Wedding Planning: Invitations, Favors etc

So much to do and only 4 days left!  Can't believe the big day has come so fast! 
We knew since we started planning the wedding that we wanted to do boarding pass invitations.  I was actually planning to get them done on Etsy, thinking it would be much cheaper.  But we decided just to do a consultation with Something Blue Hawaii, just to get a price quote  They specialize in custom invitations, and I had heard a lot of good things on Yelp and through The Wedding Cafe workshops.  We worked with Carol who was really friendly and very helpful.  We had a custom logo that we wanted to include on the invitations which was easy for her to incorporate.  They were surprisingly very affordable so we ended up purchasing our invitations through them instead of Etsy.  She gave us an initial quote, averaging about $4.50 an invitation (including printed return addresses on the envelope.)  After paying a deposit (50%), we communicated through email, tweaking the design, placement and colors on the invitation.  After everything was finalized they were printed and ready to pick up.  I didn't realize until after we had picked up the printed invites that there had been a mistake on them.  It had actually been wrong on the invitation the whole time, and neither of us had noticed the mistake.  I contacted her right away and she was very understanding and apologetic.  She even reprinted the corrected invitations free of charge.

We also did our favor boxes though them as well.  We did plain mini suitcases which were 60 cents each.  We got custom stickers from Zazzle which were surprisingly affordable.  We paid $23 for 100 stickers plush shipping which was pretty quick too.  I was very impressed with the quality and would definitely order from them again.  We stuffed the favor boxes with Haribo Saft gummy bears.  We discovered this on our trip to Europe 2 years ago and fell in love with them, so we wanted to share them with our guests.  I bought them in bulk on Amazon, about 12 pounds worth which was more than enough for 100 favors (we still have one unopened bag left.)  We measured about 1.5oz or 1/4 cup per bag.  But I think we could've filled them a little more considering we had a whole bag left. 
I finally picked up my dress from Bijou Bridal on Sunday.  It didn't need much alterations, just a hem and a bustle.  We also had her do a sweetheart neckline which turned out great.  I would highly recommend this place!  Everyone here was so nice, and I love my dress!
I also had my hair and makeup trial done on Sunday.  I decided to have my hair up in a messy bun, and a neutral smokey eye for the makeup.  Both turned out amazing so I'm really excited for Saturday.  The only downside is we have to get it done really early in the morning, but the ceremony is in the morning so I hope it will hold up throughout the day
We bought our centerpieces as well.  We decided on potted herbs for the centerpieces because we wanted something practical.  We went to Lowes yesterday and bought a bunch of different herbs, as well as some ceramic pots to put them in.  We just have to transfer the plants to the pots and decorate them.

Speaking of decorations, we finally finished stringing all of our paper cranes.  It's tradition in Hawaii for the bride to fold 1000 cranes for her wedding.  It took us about a month to fold them and 2 full days to hang them.  We are not quite sure how we are going to put them up at the venue yet, but we are planning to donate them to the Peace Park in Hiroshima, which gives us another excuse to return to Japan. 
For the music, we are just using a playlist on her ipod.  We are still undecided which songs to use for the ceremony.  I had originally decided on River Flows in You by Yiruma, but we are also thinking of To Zanarkand from FFX or Tifas Theme from FFVII.  Still undecided, but we only have 4 days left to figure out all the last minute details.  Can't believe it's come so fast and we leave for Peru in just over a week from today! 

Warrior Dash 2013: My Experience

Pre Warrior Dash Hawaii 2013

Warrior Dash came to Hawaii again in 2013!  We signed up really early this year, which was good because the registration filled up so fast!  They even opened up a second day, but I don't think all of those slots got filled.  We ran on the first day, second wave at 9:30, same time as last year. 
The parking situation this year was a lot better this year.  It was much more organized this year, and the drive to the parking lot was closer.  We were supposed to start the race at 9:30, but we didn't actually start until 9:45.  There were 2 separate lines for each wave that were released every 15 minutes.  We got really confused at the start because we thought they would let everyone go at once, but we had to wait about half an hour before we got to start.  They said last year the course was too crowded releasing everyone at once, which is why they changed it this year.  The obstacles were less crowded and everyone was a little more spread out so that was good.  I felt the actual obstacles were harder than last years course.  There were a lot more vertical obstacles where you had to lift yourself up.  I finished in about 50 minutes this year, beating my time from last year (mostly because I tried to run the whole thing rather than walk).

Finished!

Much to my disappointment,  the rinse-off area wasn't at the lake this year.  It was on the grounds in the mud, and it was just a bunch of hoses hooked up.  Last year was much more efficient, but with just a few hoses for everyone the line was so long and it took forever!  There was also no changing tent, and no turkey legs at the food both this year either!  And no $5 off merchandise coupon on your bib either.  I didn't buy anything this year since it was all pretty much the same.  I was actually pretty disappointed after the race and I felt there was a lot lacking in terms of organization.  The shirts we got this year were pretty nice, but I'm not sure about the quality.  Btw they gave the shirts at the finish line, not at check-in this year.  I read on their facebook page that it doesn't hold up well after being washed. 
Warrior Dash this year was a lot of fun, but I wish they had the same things as last year.  I felt like they were missing a lot (seriously, how can you have no turkey legs?).  We even got some fruit and granola last year, but nothing this year.  I think I would definitely do it again next year though.  I am thinking about doing the Spartan Race which will be at Kualoa Ranch in August.  They are only allowing pre-registration now, and I'm not sure how much it will be, but it sounds fun.  Who's going??

Wedding Planning Update: Flowers, Cake, Invitations

So I just thought I'd do a small update on my wedding planning so far. We have made some progress lately.  Already have a cake and flower vendor, and someone to do our invitations.
And even better news, my dress came in!  I went to try it on a few days ago and it fits SO nicely!  I was actually really surprised that it fit so well.  I don't think I will need to have much done for the alterations.  After wearing it for a second time and having it fit so well, I fell in love with it even more!  I wish I had a good picture to show, but the one my sister took from her phone was really blurry.  The dress actually has a corset inside, which I didn't notice the first time I tried it on because it was so big.  The woman there said it was good for me because I'm so petite.  I will probably go back to do an actual fitting sometime in March. 
We chose A Cake Life to do our cake.  We found them through The Wedding Cafe's Wednesday Night Workshop.  Kristen had contacted us through email after attending the workshop, and we scheduled a cake tasting with her.  The cake tasting cost $25 which we paid through paypal, and we got to try 6 different flavors.  She brought a selection of their most popular cakes, and we discussed our design and how the whole ordering process works.  All of the cakes were delicious and very moist!  We ordered 72 cupcakes (3 different flavors) and 1 round cake for the top of the display. Kristen has been really patient with us and it's very easy to communicate with her.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how our travel-themed cake will look.
For our flowers, we actually contacted someone we knew from high school.  Candi's Flowers is a business Alanas friend owns.  She has done flowers for many friends weddings and her prices are very reasonable.  I'm not a huge fan of flowers so I know I didn't want to spend that much.  We just ordered flower bouquets for us and the bridesmaids, a flower piece we could put on the arch (which she is also providing) and boutonnieres for the fathers.  We really didn't know where to start with the flowers so she was really helpful!  We've also paid the deposit with her, and I can't wait to see how they turn out!
Our wedding venue, Queen Emma Summer Palace requires us to have valet parking with 50 or more guests.  We also found Prestige Valet  though the Wedding Cafe.  I got a quick reply through email with a quote for the event.  I also attempted to contact Elite Parking who said they would email me back as they were working on the rates for 2013.  I still haven't heard from them, so we just went with Prestige Valet.  I thought it was a little weird that we didn't have to sign a contract.  We just paid a deposit to secure the date.  They also had great communication from the start and were really easy to work with.
I'm excited to see how everything will turn out!  It's actually turning out to be much more stressful than I thought it would be, but I'm glad to be making some progress.  5 more months to go!
 

Dreaming of...Peru?

So this idea all started about a month and a half ago.  I was on my lunch break at work and saw a blog post linked on Facebook about hiking the Inca Trail.  I really wish I could find the blog, because it was really well written, but I can't seem to be able to find the link again.  Anyway, we had been debating for quite a while as to where we should go for our "honeymoon", and we were pretty set on going back to Europe.  However, after reading this blog, I was inspired to do something different.  I've always wanted to see Machu Picchu, and since we've already been to Europe I thought going to Peru would be a nice change of pace.
We had been looking at airfare for the last month or so trying to set a date to go.  I was debating for a long time whether I should use my miles or just pay full price for the round-trip ticket.  Luckily the ticket prices have slowly been dropping the past month, and the price just dropped $250 yesterday so we took a big leap of faith, and bought our tickets!  We leave May 9, 2013 for 18 days in Peru!  I'm excited, but scared at the same time.  If anyone has been to Peru or hiked the Inca Trail before, please let me know if you have any advice!
We still have to book our flight from Lima to Cuzco, as well as out 4 day trek to Machu Picchu.  We are probably going to go with Peru Treks after hearing a lot of good recommendations from different blogs, and on Tripadvisor.  I will update on how the booking process goes, as well as how we will be training for the hike. 
As far as the actual wedding planning goes, we have secured a flower, invitation and cake vendor and well as the valet parking that is required at our venue.  My wedding dress should also be coming in sometime in December, so I'm really excited for that!  It's really nice to see things finally coming together.  I can't believe we only have 6 more months! 

The Color Run: My Experience

The Color Run Hawaii

This past Saturday we did our second 5k run this year: The Color Run!  Claiming it's "the happiest 5k on the planet" it was so much fun! 
We actually stayed up really late the night before making our crayon inspired "District L" shirts.  We go there early, a little after 8:00 so we got to run in the first wave.  There were 8,000 participants and they were releasing the waves every 5-10 minutes.  I was happy to be in the first wave because at the starting line they were handing out free color run merchandise and extra color packets.  Unfortunately we didn't get anything because we weren't standing close enough to the front.
Overall the run itself was pretty easy.  The whole course ran through a residential area so it was paved the whole way.  There were 4 places on the course where the color zones were where volunteers throw color on you.  The actual color is in powder form so it does get in your eyes and mouth.  After the race was over, they had a color throw for all the finishers.  This was definitely a great finish to the race and it looked pretty cool watching it from afar (there are a bunch of pictures on the color run website). 

The only gripe I had about The Color Run was the parking and the traffic.  From the time we got off the freeway in Kapolei it took us about 40 minutes to actually park the car.  Traffic was so bad!  No one was there to direct cars and people were just parking anywhere, so it felt really disorganized.  A lot of people I knew actually had to park really far and walk a long way just to get to the start line.  Even though they have us a map of places to park, I felt like with 8,000 runners, it wasn't nearly enough.  The parking was free which was nice, but hopefully if they do it again next year, it will be better.
The color actually washes out pretty easily.  You can pretty much dust it off since it's powder.  Before I showered, I took a lot of it off with makeup remover and it came right off.  
Overall, it was a really fun experience and I highly recommend doing it!  I would definitely do it again next year!

Pinterest Test # 2: Baked Chicken Taquitos

Baked Chicken Taquitos
I made these for dinner last night after seeing rave reviews on Pinterest.  These came out amazing, and they were so easy to make!
I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, except for the garlic.  I used about 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead of the fresh garlic it called for, and 4oz of cream cheese instead of 3oz. After baking for 20 minutes at 425F they came out prefect.  Brown on the edges and very crispy!  They were also very flavorful and they tasted great dipped with salsa.  I would probably add a little more cheese next time, even though it calls for 1 cup.  But I really love cheese, so that's why I would have liked a little more.  Overall, these came out so good!  It's quick and easy for a weeknight meal.  Definitely something I would remake!

Engagement Photos

Yay!  We finally got our engagement photos in!  I was so excited when we got the CD in the mail.  Our photographer Shannon Sasaki was amazing and did such an awesome job!
We took our engagement photos at Hawaii Loa Ridge a few weeks ago.  We were both pretty nervous before the shoot and didn't know what to expect.  She did a great job making us feel comfortable and we actually had a lot of fun.  The photos were uploaded for us to view online by the next day.  After choosing which photos to edit we got the pictures on a disc a few weeks later. 
The pictures turned out amazing, and the best part was they were free!  They were actually included in the 6 hour package we purchased, so it was a really good deal.  I highly recommend her!  I can't wait until she does our wedding!