So I'd ordered personalized boxes back on April 23 from this online place called efavormart. When I'd heard nothing back by May 14, I started emailing them. They gave me a tracking number, but said my items would be "printed shortly." They had said they needed 7-10 days and this was three weeks after the order date so I wrote them asking where my order was. They stopped replying to my emails, despite the fact that they promise 24-48 hour email answer turnaround. They have no phone number listed (which I hadn't noticed when I placed the order) and there's no listing for the parent Company, Ya Ya Creations, online.
Sure, I should have looked a little harder or at least done a Google check, which immediately shows problems with this place. But it seemed like a good deal and I took a foolish leap of greedy faith. I've started a complaint with Paypal (I, at least, went through them) and have cancelled the order. I will trot out the other two items on my repertoire of get-backs to crappy companies: report them to the Federal Trade Commission and to the California State Attorney General's office. I love siccing the bureaucratic dogs on unethical people.
In the meantime I had the problem of needing approximately 150 little boxes because I had a bright idea of baking wedding cookies as the wedding favor. I made the mistake of mentioning it to Lindsay in passing, and she loved the idea. I tried to replace it with wildflower seeds or personalized M&Ms or something -- I quickly decided the idea of baking more than 300 cookies wasn't as appealing to me as it seemed to the Bride. But Lindsay would have none of my attempts at diversion so I was stuck. I decided on two cookies apiece because: A. One cookie seems kind of stupid, sitting all alone like that and B. two cookies can kind of symbolize the marriage of two people ... or something.
I set out to Michael's crafts and found the kind of boxes I need, and all of the other stuff that I'd ordered from efavormart (write than name down and avoid it all all costs). I found the aisle runner, the tulle -- yards and yard of tulle -- ribbons and other wedding stuff. I then headed to the local office supply store and got some silver metallic labels and put the information on top in burgundy script --- I just LOVE computers. I also found some truffle, candy holders (like tiny cupcake holders) to put the cookies in.
I baked up the 300-plus cookies. This took eight batches of dough and two nights. These are Courtney's favorite Christmas cookie, but I told her that she'll never see them again after this. I've used all my Christmas tins to store the cookies. While it wasn't planned, the recipe for the cookies is perfect for this because it has no eggs. It's just butter, flour, sugar, ground nuts and vanilla. But they are a pain to make because each ball has to be individually rolled into a ball and then that ball is rolled TWICE -- on two occasions, hot and cold --in confectioner's sugar.
We're going to put stretchy ribbons on them (the kind that kind of looks like ponytail holders, with elastic).
I've also realized how many flowers I've ordered. This is one of those many times when I realize I've lost my mind. So far I've ordered about 300 flowers -- Stargazer lilies, white lilies, Peruvian lilies, regular lilies, gladiolas and calla lilies for the bridesmaids to carry (with an elegant ribbon). AND I have to arrange them all the day of ... and I need at least 30 vases, and stakes to stabilize them on the ground and tons of floral tape to bind the stems so I can arrange them better ... sigh.
On the bright side, away from the darkness of my flower insanity, I found the perfect dress at Nordstram's Rack. As I told Rob there was little selection, but what does that matter when one of the choices was the perfect dress? Lindsay and I head to Ojai tomorrow to pick up the orchid frond(s) she'll carry. I just love cymbidium fronds -- tied with ribbon and it will be lovely. I haven't decided on the boutonniere yet, but with more than 300 flowers, I'm sure I can manage something.
It's like I explained to Rob -- because we really don't have the money now for this -- I never had the wedding of my dreams, through my own choices, but even so. I never even went to prom -- we were all hippies and went for a three-day "discovery" in the woods. I've never even been a bridesmaid, not even for my siblings. I've actually never attended an event where I wore a formal gown. So I've loved having girls and I loved being able to buy them their gowns for proms. They've both been beautiful bridesmaids. And now I get to see one of them get married the way I've always wanted to do it.
Courtney eloped with Dave and then had a weddin' (the origin of the usage) a year later. It was a lovely ceremony and I made the food, which turned out great -- lasagna. But we were broke as usual and didn't have the money and it really wasn't the same thing as a first-time wedding. It was also in Ohio, so I couldn't do much planning.
So this is my one time to do this the way I've always wanted. I mean the choices are the bride's and Lindsay has no problems asserting herself in the planning. But on my part, we can make sure we have nice chairs and there are tons and tons of flowers and candles and I want to look as good as I can at 50-plus and overweight. Hell I'm so psyched I bought stuff for a pedicure. I wonder if Teva makes a wedding sandal? :-)
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