Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Shades of purple

OK, so I took that week off from writing about the wedding, which was good for me and all. But now I'm ready to talk about it again! It is, according to The Knot, 66 days away, and that seems to me to be a remarkably short number of days. The invitations and the tuxes were the two big things remaining, and now that we've sent out the invitations and decided against tuxes, we are down to a bunch of little details.

Which is great, right? Except OH MY GOD THE DETAILS. It's ridiculous how many crappy little things there are on my to-do list. And Torsten, who has the more demanding job of the two of us and is also less detail-oriented... well, let's just say that he's good at concrete tasks, but not so good at management of a process like this. So I'm managing it, and assigning tasks as necessary. Which is fine, and I don't mind, but the problem is that Torsten winds up with just two or three tasks at a time, and so he thinks he has all the time in the world to do them.

BUT HE DOESN'T, because there are nine gazillion other things on my list, and the reason I'm giving him tasks is because I need them DONE so I can stop thinking and worrying about them. So we had a little chat the other night (and yes, we're going to keep calling it a "chat" and decidedly NOT an "episode") about how when I ask him to do something wedding-related COULD HE PLEASE JUST DO IT so I can cross it off my list.

To drive the point home, I opened up my to-do list and started reading to him all the little, quibbly things that still need to get done, and before I was halfway done that boy was already hyperventilating with the stress of everything there is left to do and running to his computer to attempt to do all three things I'd asked of him simultaneously. Of course, that was impossible, but it was a sweet thing to try.

Wow. This post makes me feel kind of like I'm running a small army here. Taking a step back, let me say that this process has been much less stressful than I was expecting it to be, and also that Torsten and I have not had any real fights or issues over the wedding at all, and that neither of us has felt resentful or like we are taking on too much of the burden or not getting enough of a say. Things have, for the most part, just worked themselves out, and we have still found plenty of time to do other, non-wedding-related things, and just relax together, despite all the unexpected issues that keep cropping up.

Some things have found resolution: The best man will be at the wedding. We figured out what we want to do for attendant gifts. I emailed the restaurant about the rehearsal dinner (though I have not yet heard back). I ordered the materials to make seating cards. I ordered the candles, their holders, and the mirrors they will sit on that will prevent them from dripping on the rented tablecloths.

I've decided to go with the idea of naming tables after shades of purple, although I haven't picked all the shades yet (it will depend on how many tables there are). Color names that will definitely be included, however, are:
  • Purple (duh)
  • Violet
  • Lavender
  • Plum
  • Lilac
  • Grape
  • Amethyst
Other color names that are in contention, but may or may not be used:
  • Eggplant
  • Mauve
  • Orchid
  • Wisteria
  • Hydrangea
  • Aubergine
  • Fuschia
  • Pansy (or is that just begging for dumb jokes?)
So this is the first place where you come in. What are your thoughts on this second list? Which ones of those scream purple to you more than others? Which ones do not make you think of purple at all? What other purple names would you suggest adding to the list?

The second place where you come in is with the table cards themselves. Once we've finalized what the tables will be called, we're going to have to label them somehow. But how? I mean, I suppose we could just write, or print, the words onto a purple card and set it up on the table somehow, and that may be what we do. But I'd like something that looks a tad bit nicer or more creative than that, but I'm not sure what that would be. Something framed? Something 3D? Something with a picture or a sticker? Maybe there could be a sticker that represents each table, and then the seating cards could have a matching sticker? Is this too much work? Am I overthinking this yet?

I had also been thinking maybe I could use those paint sample cards you get at places like Home Depot? But I don't quite know how I would incorporate them. And would people even get it? And also, don't paint colors usually have really strange names that have very little to do with what color they actually are?

My point here is, I am totally at a loss, and that's why I need your help. What do I do? And if you're like me and you have no idea, at least tell me what you think of the purples in that list up there. Because I am stuck, and I've been staring at that list for so long that the words have lost all meaning.

52 comments:

  1. Just 66 days? Thats so close! I like the idea of naming the tables after different shades of purple. As for being creative --sorry, I am no help there.

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  2. Aubergine and Eggplant would be my votes. The rest aren't necessarily purple.

    I think the paint chip idea is great. It's fun and funky.

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  3. I love Eggplant, Mauve, and Orchid. I would vote against Pansy. I am ambivalent to the others.

    I can't help you with place card ideas because I am the LEAST artistic person in the entire world... but I know whatever you come up with will be wonderful.

