tradition here and here.

Last night, my friend Mary Jo, my fiancé Chris, and I went to Artist Image Resource (AIR) during the open studio hours to work on our wedding invitations. Each will feature an individually screened image of the 16th Street Bridge. Of all the bridges in Pittsburgh, this is by far my and Chris's favorite. It is also the one we use most often to get around town.

(image taken from here where you can find more info;
note: this is not the image we used for the invites)

I learned that I am 1. a little OCD 2. pretty adept at lining up paper 3. capable of screening very quickly by myself. All of the design talent is thanks to Mary Jo. I am so grateful for her eye and her abilities. Once everything is finished I will share how it turned out. We are still working on the invites and reply cards. Afterwards we will move on to the ceremony programs, table numbers, and seating cards.

Another project I am working on involves the use of our parents' and grandparents' wedding/couple photos. Both Chris and I are very close to our parents and siblings but we have also both lost our grandparents. I am working on a way to integrate their presence into the visual landscape of the reception because it is extremely important to us. I am still determining the execution of this project which right now involves gathering, scanning, and trying to clean up a lot of older photographs.

A bit of a meta-blog thought aside: Not sure why/how I believed that finishing a dissertation, starting a new job (that is technically my first "legit" professor job), and planning a wedding were things I should do simultaneously. Don't get me wrong, these are all wonderful and privileged things to be doing. I feel extremely fortunate to have such opportunities ahead of me. I know I will look back on this time in my life with great fondness and joy. But I have to admit my time to blog thoughtfully (or do much of anything else, thoughtfully) is becoming increasingly rare. This is part of why the content here has been less analytical and more "hey here's an outfit!" "hey here's a dress review." That genre of entry is quick and dirty and I like the content just fine. But my spare time to critically and productively think through my patterns and material desires as a consumer has taken a backseat to other more time-sensitive things. I hope I don't lose a lot of readership for it!

Anyway, this week I bought a bridal bustier which had to be altered a bit to fit me better. I had such a fantastic experience at Smartform Pittsburgh. I highly recommend them to any women in need of bridal undergarments or any special occasion pieces. They also specialize in post-mastectomy undergarments so they are extremely knowledgeable and capable. More than anything else, I was surprised by how affordable, discreet, and warm they were. I spent less on a piece that was custom-altered, more flattering, and more supportive than I would have spent buying something off the rack from just about anywhere else. A week from now I will get to officially be fitted to my wedding dress! I also changed my mind about my rehearsal dinner dress. But more on that next week! Have a great weekend, everyone!