Here's where everyone will be traveling from the next few days. The map isn't nearly as big as I hoped, will keep trying to make it more legible. Steve, Jerrod's Dad, wins for furthest journey from Dubai, in the Middle East. The Schuler's are making the longest drive from Tuba City, Arizona, 18 hours! Both groups driving the furthest (Jon and Jamie from Albuquerque) are also traveling with babies! Can't wait to see everyone :)
One of the most fun parts of the wedding has been getting back all the RSVP's for the Prairie Wedding with your song requests. There will be quite an eclectic mix this weekend, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Kanye West. Mom keeps insisting on songs like the YMCA, Cha Cha Slide and Boot Scootin' Boogie. Okay, many other guests also requested those, oh so amusing, dance arrangements. I have a feeling we will be Cha Cha Boogieing the night away on Saturday. Maybe not Jerrod, he doesn't dance, but we'll try to get him out there for some Y-M-C-A action.
Websites seem to all have their own idea of what makes the PERFECT wedding song. Here is a funny list of songs just for the Bouquet Toss and Garter Removal/Toss. My favorite suggestion would have to be "I'm Too Sexy" for the Garter Removal or perhaps "Macho Man" for the Garter Toss. There's also The Top 20 Wedding Oldies which feature one I've liked since I was little, "Chapel of Love." I think my Mom used to sing it, as she does random songs, over and over. I get it stuck in my head some days, just wake up with it playing over and over in my mind, even before I was wedding planning.
American bison (buffalo) The bison once inhabited the Great Plains of the United States and Canada in massive herds. Bison are herbivores, grazing on the grasses and sedges of the North American prairies. They eat in the morning and evening, and rest during the day. Bison mate in August and September (you might get to witness Bison making babies on the hayride!) Bison are found in both publicly and privately held herds.
The cutting of the cake will be a tradition we partake in, but probably not this much older, archaic tradition, "the bride serves all portions to the groom's family as a symbolic transfer of her household labor from her family to the groom's family." Weird. (the Sunflower cupcakes pictured are gorgeous and matched the Prairie blog perfectly)
Cake Toppers Wedding cake toppers are small models that sit on top of the cake, normally a representation of a bride and groom in formal wedding attire. This custom was dominant in US wedding in the 1950s where it represented togetherness. Modern weddings have embraced more variety in design and significance. Wedding toppers today are often figures that indicate shared hobbies or other passions. Our cake topper would be a flaming typographic E if we combined our hobbies.
We are not actually having a cake topper, but I found these other toppers for other peoples celebrations. The Brutus Buckeye for die-hard Ohio State fans like Ashlee Smith.
Or there's the HUGE Golden Retriever that would have to weigh at least 300 pounds to be proportionate to the poor bride and groom.
Here's a topper for the Kansas country bumpkin' hayride wedding, little line dancers.
And if you're in the Elk Hunting group going to Colorado in October, perhaps you'd enjoy the precious deer family. Yes, I know elk and deer are different. Okay, enough random cake topper images, I will spare you all until the next post. I promise the real wedding and receptions will be pretty and classy, I know I've posted quite a few unique pieces.
I just couldn't resist posting this picture of Nathaniel/Nate Beckloff, who will become my nephew September 27th. He will be at the Kansas Wedding for all of you to awww over in person. You gotta love his Oklahoma State outfit too, Jerrod is so proud of the little Cowboy fan. Eeeee so tiny!
Headline: Now in the Prairies. The urban-inspired, 2009 Toyota Matrix.
THANK YOU FRIENDS! I wanted to publicly thank all the lovely ladies for attending my Bachelorette party in Cincinnati. Very special thanks to Jeanna and Lindsay for the awesome theme and planning (yes, I was dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz); Erin for all her efforts, the amazing mini tacos, and having all us crazy women at her house; and Dana for the sweet VIP treatment at the bar. Such an amazing night. And an equally rough next morning.
One popular trend with weddings is having Man's Best Friend (of the canine species) be part of the ceremony. The CBS Early Show featured this very amusing TV story, "Some Weddings Going to the Dogs." Dogs, "are either being entrusted with roles such as ring bearers, bridesmaids, and groomsmen or are simply present during the ceremony to bear witness to their owner’s nuptials." There are even tips on How to Include Your Dog in the Wedding. "Have the dog bring up the rings on a satin pillow tied to his collar or - if he is really well trained - in his mouth."
If Tiller were part of our wedding it would go something like this: As Jerrod waits for our grand entrance and before I can even walk to the ceremony, Tiller comes loping across the field, having broken free of her leash. After leaving two big muddy paw prints on the front of my gorgeous dress, she then knocks down at least two bridesmaids and licks off their lovely makeup. (Right now Tiller is barking at me because I will not throw her ball).
