My Armless Army

My last blog post got some of us thinking... Maybe we should go for the J.Crew dresses after all. There were all sizes, all colors available last night while I was sucking at Photoshop.

But this morning, there were no more size 0 (a couple of my bridesmaids), and 2's and 4's only came in "chartreuse". (a couple of my bridesmaids are in this range) Then, the frenzy began. One of the blondes is a double 0, so she suggested she get a 2 in chartreuse and have it altered. I was texting and emailing all of them at once. I had one blonde waiting to buy the pink because I wasn't sure anyone else could secure a pink. Then, when it didn't look good for more than 2 pinks, one lovely girl suggested we go all green. The blondes were more into the pink until they looked at the color again - actually the green would be better. I'm calling it green, though it's a very yellow green. I wouldn't call it chartreuse, either. Whatev. More frantic texts: "Everyone! Buy green now!"

I think everyone's just about on board. Presenting...

My Armless Army

Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Too funny! (To me, anyway.) Ha ha ha ha! I've been sitting by myself, laughing at my horrible Photoshop skills. I started the think that maybe I should prescribe the dresses my bridesmaids should wear, since they're all having trouble figuring out what I want or finding what they think I want in stores. There's a J.Crew dress I kind of like and the colors are kind of cool - not exactly what I had in mind, but colors I'd be happy with. So, I started photoshopping their heads on dresses... Brace yourself...







Ha ha ha ha ha!

Whew!

The original model in the pink dress is from Ethiopia - a little darker than my bridesmaids, so I tried to lighten the arms and legs. Fail. Then I copied the legs to use on the armless, legless, headless manquin wearing the greenish dress. Sco asked why I didn't just use the polygonal lasso tool to copy the arms, too. I said it was too hard. He said no it's not. I said I don't want to. Fail. Then I cut out the heads and half-ass stuck 'em on the bodies. Fail.


I get my skills from "You Suck at Photoshop."

Pogo Photo Booth

Here's what I'm thinking - photo booth guest book. It's been done before - not a new idea. I'm considering buying a Polaroid Pogo printer. It prints photos on 2"x3" sticky cards and doesn't require an ink cartridge. It uses Zink (Zero-Ink) paper. You can print via Bluetooth from a camera phone or from a digital camera hooked up via USB cable. Guests would take a picture of themselves with the camera attached to the Pogo or their camera phone, print it out, stick it in the album and write a little note.

There are some issues with this... I might need someone manning the "photo booth" for several reasons. One, it's so small, someone could steal it. Because we're not in a secure location, someone could conceivably sneak in and nab the Pogo or the camera or both. Two, people might need some guidance. It's pretty simple, but even with instructions, it might be just intimidating enough that some people won't use it. Three, it only holds 10 sheets of Zink paper at once. Someone might need to be there to reload it.

One option I'm considering is building a box for it and the camera. It would hide the camera and printer, with a hole cut to expose the shutter button on the camera and a slot for the picture to slide out. It would have a door in the back so someone could load the paper occasionally. I still might need someone to stand there for that.

Another potential issue is that people might want to redo their photo too many times if they don't like how it came out. The box thing makes this more likely, I think, because the wouldn't be able to peek at the camera's display before printing.

Pogo image source

Photo booth picture: Sco in a real photo booth

Stuff I Suck At

So, here's a list of things I haven't done yet. Most are things I've at least started. Please shame me into getting these things done.


1. Catering
2. Photographer
3. Map for invitations (my fabulous niece is being held up by my procrastination)
4. Finding a rain location
5. Ordering tables, chairs, etc.
6. Flowers
7. Favors and gifts
8. Decorations
9. Wedding rings
And much, much more!

I'm considering using a caterer I use for work all the time for my wedding. He has the best cookies, and I asked him to throw in a few extra for "tasting" with my last order from him for a recent work event. A delivery guy brought in the food for my event. He handed me the extra cookies I'd asked for and asked why I'd gotten the extra cookies. I explained that I was considering his company for my wedding. He said, "Oh! You're getting married? When's the wedding?" I replied, "June." He got this wide-eyed look and said, "Wow. Your wedding's in June and you don't have a caterer yet?!"

"Yeah, I know. I suck."

Photog woes

I'm having a hard time with photographers. I originally thought I'd want someone I knew personally that had shot a lot of stuff for newspapers. However, I looked at some people's work that I was familiar with and decided that there wasn't enough "pretty." Then, I found this great photographer who was inexpensive and would give me a cd with all my images right away - unusual for wedding photographers. This is apparently a big deal in wedding photography - the photographer also makes money on making prints and albums and holds your photos hostage while they rake in more and more money. A friend of mine won't have rights to her own wedding photos for 10 years. Ten. Years. So I found a real gem, right? Well, this great photographer specializes in bright sunny photos and doesn't do as well in low-light, outdoor situations. She said she isn't experienced enough with flash and that flash tends to make people look like they're in a cave in these situations. So bummed. But I do appreciate her honesty. So, then I check out her recommendation of a colleague, and that photographer is way expensive and is one that makes you order prints from her. I didn't bother to find out how long she holds your photos hostage. And most recently, a friend recommended a photographer she considered for her own wedding - sounds great, but she's not available. :( Every photographer on the Knot seems to really into these black and white shots with only certain parts in color and other cheesy gimmicks like that. I do have a couple of friends of friends to check out...

Polaroid fun!

Nothing really to do with weddings... Do you miss Polaroids? Apparently, a lot of people do. I remember being allowed to play with my dad's Polaroid camera at a very young age. So, yeah, I kind of miss it. Someone on Wedding Bee posted a new thing from Polaroid - you can take any digital image and turn it into a sort-of Polaroid. I kind of miss the instant, hold-in-your-hand photos. Here's one of me and lil sis in Tanzania all Polaroid style. Weird coloring and dark corners and everything!