APW Happy Hour

Hey APW!

How was your week? My son started Transitional Kindergarten (aka public school) this week, which involved a lot of crying on my part… though he’s settling in just fine. At work though, things were blessedly slow. Lots of checking things off our to-do lists, a little DIY Tutorial shoot, but mostly just the kind of week where we could hunker down and work.

Last night though, Maddie and I got to go to an event highlighting female founders of various local companies at Rent the Runway‘s San Francisco store. The night ended up with us mostly just trying on piles of clothes, which was sort of… perfect. Now we just need a place to wear these dresses, so… maybe hire us as your bridesmaids?

And on that note, I’m flying down to Orange County to go to the wedding of David’s many extended cousins this weekend (which is Black Tie, LOVE). After much debate, I picked a hotel on the beach, and I think it’s going to be a nice super, super quick trip. What’s on your to-do list for the weekend?

It’s your open thread, hop on it!

XO,

Meg

Our $3,500 Czech And Filipino Wedding Was Lit

OSIRIS, Marketing, PR, and Events Coordinator & MICHAL, Chef

Sum-up of the wedding vibe: Cultural.
Planned Budget: $5,000
Actual Budget: $3,500
Number of Guests: 80

Where we allocated the most funds:

Food. We had a lunch, which had a roasted pig, barbecue, and a bunch of Czech and Filipino sides. For dinner around 11 p.m. we had a huge crab boil! The following day for our reception after party we had more food!

Where we allocated the least funds:

My dress was fifty cents and was from an old Victorian tablecloth. I made my crown myself. Michal bought his outfit from H&M. I did the entire event design, graphics, branding, and styling myself.

What was totally worth it:

Aesthetically, the way our wedding turned out was exactly what I hoped for.

What was totally not worth it:

Michal and I both work in the wedding industry with catering and event planning, so we thought we could do all of it. I should have hired a day-of coordinator to help with the processional and ceremony portion of the wedding. That part of the wedding got a little wonky, but I was running on four hours of sleep, so I didn’t care at that point.

A few things that helped us along the way:

Friends and family, and their talents and skills! My officiant incorporated some true Northwest indigenous love by wearing regalia to the ceremony and having a well-known Native American hoop dancer perform afterward.

My best practical advice for my planning self:

Don’t be so anal. Delegate tasks, and spend a little more money on floor-length linens!

Favorite thing about the wedding:

The food and the different cultures coming together! From Native American love to guests visiting from Czech Republic to Filipino hospitality.