Raising a Barn, Raising a Wedding

I'm the kind of person who is a bit nostalgic for certain aspects of the olden days (but not the racism, sexism, heterosexism, etc.).

I like the fact that people cooked more meals at home, baked things from scratch, made quilts out of their clothing remnants, grew their own vegetables, raised chickens...

I especially like the idea of a "bee." When individuals or families had a big task to undertake (like clearing their fields, building a barn, harvesting, etc.), they would ask their neighbors and friends to come over for a big work party. Everyone would pitch in and work and socialize alongside each other. Afterward, they would often throw big feasts to thank their neighbors and friends for their help.

I wish we approached weddings with this kind of communal and interconnected mentality: a coming together to pull off something really big and then a celebration of our collective good work. I'm convinced that people--in general--enjoy weddings more and feel more connected when they help make it happen.

I love this excerpt from Grit article about a Homegrown Wedding:

Preparations for the wedding soon resembled an old-fashioned quilting bee or community barn raising. Everyone remotely connected with the bride and groom pitched in and helped out with whatever needed to be done.

Eric’s aunts and mother, Debbie, joined Ruth, Melanie and their friends during the spring months decorating 225 handmade invitations and stuffing envelopes.

As the August 20 wedding drew closer, outside work began with chain saws, tractors, mowers, rakes, hoes, brooms and paint brushes.

The morning of the wedding, dozens of people were busy around the farmstead. A constant stream of pickup trucks, work vans and trailers surged up and down our driveway, bringing borrowed tables and chairs, and a friend brought dozens of bales of straw that he had grown, mowed and baled just for the wedding. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, engineers and laborers – all friends of the couple or their parents – gave of their time, tools and special talents. A young couple couldn’t ask for better wedding presents.

And the winner is...

Katie Ho!

Katie, please e-mail me to claim your wonderful prize from Turtle Love Committee!

Thanks to everyone who entered. I hope all is well with you!

Contest: Last Chance to Win

A unique and practical engagement or wedding ring from Turtle Love Committee!

The contest ends tonight at 11:59 EST.

Go to this post to enter (only once, please).

Best of luck!

Baking Your Own Wedding Cake

Images courtesy of The Art of Simple Food (click to actually be able to read the text)

I've been on a baking kick lately. It started when I was flipping through Alice Water's The Simple Food, searching for recipes for the Time Bank potluck.

I came across the most detailed description of how to make a basic cake. When it comes to cooking, I am a direction-follower. The more specific, the better. Imagine my delight when I learned that you're supposed to bring all the ingredients to room temperature in order to prevent the batter from seizing. Or when they say "cream the butter and sugar" they really mean beat those suckers for 5-10 whole minutes. Who knew? (I guess those of you who have families that bake things from scratch rather than boxes.)

It took me 31 years to realize I am a baker, not a cook. When I mentioned my revelation to my new friend, Stephanie, she said, "Yeah, I could have told you that based on your personality."

At least being Type-A has its benefits, right?

Anyway, if any of you are looking for a delicious cake recipe (perhaps to make your own wedding cake?), this one is great! (Be sure to click on the images to read the basic cake-baking directions first.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter the cake pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper
3. Butter the paper and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess
4. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and keep them in separate bowls
   
5. Sift and then measure 3 cups cake flour
6. Stir in 4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter)
7. In another bowl, beat until light and fluffy: 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter and 2 cups sugar
8. Cream until light and fluffy
9. Beat in the 4 egg yolks, one at a time and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10. When well mixed, add the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with one third of the flour
11. Stir just until the flour is incorporated
12. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks
13. Stir one third of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest
    
14. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (30-40 minutes)
    

Bon appetit!

Unique and Interesting Wedding Ceremony Scripts

I just added to this list of wedding ceremony script inspiration. Enjoy!

----------------------------------------

An e-mail from a 2000dollarwedding kindred spirit gave me the idea to create a resource list of unique and interesting wedding ceremony scripts. Creating your own (or even revising one provided by your officiant) can be a daunting task. A little inspiration can go a long way. I'll add to this list as links are mentioned in the comments section. Please, help a girl out! I had trouble finding a lot. If you want to e-mail me your script and have me upload it and link to it, let me know!

