So Much To Do

It's official...

...the save the dates are all addressed, stamped, and on their way to our guests! I can't believe that it is already time to be sending these out. Time has seriously flown by. We started out with 16 months to plan and organize, and now we're down to 6 1/2 months!

With that being said (and my last wedding nightmare still fresh in my mind) it's time to get down to business. The other night I sat down and organized a list of projects that still need to get done. I took a mental trip through our venue as if I were a guest and wrote down every project that came to mind:

The lists above (which don't include decorations like table centerpieces or items for the altar) may seem a little crazy! I promise I'm not a madwoman who thinks she needs to complete hundreds of projects. I wrote a list of items that I would need underneath each task to make my future shopping trips a little easier.

Though my project list is not three pages long, there are still quite a few things that need to get done and I plan on starting a few this weekend. With two days off a week and not having to worry about homework or exams, I should have plenty of time to get projects completed.

Here's the rundown:

- Guestbook : We're planning on creating a photo guestbook. A nice bound journal or sketchpad + polaroid camera + photo corners = perfect.

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- Ribbon Wands : Our venue doesn't allow guests to throw petals, or confetti after the 'I do' (it's on the lake and items could easily blow into the water polluting the area and causing harm to the wildlife). To make for fun photos the guests will have ribbon wands to wave after the ceremony.

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- Tissue Packets : Packets of tissue for "Tears of Joy"

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- Birdcage Card Box : I already have a little birdcage to put cards in. All that I need to do is create a cute banner or sign.

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- Program Fans : Since our wedding is in May and it's possible that the temperature in the central valley will already be climbing, we thought that fans would be a better option for our programs than traditional booklets.

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- Seating Chart Frame : Our seating chart will be posted on a big board rather than given to our guests via escort cards.

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- Flip Flops : We will be offering our heel wearing guests a more comfortable option for the reception. I started this project this summer and I'm happy to say it's nearly complete.

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- Menu : Each table will have a menu with food options. I haven't decided if each place setting will have a menu or if there will be just one framed menu....it all depends on how much time I have.

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- Drink Menu : I found a really cute chalkboard sign at Goodwill (I used it for Zac's 30th birthday...check it out here and here) and we plan to place it on the bar with the drink options.

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- Bathroom Basket : A cute little bathroom basket will be in each of the bathrooms with items that guests might need throughout the evening.

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- Games : Games will be set up on the lawn for guests to enjoy during cocktail hour. We'll need to get together a few more games and create a chalkboard sign to put on the lawn.

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- Candy Buffet / Dessert Bar : Though we have tons of jars and glassware for each of these tables (shown here), we still need to get small favor bags and take home boxes for the goodies.

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In addition to those projects, we still need to finalize ideas for centerpieces and start buying supplies to get everything in order.

So what do you think, did I bite off more than I can chew? Any other DIY brides out there have a lot of projects to complete? If you had a DIY wedding did you need to cut down on some of your projects before the wedding day arrived?