#6: it's all about me. and YOU!

personalization is one of the key elements i'm going for. hence, all the DIY projects i have in cue, sort of (fingers crossed yes indeedy.) i don't want anything to stand out in a negative, cheap way...but i've been to enough weddings to know what is memorable and what is totally forgettable...and i want to make sure mine is completely memorable. and memorable not only for the guests, but especially for the wedding party.

one of the things that gets me all excited is when i can tell that an exhorbitant amount of time was spent on detail and execution. i loooove detail. and fortunately for all of us, it doesn't always have to take the form of stretching the budget. really, it could simply involve having the support of your best friends...those who care enough to carry out your ideas with a lot of TLC. true story: of the 5 weddings i attended last year, only 1 had real working ushers. by real working ushers, i mean i was greeted with a huge smile by a friend of the groom's as soon as i entered the church. he gave his arm for me to hold (so cute!) and guided me to the bride's side of the church...with the bf trailing behind us (hee). it. was. awesome. the other weddings, i wandered around for a bit, having to eventually tap an 'usher' on the shoulder and ask "um, where do i go?" it was uncomfortable and weird. and why didn't they help me? because they were busy playing amongst themselves and ignoring the guests they didn't know. lame ducks, i say.

so this may be wishful thinking but i too want my wedding to be something i experience together with my closest friends. i appreciate such acts as the real working usher...acts that deliver the message that your friend cares as much as you do about your special day.

so as you can imagine (and i get smacked around some for this but)...i'm a sucker for 'sappy'. and this, ahem, 'heartfeltness' also applies to gifts. i appreciate gifts that have obvious meaning. gifts that admit that the person knows you. oh yes. i love those. i love getting those, i love giving those. i'm really not a giftcard or money girl. i definitely have friends who prefer those things which is fine...but i'm not big into receiving a giftcard or money as a gift and if i can help it, i'd prefer not to hand out wads of cash. because folks, in the end, money is just money. instead, thoughtfulness rules, i say! side note: unfortunately for the bf, the criteria for gift-giving is first 'thoughtful'...but then veryyy closely followed by 'blinged-out' (woe is he.)

when i get married, i want it to be about me and my hubs but also about the people who will be supporting us throughout our lives together as a couple. i intend to include them and be mindful of making them feel special and appreciated during the process. uh, for the wedding i'm not yet really planning for...

anyways!

so that said, you'll notice that i've allocated 10% of my 'ideal budget' on gifts. as far as bridal party gifts are concerned, i really want to be as generous as i could possibly be. and at the same time, true to form, i want the gifts to be especially meaningful. moolah obviously isn't the most important factor here but i'll definitely be giving the hubs and myself decent and sizeable budgetary room to play around in. my favorite gift combo would be 1) non-DIY and 2) personalized. and i came across an item today that i thought could fit the bill for the coffee lovers in our lives. this website actually inspired this post:

http://www.rustdesigns.com/mugs.html

**on the flipside, i've always wanted to help friends with the details or even just engage with assembly (i can tie a mean ribbon)...but i never got the chance to experience that. (hm, can you tell i haven't gotten my wedding fill...i'm writing a blog about wedding things and i'm not even engaged.) i mean really, i've gone to weddings aplenty, and done did the whole bridesmaid thing...and was never once commissioned to dip more than a toenail in the entire process. and from what i hear, i shouldn't jinx myself and complain about it (because bridezillas abound!)...but still. there are times when i wonder why i'm a bridesmaid other than to plan parties, give gifts and pay for things. where's the depth in that? would you agree?