1. Sara & Matt of 2000 Dollar Wedding
   
2. Ariel & Andreas of Offbeat Bride
3. Kat & Justin of Weddingbee
4. Jen & Shell
5. Peonies & The Boy of Peonies and Polaroids
6. Katie & Paul of A Backyard Wedding
7. Hope & Ben of hippie dippie bebe
   

DIY: Honeymoon Hat

My honeymoon hat is complete! (Really, I should stop calling it a "honeymoon" because it's a year after the fact, and we want to go on "Annual Adventures" anyway). But I like alliteration. So it's going to be a honeymoon hat for now.

I used Amy Butler's Blue Sky hat pattern. It reminded me that I hate following patterns. I really do. Even though Amy tried to use the simplest, clearest language, I still got stuck. Argh!

But it all worked out in the end. And the hat actually fits my head. I think it will be the perfect thing to scrunch into my backpack. Plus, when it's really hot, I can dip it in the Mediterranean and cool off my head.

And, like clockwork, I found myself moving through the Six Stages of a DIY Project. I'm glad I made it through the frustration and cursing to get to the "Sheer Pride" stage.

For those of you who want to try your hand at making this hat:

1. I used her regular cotton, not the heavy-duty kind.
2. I used a different fabric for the outside and the liner. I therefore had to deviate from the pattern recommendations and buy more fabric for the inside liner. Now the hat is reversible!
   

Alternative Registry

As you may have gathered from snippets in previous posts, I'm going back into the classroom next year. I spent three years teaching third grade in rural Louisiana through Teach For America, two years teaching 6th grade reading and writing at KIPP Academy, one year teaching a part-time class at YES Prep Public School, and one year teaching at a public Montessori school (grades 1-3) in Denver. But most recently, I've been working as an educational consultant.

Teaching is a profession that is very hard on the wallet:

1. You don't make very much money to start with.
2. You end up spending most of it on stuff for your kids/classroom.

I have so many ideas about how to engage and excite my 1st-3rd graders next year (all while increasing their achievement levels). For example, I want to buy a flip camera so the kids can create their own videos.

The problem is that so many of my ideas involve money. As a small part of the solution, I decided to set up a registry, so my friends and family (as well as my students' families) know what we need in our classroom. And anyone who has some spare dollars to donate to a good cause can contribute something interesting to our classroom!

For our wedding, Matt and I used My Registry, but I wanted to try something different for my classroom registry. I decided to go with Alternative Registry because I love their mission:

Do you want to plan an event that emphasizes time spent with loved ones and de-emphasizes store-bought gifts? Do you want to give a special gift to someone you love that focuses on the bond you share, rather than something that costs a bundle and may not be what they really want?

We all love giving and receiving gifts; it’s important to our culture and good for the spirit. When the gifts we buy don’t match our values, however, they can distract from, rather than deepen, the meaning behind an event, despite the best intentions of those involved. The cost to gift-givers—not to mention the environmental impacts—also adds up quickly.

Fortunately, for many brides, grooms, parents-to-be, and other gift recipients, less truly is more. By encouraging non-material, second-hand, homemade, and environmentally friendly gifts, we seek to continue the proud tradition of gift-giving while helping celebrants focus on what matters most: a joyous commemoration with loved ones that honors the important moments in their lives.

The website was very user-friendly. I added a lot of different items from a huge variety of sources. I love registries that let you upload things from all over the internet as opposed to a single store.

The downside of this registry is that it hasn't been as user-friendly for my guests. One of my friends tried to buy a magazine subscription for my class but she e-mailed me in a panic because the registry reported that she had ordered two subscriptions. One of my former college professors e-mailed me to say he had ordered the items according to Alternative Registry, but it had never asked him for money. He didn't realize you actually had to leave the site to purchase the item. This registry seemed more confusing than My Registry, even though I support the cause more. Also, My Registry lets you upload photos of the items, which makes it more appealing.

What has been your experience with online registries? Any you strongly recommend?

"Save Green While Being Green"

The Broke-Ass Bride recently announced her newest endeavor: BrideShare--"a social networking community where brides can find each other and save more green while being green."

I'm a big fan of sites that facilitate the reusing of stuff associated with weddings.