The Cleveland Plain Dealer also features a story about Dogs in Weddings, "While assisting with a "pet wedding" for the first time, one wedding planner said, 'A mother-in-law insisted on walking down the aisle with her poodle. The bride feared that her future in-law would drink too much and lose sight of the poodle.'" HA! My mother-in-law did volunteer Ted Williams the bulldog to wear a tuxedo as part of our ceremony, which would have been adorable, but probably ended in disaster (not due to her drinking, just him being a crazy bulldog puppy).
The Dog Whisper, Cesar Millan, offers some of his own advice about furry friends in ceremonies, "Remember, it may be your day, but it is still important that you meet your dog's needs and make sure he is comfortable and safe." I don't quite believe that a dog could feel comfortable (or have much dignity left) while wearing a tiny tux or dress. Now I have dressed Molly in a doggy GAP hoodie and it is very fun, Tiller also had her reinbeer antlers, but just look at this poor little pooch below. Precious.
In conclusion, dogs in weddings could be cool and very memorable, but pretty risky. Darn cute if they're small and well-behaved, but I can just imagine the chaos that our rambunctious Lab would cause. Anyone who wants to have an ALL dog bridal party, I'd love to attend. Tiller will be at the Pet Resort playing with her furry friends in the baby pool while we celebrate at the Ranch.
The prairie is a region of flat, gently sloping, or hilly land covered chiefly by tall grasses and not many trees. Pioneers who first saw the flat prairies of the American Middle West called them a 'sea of grass.' While that doesn't sound like a very nice description for a wedding location, the Circle S Ranch is in the middle of the Kansas prairie with rolling green hills and quite a few trees and wild flowers. Kansas is part of the U.S. known as the Great Plains.
Prairie madness was an affliction that was common in the U.S. among white settlers of the Great Plains during the mid to late 1800s. The affected individual would fixate on the fact that they were surrounded by hundreds of miles of prairie land, with no neighbors or anyone to talk to.
Prairie dogs are a type of squirrel; small, burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. I have always thought they were adorable little animals, building their tunnels and whatnot. "Prairie dogs are very social animals and come to almost seem like they treat humans as members of their colony, answering barks and chirps, and even coming when called by name." They carry the bubonic plague, though...this is quite a morbid blog entry isn't it? But, aww, they're kissing.
Someday I will have a scooter. Yes, I know I do not have the world's best balance, nor do I typically enjoy two-wheeled vehicles, well, most anything recreational on wheels, but I will have a lime green scooter. And I will have a sidecar for E1 (and sometimes Tiller) and a cute helmet, safety first!
Genuine Scooter Company
After restoring and selling vintage Vespa's and other scooters, McCaleb got ahold of some vintage scooter manufacturing equipment and produced his own, the Stella (pictured left). Success has continued along with the formation of both Stella www.stellaspeed.com and Buddy online groups, Modern Buddy. Scooter subculture, the Erins kind of people.
With the rising price of gas (how many times have you heard that phrase on the news lately?) scooter sales are also increasing. Hooray, more scooters! For you Ohioans, this Columbus Business Journal article discusses the increase in sales. Grandpa Piehler can be spotted happily riding his scooter around Gahanna.
Cincinnati: 
Okay that was a stretch, but there will be a bridal shower this Sunday and flowers at the wedding in September. Anyway...those of you attending the Columbus Shower, cannot wait to see you!! As the rain pours down on Kansas City, decided to research bridal showers a bit. The custom originated here, and is celebrated primarily in the US and Canada.
The man of my choice doesn't get a dowry, so far he's gotten my collection of Eeyore figurines, letterpress posters and a closet full of clothes and Keds. Poor Jerrod. But luckily Dad approves of him and gave his blessing before Jerrod proposed. Also read that a bridal shower is meant to, "socialize women into the hyper-feminized traditional wife role." Not sure how I feel about that part...
This whole Suzy Homemaker notion of bridal showers is quite amusing. "A bridal shower gives women a chance to indulge their inner-Mrs. Cleavers and pretend, if only for an afternoon, that once married the bride-to-be will use her slew of newly acquired kitchen accessories to make a tasty (yet nutritious) homemade meal for her hard working husband." Hehe.
Soon after the Kansas Save the Date postcard reached mailboxes (the one Erin designed), Scott, started emailing alternative Save the Date cards.
My start in graphic design came from his teaching me Adobe Pagemaker (formerly used design layout program) at age seven and sharing his knowledge about screen printing, sign making, drawing and layout (just a tidbit of his immense knowledge base). My Dad can do anything. He really can. He can build or create or figure out anything he puts his mind to. Wanted to share some of his special Save the Date series with you.
