Our "Invitation Situation"

JC and I have worked with quite a few wedding vendors over the past four months. Some of them have been good (our cake lady) and some have been not so good (I'll dish on that offline). There are a few, though, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and Megan Bailey with Pink Piggy Design is one of them.

Let me preface this post by admitting to you all that I have a full-blown obsession with stationery. Card stock, monograms, envelope liners … I LOVE IT! In fact, a few years ago, I gave personalized stationery to the members of my association’s political action committee as their annual gift. I’m quite certain that they all (especially those old-school railroad guys who work in Safety and Operations) rank it among the greatest of gifts ever received! So, knowing all this, you can only imagine what a painstaking process the wedding invitations were for me (and JC too).

"Pre-Piggy," we combed through book after book of invitations, dealt with more than a few snobby salesladies and stared in disbelief at the estimates they provided. Finally, JC, my wonderful down-to-earth fiancé, suggested that an evite might be the way to go!

By the beginning of April I was starting to get really nervous and I could tell that JC's patience was thinning. My future sister-in-law, Nikki, and our wedding photographer, her friend Megan Holdsworth, got wind of our situation and suggested that I check out Pink Piggy Designs. Owner Megan Bailey is the sole designer for Pink Piggy. You can check out her fun and creative designs online at www.pinkpiggydesign.com. I was pretty smitten after looking at Megan's gallery, so I called her and she assured me that we could do all of the designs for the save the date annoucements and the invitations via e-mail. The added bonus ... she said it would take her only THREE WEEKS from start to finish! I'll admit, I was pretty skeptical after being told by countless invitation people that it would take them six to eight weeks! But, true to her word, she delivered the save the dates in three weeks and the invitations in two!

I want to thank Megan for working so tirelessly on the save the dates and invitations for our wedding. She is a very talented (and patient) lady. For all those that are interested, Megan has a wonderful blog, www.pinkpiggydesign.blogspot.com, that has all sorts of great ideas for brides. Here is a little preview of the invitation she created for us. They should be in your mailboxes by mid-July!

Paper, what paper?

JC can attest that this semester, my final one, has been all about procrastination for me. It has gotten to the point where I call him on Friday afternoon and he refuses to make plans until he knows how much of Monday’s paper I’ve finished … overachiever. In fact, while reading this blog post, he actually looked up the word "overachiever" in his trusty Merriam-Webster's dictionary (that he never leaves home without) then called to tell me that there is no hyphen in the word which I had originally hyphenated. He then read the definition aloud. I’ve tried to co-opt Mr. Smarty-Pants into “helping” me write these short 15 page papers I have due every week, but I think he can see through that guise (I may or may not have had my swimsuit on when I asked the question).

Tonight is another evening of the same … paper due tomorrow (currently almost/somewhat/more than half written) and no sense of urgency on my end. I think part of the problem is that my graduate program doesn’t offer any “last semester” type classes. I’m imagining something along the lines of Underwater Basketweaving, Shuffleboard with Dean Arterton, or maybe even Wedding Planning for Political Managers.

Anyway, this blog is providing a nice distraction for the moment. Poor JC sat trapped in a 5 hour ethics class today that was required for all those admitted to the DC Bar. I imagine that his demeanor was much like that of a caged animal awaiting his eventual release while attempting to conduct business via blackberry.

On another note, we are looking forward to having both the Sandberg and Jones families in town for our engagement party this weekend. I’m sure we’ll have some great stories and photos to share next week. In the meantime, I thought I would post the picture below for your amusement. JC and I went to a baseball game a couple of weeks ago with my very good friends Brooke and Brandon Oak. During the game Brooke was able to capture this little gem which is fairly representative of every picture that JC and I take together.

I hope and pray that our wedding photographer, Megan, can get him to do something other than this in our wedding pictures!

The Vermontster Challenge

For all of our prospective wedding guests who are faced with traveling long distances to foreign lands for this once-in-a-lifetime event, I’m feeling the need to boost your spirits. So, I thought that I would share a few fun facts about The Green Mountain State to keep your level of enthusiasm high for the arduous journey that lies ahead.

Facts about Vermont, the unpublicized version ...

• Vermont has a cows-to-people ratio of 10 to 1;
• The National Rotten Sneaker Competition is held in Montpelier, Vermont;
• Vermont's Lake Champlain is rumored to be home to a sea monster named Champ;
• Killington, Vermont has twice voted to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire; and
• Remember Howard Dean? He was our governor for 12 years.

Now, if you were on the fence about coming to the wedding before reading this … I’m certain that you are online buying your ticket as we speak!

In all sincerity, Vermont does have some wonderful and unique attributes we hope you will all take time to enjoy. At the very least, you should know that Vermont is home to both Ben & Jerry’s and Cabot Creamery, so you will find no shortage of low-fat treats during your visit. Your Vermont experience really won't be complete without a Ben & Jerry's Vermonster Sundae ... 20 scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, a banana, cookies, brownies and all your favorite toppings served up family-style in a bucket! For those of you who are lactose-inally challenged, here are some slightly less daunting recommendations for the weekend.

Manchester, Vermont
Nestled at the foot of 3,816-foot Mount Equinox, Manchester, Vermont is a shopper's paradise (you think I'm kidding, but I'm not). A trip to Vermont is never complete without our requisite stop at the outlets!

Hildene
Manchester, Vermont is home to Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln's 412-acre summer estate. Robert, the son of President and Mrs. Lincoln, first visited Manchester as a young man in the summers of 1863 and 1864 when he came to the Equinox Hotel with his mother and his brother Tad. He was so taken by the beauty of Vermont that some forty years later he returned to purchase 500 acres of land to build what he would call his ancestral home. Make sure you plan a visit to the property which has one of President Lincoln's Stove Pipe Hats on display and great views of the entire Equinox Valley.

The Orvis Company
For those fishing and hunting enthusiasts among us, make sure you stop by Orvis' new retail store. Charles Orvis founded the Orvis Company in Manchester, Vermont in 1856. The Orvis’ flagship retail store is still located here and offers a huge array the finest fly fishing equipment as well as fly fishing classes.

The Southern Vermont Arts Center
Located in Manchester, Vermont is the Southern Vermont Arts Center, a non-profit art center for visual and performing arts. The Arts Center, which exhibits both classic and contemporary art, is housed in a beautiful National Historic Trust Mansion on the slopes of Mount Equinox. A traveling exhibition featuring the work of Time Magazine photojournalist Diana Walker will be on display during the September 6th weekend. SVAC's Garden Café serves wonderful lunches as well.

Dorset, Vermont
Approximately five miles north of Manchester is the town of Dorset, a well-preserved community with a charming town green bordered by painted white-clapboard houses with green shutters. Home to the first Vermont convention in 1776, Dorset now draws visitors with its much-respected Dorset Theatre Festival, swimming areas and deluxe gourmet fare restaurants. Should you be looking for some bedtime reading visit the website of the Dorset Historical Society at www.dorsethistory.com for a nailbiting history of the Town of Dorset.

J.K Adams and Company
J.K. Adams has been designing, manufacturing and distributing wood products from Dorset, Vermont since 1944. My sister and I will attest that we never leave home without a visit to the Kitchen Store! Located on three floors, the store has a huge variety of kitchen gadgets, gourmet foods and J.K. Adams signature products.

Stay tuned for more information on great restaurants in the area and a rundown of the weekend's events. For more information on things to do during your stay, please visit www.manchestervermont.net.