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  4. First, can I borrow this post word for word (pre-purple speak)? Because I am running into the EXACT SAME ISSUES with Sweets. It hurts my heart!

    Second, what about periwinkle! Great purple name!

    Third, name cards? Ack! I'm not sure. What about getting the actual paint and painting a swipe down the side of each name card?

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  5. I'm delurking because I saw the best idea on a wedding website the other day. I would only suggest this if you can answer yes to these two questions: 1) Do you have the time? 2) Do you care enough?! It also depends on how many tables you will be having. If you have more then 10 then this might not work. Okay focus ... Haha. My idea is that you go to a craft store and pick up ten sheets of different color purple paper. Make sure they are fairly distinct from each other. And then each sheet/color is a table. You can then make the name tags out of the specific sheet/color and use the same for the sing on the table. Does that make sense? Hope it did. Sorry if I only confused you more. Also I think pansy could be funny, but just make sure you put people at that table that would be able to take a joke! :) Good luck! I love hearing/reading about your purple wedding - mine isn't for 16 more months, but it's going to be very purple too!!

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  6. Only aubergine and eggplant from the second list say purple to me.
    What about using the paint chips as a border around the table name signs? Get a bunch with different shades of purple, cut out each square, and place them around the edge of the card that has "purple" written (or printed) in the center, and then framed, or something. I love the idea for the different table names being a shade of purple!

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  7. I'm delurking to write this, and it may just be a Southern girl thing, but aubergine is my favorite. From Steel Magnolias when Olympia Dukakis is interviewing a football player she asks if the uniform color is grape of aubergine.

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  8. Only Aubergine and Mauve really say purple to me. I also love Fuschia. I really don't like eggplant, but that might just be cause I'm not that familiar with it, having grown up in Switzerland...

    I love the idea of naming the tables. And having some kind of table sign with matching stickers or something on the seating cards. But are you sure it's not too much effort? Sorry I can't help with any wonderful suggestions, I'm just not very artistic...

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  9. Aubergine, Mauve, Eggplant - in that order.

    Periwinkle is a must-do!

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  10. Oooh! What about Mulberry? Or heliotrope? Indigo? Plum?

    Sorry! I sometimes get a little carried away!

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  11. Eggplant - No
    Mauve - Yes
    Orchid - DEFINITELY
    Wisteria - DEFINITELY
    Hydrangea - Yes
    Aubergine - Maybe?
    Fuschia - YES
    Pansy - No.
    I also like Nilsa S.'s comment on Periwinkle, and Freckledk's comment on Plum and Mulberry.

    And as for the table thingys, why don't you print the name of the table in elegant silvery script (silver and purple look good together, right??) and have the actual paper the shade of purple it corresponds to. Also maybe look into some nice looking stands to hold them up? While it's simple, it could be very elegant given the right treatment.

    BTW, I laughed out loud at Torsten's reaction to realizing all the things that still need to be done. And, also, REALLY looking forward to seeing pictures of the wedding day :D

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  12. I love Aubergine, Eggplant and Orchid - not so hot on Pansy - it just doesn't fit..maybe you could stick to flowers that are purple and do a pic of the flower on each table or even do the flower itself--just a thought...

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  13. Plum and Periwinkle are great additions! I like eggplant and mauve from your list too. Also the paint squares idea is really cool except that when I read colleen's comment I thought that would be even better but so much work! Good luck

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  14. I really like Mauve, Aubergine, Orchid and Fuchsia. I am trying to google some more varieties for you, and man I think you've got 'em all between yours and the suggestions.

    My girlfriend who recently got married had a frame set up and the border was black and white polka dots (her "color" or whatnot) and the name of the table was printed in black over white in the middle. Another couple (with the most extravagant wedding ever) had frames of the couple in the place their table was named after. Using the paint chips as some sort of border might work. You want people to be able to read the sign in any case. You might be able to find enough different paint chips in varieties of purple (with names referring to purple) to have it match up. So you could have a frame set up with your sign inside with the name of the paint chip. (I'm looking at the Behr site right now)...so you could have the table named "Pansy" or "Heather" and inside the frame have the paint chip for "Fresh Heather" or "Garden Pansy."

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  15. I was also going to suggest wine as a shade of purple.

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  16. I would say eggplant, mauve, and aubergine. None of the others really seemed purple-enough for me. I love the idea of periwinkle and plum though! Good luck! I can't believe there are only 66 days left! How exciting!

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  17. look, you know me, i vote a definite for Aubergine.
    duh.
    I just love that word!

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  18. First of all, I looooooove the idea of naming tables after different shades of purple.

    But I am not crazy about eggplant. It screams purple but not in a good way. ;)

    Have you considered using the German version of the colours on your first list too?

    Or are the names too similar?

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  19. Orchid and hydrangea say 'purple' to me. I'm at a loss at everything else!!

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  20. Try this for some more shades of purple:

    http://www.december.com/html/spec/color4.html

    I think little frames with the shade of purple in calligraphy would be very elegant. You could try to go to a craft or scrapbook store and get varying shades of purple paper to write on and frame. You could make the place cards out of this paper too and use the same calligraphy for the names.

    Just my thoughts for today...

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  21. I like Aubergine better than eggplant. It sounds so much more elegant. Otherwise, I like all the names on the second list.

    What about doing one of those tall metal stand things, with a pincher clip thing or a circle on top and then putting a purple piece of paper in it with the name of the table? Then it stands up on the table and is easily visible?

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  22. Maybe not so much with the eggplant because I see a vegetable more than a color when I think about it. I definitely like Orchid and Hydrangea though.

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  23. You have to use Wisteria and Aubergine!

    We didn't do assigned seats because COMPLICATED!

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  24. Eggplant - No
    Mauve - No
    Orchid - Yes
    Wisteria - Yes
    Hydrangea - Yes
    Aubergine - Yes
    Fuschia - No
    Pansy (or is that just begging for dumb jokes?) - Oh Hell No

    :)
    As for the name cards, my friend did something nice at her wedding with beach pebbles. They kind of held the cards down/were scattered around the table and it was really nice. Maybe you could get purple shades of beach glass or those shiny pebble things from Michael's or a craft store? And then write the cards on white stock with purple lettering.

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  25. You know those metal sticks with a little curly-q piece on top that you can use to hold a photo or notecard? How about those, with a purple circle of cardstock on it with the color name? And maybe some white polka dots on the card, too.

    As for colors, I do think "pansy" is asking for jokes, but I think it would be funny anyway. :-)

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  26. Oh or if you meant for the actual tables, and not the name cards, you could use that metal holder thing like someone else said. Or if your centerpiece is a candle, wrap a card with the table name on it around the candle.

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  27. I like eggplant and aubergine and also periwinkle. I think finding paper in different shades is a lovely idea, but seems like an awful lot of work, and you'd still need to write the names of the colors on the cards to prevent everyone squinting and holding their table cards up to the examples on the table to see if they match.
    I also like the paint chip idea- and maybe you could use the names of the chip colors for the tables- looking quickly at one paint website there are dozens of cool purple paint names, like:

    Elite wisteria
    Berry syrup
    Victorian iris
    Plum blossom
    Light mulberry
    Pixie wing
    Grape parfait
    Chinese violet
    Canyon mist
    Enchanted evening
    Zinfandel
    Orchid kiss
    Blackberry wine
    Shy violet
    Lavender sachet
    Crocus petal
    Larkspur bouquet

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  28. I love all the names. However I would not want to be sitting at an eggplant or pansy table. Especially eggplant.

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  29. Wisteria and Orchid are beautiful words and decidedly purple in my opinion. I would shy away from Eggplant and Pansy.

    And I like the matching sticker idea with a different image on each table? That way you could maybe frame the image/word. I like the idea of image of violets for violet, image of basket of plums for Plum, etc.

    But is that too "conferencey"? Maybe too much work and not really elegant. Maybe simple words would be a better way to go.

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  30. Eggplant is definitely good. If you go to home depot and look @ the purple swatches I bet you could get a lot of other names too.

    I like orchid too, but I'm not sure if it screams purple.

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  31. To me, mauve is more of a "red". And to those who are suggesting perriwinkle---I think it is more of a blue than purple. :) I can't wait to see the finished product, whatever you choose.

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  32. Eggplant, Aubergine, and Orchid! Even though Orchid isn't necessarily purple, it's pretty. You could always dip into the crayola crayons colors and go for Periwinkle or Purple Mountain Majesty, lol!
    Good luck.

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  33. Oh, I'm so glad the best man is going to be there! I know Torsten is happy about that.

    Maybe you could do something in calligraphy with a print or a dried version of the flower in a frame? Stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's have stuff like that.