The Colgate & Moore families first meeting.
Circle S Ranch buffalo, photographed by Scott.
I've admired (obsessed over) Hatch Show Print since I got into graphic design in college. Founded in 1879, the Nashville letterpress print shop "maintains the store's past success by concentrating on its poster production and revisiting the imaginative method of letterpress printing." 
"We design a look that not only captures the sound, feel and/or look of a band, magazine or product, but do so within the dimensions of the selected poster size and through the lens of Hatch history." That recognizable Hatch style and history is exactly what I wanted when I asked them to create the invitations for the wedding. Each invitation is unique, the indents on the paper are from the, most likely, wooden type, pressed into the paper. The same type used on posters for Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Elvis.
Jim Sherraden, who I met at an AIGA sponsored lecture last Summer, is manager, curator and chief designer of Hatch Show Print. While helping sell the posters I worshipped for years, I found out that Jim is a Kansas native. When I spoke to him last, he told me he even knew of the Circle S Ranch. Jim's work hangs in our dining room, my first piece of art, a gorgeous monoprint featuring "The Fonts of Hatch Show Print." Country music posters hang in the basement, I'm slowly covering our house with Hatch. Soon I will be producing my own letterpress work on my Kelsey.
Bethany who designed and printed the invites did an amazing job, capturing the "elegant country" feel I requested. Those who've seen it have described the invite as a Wanted and Circus Poster but to me, it's perfect. And historically, Hatch did produce those posters, "Whether circus, minstrel show, vaudeville act or carnival, if you wanted to fill seats, Hatch got the job done." It was a dream of mine to work with Hatch on a project and I got to do it as another special part of the wedding. Yay!!
Just wanted to explain a little more about the very untraditional wedding invitation you will be receiving in the mail. In a month or so watch for a "grocery bag" color envelope, because inside is a piece of history of your very own. And of course an invite to the best wedding Kansas has ever seen, or Ohio or Oklahoma for that matter :)
Remember in The Little Mermaid how Ariel sings "Part of Your World" about her gadgets and gizmos a plenty? To jog your memory, here's the Sing-Along version, my team at SHS belts out our Little Mermaid favorites all the time, and we're all over the age of 24, so sing it out loud and proud.
Anyway, so Ariel uses a fork to brush her hair, well, SOMEONE had to register for that fork when they got married. We didn't have much trouble finding flatware that we loved, and Scuttle didn't have to steal it for us.
Bone China, Porcelain, Stoneware, Earthenware, Glass Dinnerware, and even Outdoor Dinnerware. They make it quite impossible to chose one set of everyday dishes to put on the Wedding Registry. So many options. We want something practical and usable, no pruney dishwater hands for us on an every day basis. No huge flowers or excessive use of platinum or gold. But not simple white either. Currently we are registered for the Lenox Flair Pattern. As the search for another option continues, I stumbled across the lime green glass Erin Dinnerware at Crate & Barrel. Some might call it fate with the lime color and the name, but they're just too much.
Pyrex Love is a blog dedicated to vintage Pyrex. On the blog, you can search by dish type, pattern or color. Below a detailed description and history of the pattern, there are links to specific pieces on Ebay. I just might need the book: PYREX: The Unauthorized Collector's Guide. Very impressive site.
In the 1990's there has been a letterpress revival, known as the 'Small Press Movement' of which I am a follower. I've collected metal and wood type with the help of my Dad and Grandpa's garage sale and local shop finds. Recently, Jana and Bruce bestowed upon the Moore and Beckloff household a treasure, the Kelsey Printing Press 5x8 Model U. (pictured to the right)
Some of you may be traveling to Kansas City for the first time for the wedding. Not that sharing the joy of Jerrod and Erin's special day isn't enough incentive, but to make it even more worth the expense and time, we wanted to share one of our favorite parts of KC, the BBQ.
Barbecue gained popularity in Kansas City in the 1920s and hasn't slowed down since. The secret to Kansas City-style barbecue is that it's slow smoked for up to 18 hours, usually over hickory. Today, the city's signature food is served up at more than 100 barbecue establishments, each boasting its personal house specialty.
Dana suggested a BBQ fountain for the wedding reception. I didn't know such a thing existed, but apparently chocolate fountains are being converted to be used with BBQ sauce for smoked brisket and other meats. Another interesting idea, but there will probably be no fountains at the reception, even those this couple sure seems to be having fun.
Bridesmaid dresses chosen, location secured and Save the Date cards in the mail (you'll probably have yours by the time you read this entry!). Time to look for shoes. The colors of the wedding are chocolate, lime green, orange, deep red and goldenrod. Crazy designer color names. Surprisingly, I didn't chose Pantone colors for the invitations.
Best shoe sites so far:
