invites

invitations are in the mail!! keep your eyes open for a little green envelope and please let us know if you don't receive yours over the next few days.

in order to reduce waste, we have opted for an online rsvp tracker. from there you can let us know if you are able to attend, who you are bringing with you, any food allergies or dietary restrictions... even any possible song request for the dj! we think we have covered just about everything, but in case we missed something, you can let us know in the comments of your rsvp, in our online guestbook or via email.

looking forward to hearing from all of you and celebrating in the coming moths! xo

birds of a feather flock together

i really wanted to incorporate feathers into a few details of our wedding, but of course had some general concerns around how feathers are sometimes obtained (not always removed from the animal in a kind or respectful way) and most of the feathers i was finding in stores or online were being shipped from china (kind of a long way to travel for something that isn't really super crucial). a few months ago, i found an AH-MAZING little shop that sells (get this) 'free-range, cruelty free feather'! frogworks is a small family run business out of california. they have a variety of birds that they care for including parrots, macaws, cockatoos (one very special cockatoo - she's blind) and many free range peacocks, guinea hens, geese and banty hens. as the birds feathers are naturally shed, they collect them and sell them through their shop with all the proceeds raised going back into the care and feeding of the birds. how wonderfully sweet!! stay tuned for a few fun feather projects to come.

 guinea hen feathers

collecting

we have started collecting quite a few little things in preparation for the wedding. some are self explanatory, others will be a little more cryptic until the big day rolls around, but all are SO fun to hunt for!! we are also soooo eternally grateful to our wonderful friend (and bridesmaid) becky who recently had the most beautiful wedding to the love of her life, blaine! many of the decorations and special treasures used in our wedding will be goodies borrowed from theirs. cant wait!

maps!

we made a map to show the location of the ceremony (a touch tricky to find as it doesn't really have a formal street address) and the reception hall.

NOTE: the invitations say sandy beach park is off of 50th ave + 15a street sw - its actually off of 14a street. whoops! The map below shows 15th street which runs parallel to 14a street but is slightly more direct - its just one block over from 14a and will take you to the same place you need to be. confusing, we know. :)

the map also shows red dots that will direct you from the ceremony at sandy beach park to the reception at the scandinavian hall afterwards. here's hoping no one gets lost!

directions from sandy beach to the hall:
- drive up the elbow river pathway and turn right onto 15 street sw
- turn right on 38th avenue sw
- turn left at the 4-way stop onto 14th street sw
- take 14th street for a while (it will eventually turn from sw into to nw)
- turn right onto 20th avenue nw
- the scandinavian hall is located at 739 - 20th ave nw and will be on your right hand side. tons of parking on the street around the hall!

for those curious, the map is a sketch created by jess with cute little icons designs by kelsy- the talent behind our save-the-dates and invites!

you can download and print a PDF version of the map HERE.
you can link to a more detailed and interactive google map HERE
please let us know if you have any questions!

invitations are getting close!

we are working hard to get our invitations in the mail! once again our good friend kelsy norman who designed our save the dates - designed some beautiful invitations based on a couple simple ideas jess had found while searching wedding blogs. we are just finishing up a few revisions and hopefully soon they will be off to the printers! in the mean time, jess has been working hard to get all the envelopes addressed and stamped- a bigger task than we originally anticipated, but well worth the blood, sweat, and several tears! :)

a little sneak peak for you!

also, a little side note - to help save a few trees and cut down on unnecessary waste, we will be requesting all rsvp's for the wedding through our website (rather than traditional mailed back replies). of course you can always email us or give us a call if thats easier for you.

the story of jess' ring

if you have read the 'about us' section on the website, you have seen pictures of jess' beautiful engagement ring that jeff did so well in picking out. the ring is a lovely handmade piece from a jewelry designer in seattle. it is a simple but graphic design with a large raw herkimer diamond held in placed by several large prongs. its best kept secret is the tiny heart at the base of the diamond- a sweet reminder of the one who picked it out. it is a perfect ring with the exception of one thing - it ended up being quite fragile! as time went on, it continually got caught in pockets, snagged on shirts, and tangled in finn's hair. as beautiful as the ring is, it was not really the most practical for the everyday wear of a mother of a toddler.

we had been saving up to buy a new kitchen table. we had one in mind that came with a hefty price tag, so after months and months, we were finally close to our savings goal. we then found a table we liked almost as much as the original,  but at half the price! yippy! so with the left over saved money, we decided to invest in a slightly more sturdy but equally beautiful ring for jess. the new ring is a stunning piece from tiffany&co -  jess loves it because it reassembles the simplicity and feeling of her old ring, but is much more toddler friendly. and now she has TWO beautiful rings - lucky lady~

food glorious food

as you may have already read on our website, the food at our wedding will be anything but traditional. jeff and i have loved getting a little creative with some of the details of this wedding and the food is no exception. two things that are on the top of our list of favourite things (of all time!) are popcorn (i literally could eat this every day and have used it as a substitute for meals on more than one occasion. tisk tisk, i know.) and rootbeer (we aren't huge soda drinkers, but we both love a good rootbeer as a special treat every now and then). we thought the two things together would be pure perfection as well as a fun way to kick off our wedding festivities.

for dinner we thought long and hard about something that would be yummy and universally loved - obviously one thing pops into most peoples minds... pizza!! we love pizza (most people do!) so when we found a caterer with a mobile wood fired pizza oven we knew it was a match made in heaven! rustixx wood fired pizza will be cooking up gourmet pizza all night long (which, if you have never had wood fired pizza before, you are in for a real treat!) we will have a few varieties available to pick from- you can all fill your bellies with toppings like pineapple and feta (our most favourite pizza ever!) or, if thats not your thing, perhaps something a little more traditional. whatever you choose, it will be delicious! we will also be whipping up a few varieties of salads and a couple other treats to complement the pizza- be sure to bring your appetites (and maybe a pair of more comfortable pants for afterward). 

lastly, DESSERT!! jeff and i are both guilty of having a little (ok - major) sweet tooth! we opted to forgo the traditional wedding cake and instead replace it with a table filled with all our most favourite sweet treats. pies, cookies, donuts, maybe a cupcake or two- no shortage of sugar and, hopefully, something for everyone!

somewhat interesting wedding fact: all the food served on our special day will be vegetarian.