While I wish I could shower this post with wedding eye candy porn, I just can't. Sometimes when life is pulling you down, you can't pretend to smile and ignore what is happening around you. I might be hiding for a few days before I can get myself back up.

Jealousy

I was browsing through facebook and stumbled across one of my old friends from high school. She recently got engaged this past Christmas, and she is apparently getting married this Thursday. I'll admit that I am jealous. I am happy for her to be able to enjoy her life with her husband to be by her side. It's great to see people my age getting married and being with the love of their lives. I just wonder when I will be the one to finally say that I am married.

I have been with Hubby for about 4 years (one month shy), and we have been engaged for over a year. Because of financial uncertainty, there's no way to predict a summer 2010 wedding. Maybe we won't be able to get around to it until 2011. I'm trying to patiently wait, but quite honestly, I just want to go to the courthouse and make it official now. I don't have a vision for a huge wedding. I would rather have a small, private wedding with our closest family and friends. In the end I just want to marry Hubby without the frills. I just want to be happily wed with no wedding planning stress. If other people can plan a small wedding in 6 months, then so can I... right?

Wedding Update

Just a list of wedding stuff that has been on my mind

• bought a xyron for $1 at Goodwill and excited about the endless sticker wedding opportunities
• overwhelmed by the amount of photos I look at everyday from my wedding blogs
• thinking about the possibility of an outside wedding ceremony in the backyard
• how much would it cost to make our own benches (seating for possible ceremony) versus renting ugly chairs at $1-$3 a piece
• wondering how many people from my side of the family will actually attend.. not very optimistic at this moment
• do people really understand the importance of the title "maid of honor?"
• looked into photo booths & they're too expensive
• really wish we could get married right now.. tired of waiting

Candy Buffets

Candy buffets are all the rage in the wedding world, and I cannot help but to fall in love with them too. How can you not when you see beauties like these?

from Mrs. Pineapple's gorgeous wedding on Weddingbee
(source)

from Adam + Halli's wedding featured on Once Wed
photography by Josh Goleman
(source)

Beth & Brent's Wedding featured on Style Me Pretty
Photography by Sarah K. Chen

from Kristina & Cory's wedding featured on Style Me Pretty
Photography by Ulysses Photography
(source)

DIY: An Old Fashioned Soda Bar by Jordon of Oh Happy Day! featured on Project Wedding
(source)

With all of this great inspiration, I couldn't help but to think of my own ideas for a candy buffet. While my man not be into sweets, we do love some great snacks and beverages. I grew up eating Pocky and dried squid, and Hubby loved his crunchy peanuts and other strange sweet. Why not share our love for asian snacks and drinks with everyone at our wedding?

from left to right: Calpico, Ramune, Vita, and Pocky

While it may seem overwhelmingly all about the drinks, there are more snacks that I do want to add to the list, such as dried squid, shrimp chips, and cracker peanuts. Right now the idea is fully implanted in the little head of mine, and the challenge will be the execution. I'm thinking about purchasing all of the items in Philly's Chinatown or on Washington Street. The prices will be the same if not cheaper than wholesale online, especially when you add in shipping costs. I'm thinking about a *candy buffet budget of $150-$200. What do you guys think?

*loosely calling in candy buffet.. it's more like an asian snack and drinks buffet

Financial Wedding Stress

Planning a wedding can be stressful and overwhelming for any bride and groom. I'm certainly not immune to it, and I have a feeling that it will start to get worse. My biggest fear is not being able to financially afford the wedding. Back when I was engaged I was sure that we would be able to pull it together for a 2010 summer wedding. Now that I'm a year behind on savings, I don't think it will work out so smoothly, especially being in the process of purchasing our first home together. I don't want to depend on either of our parents to help out because that's so 20 years ago. In our modern times, most couples end up footing most or all of the bill. My parents have already stepped up and told me that they would not be helping us, but they didn't need to tell me that. I already knew. It's a Chinese thing for the groom to pay for the wedding since he is technically taking me away from my family. Most Chinese parents follow this tradition, even the ones who are wealthy and would like to contribute. Basically I have no idea how we can pull this off in a year.

I honestly do not want a big wedding. The most important thing is to be legally wed to Hubby and live the dream of happily ever after. I want our closest friends and family to witness our special day and enjoy it with a laid back meal together. I don't want a huge party with people who I don't know, and I especially don't want to be so busy that I can't even enjoy my own wedding. If I could, I would limit the guest list to 100 for the both of us. My side would probably only consist of 25-30 if I try to cut down (I currently have 50 including all of my family, parent's friends, and my own). Why can't it be that easy?

I know I will have a breaking point (I've had a few already), and I will make an appointment with the court house on a Wednesday afternoon and get it over with. Financially it makes the most sense, and we'll have to do that anyways if we don't have a ceremony on our wedding day. We'll get the benefits of married life without breaking the bank. I don't need the fairytale wedding. I just need to be with my Hubby, and that's all I need in life.

Sigh.

Is it strange that I have never envisioned a dream wedding for myself? Once I started dating Hubby, I knew what it would have to be (follow tradition, chinese banquet, etc.), and I was fine with that. Now I'm not okay with it, but there's no way to stand up and say no. I want to find the time and sit down to think about what I consider the dream wedding. What do I want?

Changing My Legal Name

I'm cheating and re-posting an entry I made in my other blogs. It involves me, Hubby, and a decision involving us being wed. Enjoy!

originally from yinthinks.blogspot.com:

I'm finally taking the necessary steps to change my name. No, I am not changing my name and taking Hubby's last name. I'm simply changing it back to the way it should have been when I was born. Confused? I've mentioned this a few times on my blog, but basically there was a mix up of communication when I was born and the name on my legal documents say "Middle-First Last." Embarrassing.. yes. I spent 16+ years believing that my name was Yin. Then I went to the DMV to get my first driver's license, saw my social security card and birth certificate for the first time, and cried my eyes out. I did convince the worker to use the name I grew up knowing (phew), and now the only documents barring my legal name are my birth certificate, social security card, and tax documents.

Why was there a mix up of communication to begin with? In Chinese we say names backwards, starting with the last name first. So if my parents wanted to introduce me to their friends, they would say, "Last Middle First." Whomever filled out my birth certificate decided to hyphenate my middle and first name and tada... disaster. I find it somewhat humorous that I didn't find out (and neither did my parents) until that not so happy day at the DMV.

I just want my legal name to match the name that my parents gave me. I don't like having to explain to people why my legal name differs from my given name. It's a pain. I originally thought about changing my name when I was still in college, but I never got around to it. The process is lengthy and involves publishing a notice of name change in the local paper once a week for three weeks. Then I would have to go to the court, explain my story, get stuff notarized, and pay another $78 for the name change. Then I would have to get all of my legal documents changed back to my "new" name. Not easy. Why now? I decided to finally get going with the process again now that I'm a year away from the wedding. I want Hubby to be married to Yin Middle Last and not Middle-Yin Last. It's a minor detail, but it really means a lot to me. I will be taking Hubby's last name next year, and I want my first name to be corrected before that happens.

Oddly enough it's easier and cheaper to get married in Delaware than to get a name changed. Here's the break down:

Getting Married

• Marriage License - opened M-F from 9AM to 4PM, must apply together, $30.00
• Ceremony Fee (for court wedding) - performed on wednesdays with an appointment, 2 witnesses needed, $30.00
• Certified Copy Marriage License - $24.00
• Total - $84
  

Getting a Name Change

• Notice of Name Change to the Public - published once a week for three weeks in a local newspaper, cost vary from $34.10 to $102
• Attain Affidavit of Publication from the newspaper
• Fill out Petition for Name Change
• Get Petition for Name Change and Affidavit Notarized by a Notary Public
  
• Pay Filing Fee of $78
• Go to the NCC Courthouse for the Change of Name Petition Hearing
• Make necessary contacts to change social security card and birth certificate
  

Price of a Name Change

• The News Journal - $102
• Newark Post - $58
• Middletown Transcript $34.10
• Filing Fee $78
• Cheapest Option - $112.10
• Most Expensive Option - $180
  

Now I have to decide where I would like to publish my notice of name change. It seems the smartest to just go with the Middletown Transcript. I don't know anyone in Middletown, and it's the cheapest. The News Journal is ruled out since it cost more to publish it in there than to pay the processing fee with the court. The Newark Post has a special place in my heart. I was born and raised in Newark, and I regularly read the Newark Post. The man who answered the phone was very helpful, and I would love to support my local paper. Do I pay a little more for the Newark Post or do I just go with the cheapest option?

Hmm...

from poke to i do?

My blog has a funny name, and of course there is a story behind it. Now sit down children (aka you). I'm going to tell you a little story...

Once upon a time there was a girl princess named Yin. She was an average kid going to summer school. Okay she might have been an overachiever trying to fit too many classes in her first year at big people school. She took accounting, and boy was it a boring class, especially at 8 AM. The class was separated into groups, and she was placed in a group of three. A boy named *Huna was in her group, and he was an interesting fella. They had only spoken briefly to each other in class during group discussion.

Memorial Hall: where the prince and princess first met
Source: udel.edu

One day after class, Yin went back home to her castle. She went online to check her email and visit some websites. Then she noticed that she was "poked" by this boy Huna in her class. She decided to be his friend, and the next thing you know he was starting a conversation with her.. online that is. A simple poke blossomed into a delightful friendship, which later turned into an amazing relationship. They fell in love and will live happily ever after. The end.

The story of us began with a poke, and we're going to seal the deal with an "I do" on our wedding day. I will give all credit to Hubby for the name of this blog. I really had no clue what to name it, and that led me to put off the creation of this blog even longer.

*In the beginning I thought his name was really Huna (rhymes with tuna)! He wrote down his name and number on the group contact sheet, and his handwriting fooled me. I later corrected myself after hearing his name again.

Hello, Wedding Blog World!

This has been a year in the making, and I have finally started my first (and definitely my only) wedding blog! I'm an avid blogger, and it is just about time that I started to document my wedding planning adventure. I will admit that I haven't exactly done much for the wedding, but I blame it on the obstacles that have come my way -- more details about that later.

Let me introduce myself... My name is Yin, and I have been engaged for 1.1 years, and the Hubby and I have been together for almost 4 years. Yup, that's one heck of a long time, and we're ready to spend the rest of our lives together. I am a "recent" college graduate who is still in search for a way to conquer the world. I love everything that involves crafting and DIY projects, and you might occasionally find me in the kitchen trying to recreate some of the most delicious looking recipes from my food blogs. Oh yeah and I'm an obsessive blogger... I am currently subscribed to 94 blogs on my Google Reader, and it continues to grow each month. Laziness kicks in often, and my own blogging habits have died down. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and try to make blogging a priority.

My fiance is known as Hubby, Squishee, Stan, Willis, Honey Bunches, and Huna. To make it easier on you, the reader, I'll just refer to him as Hubby. He is an I/S Analyst by day and a ninja fighting, anime watching 20 something year old kid by night. Hubby is known to visit gadget, car, and comic sites online fairly often.. about every 5 minutes.. you know, just in case he misses one of their most recent updates. His new obsession just happens to be his new DSLR, and if you see an Asian carrying around a camera bookbag in the mall, then it's most likely Hubby. Oh and I almost forgot to mention that he just happens to be the love of my life.

Now that you know a little about us, I hope you can enjoy this adventure with me. With another full year of planning ahead, I will try to document everything to the best of my abilities. Cheers!