    Please, please use Orchid for a table name!

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  34. I love aubergine. It just sounds so fancy!

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  35. i've usually seen tall metal doohickeys with a double circle at the top (to slip a card into) or those tall photo holders like stefanie said, and they've always looked lovely.

    i would definitely lean toward writing the name of the table in some way (as opposed to having people try to match up stickers or color swatches) because it's so much easier for the guests to find without wandering around forever - unless the "match" is something VERY different, like a picture of plums vs a group of violets.. but with so many flowers it might be tricky.

    HOORAY that the best man can come!!!!

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  36. hi jess! i love all the colors.
    for the tables - how about you frame something that is associated with the color? you are are really good with the camera, so how about this
    Eggplant - maybe take a pic of an actual eggplant??
    Orchid,Wisteria, & Hydrangea - pictures of the acutal plant??
    good luck!!!

    Silvia

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  37. I love the idea of color names for the tables.

    From list two here are my choices:
    # Orchid
    # Wisteria
    Love love love those.

    Also- I think the idea of framing a card with the name and/or the shade of purple?? The paint chips are a good idea maybe there is a creative/scrapbooky type way to do that.

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  38. I'd say definitely don't do eggplant. It's just... weird?

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  39. I just wrote the table names out. Simple. With so many other details, that was one I let go. I know you will come up with a good idea though!

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  40. Oh god -"small army" is just so accurate and we have like 145 to go, so help me and my army at 66 days.

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  41. The one that really stands out for me is Wisteria. It just sounds so damn pretty!

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  42. I like orchid the most. Don't like eggplant and aubergine but that's because they are vegetables to me, not colors.
    How about adding 'lila', the German word for purple. Maybe you could even add some more German words that represent purple, though a lot will be almost the same as the English words. (Like violett, Orchidee, etc)

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  43. I like the paintchip idea, and would go investigate that to see if it seemed good or not.

    Mauve makes me think of a color more pinkish than purplish, and fuchsia makes me think of dark bright pink.

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  44. i love wisteria, hydrangea, and aubergine.

    i love the color eggplant, but it is an awful word.

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  45. I think perhaps you could make your table names to match your invitations. They're the right colour (btw, this isnt a spelling mistake, thats how we spell it in NZ and Australia) and when people sit down they will recognise where you got the idea from...same with the place cards if you are doing formal seating...mini versions like maybe with the spots and liner on half of them?

    As for the colour names. Pansy could make a good laugh but when I think of pansies, purple doenst jump into my head. I like Wisteria and Aubergine.

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  46. Hi, I just came across your blog today, and my fiance and I are 122 days from our wedding, and he is the same way. I give him jobs and he's like he has all the time in the world (ex. he has one more groomsman to invite!) I try to give him deadlines, and tell him what we have left to do. but it hasn't sunk in (It doesn't help that he's stationed in florida, and we're moving from DC to Denver in two weeks...too much stress for one month!)

    Good Luck!

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  47. This wouldn't be super fancy, but you could just write the table name on a paint chip sample card (or two, made into a table tent).

    Maybe you could somehow also integrate purple crayons? Dunno how you'd do that--maybe put them at seats for children. But that might be cute and fun.

    Also, I think German words for purple would be awesome. Lila is the obvious choice. Torsten might or might not be helpful in coming up with more--I could only find violett on my German dictionary. Haha.

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  48. Don't forget hyacinth, heliotrope, and plum!

    Also, eggplant and aubergine are the same thing, but aubergine sounds fancier, IMHO. Or you could just use both of them.

    I would pick a fancy font and print the color name on a delicious sheet of light purple paper, and put it in a dollar-store frame that you spray painted a deep violet color. Then folks would just look for their color table when they pick up their place cards.

    And pansy just makes me giggle. I would totally use it, but make sure to seat the folks that are mentally still in junior high for that one!

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  49. Your caterer should have the tall things that are normally used for the table numbers. I would just keep it simple and get some nice ivory card stock and have the names printed in elegant script in a bold shade of purple, then use the same shade as a border. People will love the idea of purple table names, but the details of stickers/ paint chips/ corresponding paper colours will likely be lost on most of them.

    As for the purple words, I love Aubergine, Mauve and Wisteria. Eggplant is purple, but not as romantic a word.

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  50. Beautiful invites! And I noticed your name is Jessica Lynn. Mine too! Only I'm Jessica Lin. 66 days is exciting!

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