She says:

Are you dying for Chivari chairs? Craving manzanita centerpieces? Looking for your dream shoes? Vying for a DIY photobooth? Loving lanterns? These are just a few items that you can share the cost of with fellow brides, with a few simple clicks of the mouse!

With options to search by color scheme, theme, city and venue, you can search for brides with similar taste and style to yours - making finding your perfect Bride$hare buddy a cinch! You can also buy/sell/share on the classifieds, join groups, chat on the boards, customize your profile and more. The possibilites to save are limitless.

Recipe for Fruit Kabobs

I find that the older I get, the harder it is to make new friends.

[insert sigh of sadness]

I just met a woman who decided to make friends by starting a book club in her community. The book club involved reading a book and then engaging in a related activity in the community (like reading a book about Vietnam and then going out for Vietnamese food). She ended up with more than 150 interested women!

I try to make new friends by looking for and staying open to opportunities. I recently got invited to a potluck at Sew Crafty (a craft studio and sewing lounge in my neighborhood), and I jumped at the chance to meet new people. Since I've been trying to eat healthier foods, I decided not to make homemade brownies and instead make fruit kabobs.

They were super fun and easy to make, and would be a good option for any celebration (e.g., wedding, shower, random get-together, etc.).

Materials

• Fruit (any kind, really; I like watermelon, strawberries, fresh pineapple, and grapes)
• Yogurt (I like vanilla)
• Shredded coconut
• Skewers
  

Directions

1. Cut up the fruit and set it up in an assembly-line fashion.
2. Assemble the kabobs.
3. Spread yogurt on a plate. Sprinkle coconut on a separate plate.
4. Roll each kabob in the yogurt and then the coconut.

Note: These are tastiest when they are consumed soon after they are made.

Bon appetit!

DIY: Self-Catering a Wedding

If you need DIY catering inspiration, check out this post on the kitchn, which is based on the full series over at FORKABLE. Very cool!

Contest: Enter to Win a Unique Ring

How often does the word "wedding" get paired with the phrase "social change"? That's why I am so happy to host this contest from Turtle Love Committee.

They say, "Our mission is to foster social change by focusing people on love and commitment and away from a culture of consumerism. That includes caring for the people and resources around us."

Hooray!

They were already budget-friendly and people-friendly and now they are moving toward being Earth-friendly.

Take their Three Promises ring, for example. It's made by an independent artisan in Brooklyn, using recycled materials. The three bands represent these three promises: "I will protect you. I will support you. I will come home to you." Turtle Love says, "Our Three Promises rings are a great way to focus your wedding ceremony and your wedding jewelry on the things that are most important in your relationship." A wedding vendor who talks about the relationship aspect of marriage? It makes me weak in the knees...

Take a look at their eco-friendly rings or search their engagement or wedding rings.

To win a free ring of your choice (including shipping + handling):

1. Leave your first name and the first two initials of your last name (one entry per person, please).
   
2. Enter by Wednesday, July 8 at 11:59pm EST.

Happy Entering!

Strategies for Minimizing Wedding Planning Stress

I had every intention of planning thoughtfully and deliberately for my trip to Western Massachusetts. I wanted to have a plan for my self-development that included books, my yoga mat, and my Spanish-language learning CDs.

Instead, I found myself frantically and frenetically running around my house at 6:00am the day of my departure. Matt insisted that we leave the house at 6:30, and I didn't want to get up any earlier than 6 because I had stayed up late watching a movie.

Some people work best with high-energy bursts of productivity that stem from periods of procrastination. I just don't happen to be one of them. I don't want to find myself in the same place when Matt and I get ready to leave for our honeymoon or when I get ready to start school this year. Last year, I had a bona fide anxiety attack at 4am when I finally finished my preparation for the first day of school and tried to fall asleep.

I have tons of strategies in my Toolkit O' Organization and Time Management. Unfortunately, I don't always use them. In fact, I oftentimes actively rebel against them.

Don't get me wrong; there is absolutely a time to break free from the shackles of effectiveness and efficiency. There are times to breathe and just be.

However, in order to "breathe and just be" on my honeymoon, I need to make sure that a whole host of stuff gets done before I go. It's time to pull out some of my favorites personal management strategies and kick them into high gear:

1. Keep a centralized to-do list: I often find myself thinking of something I have to do and neglecting to write it down. Sometimes I am able to re-remember the item and actually get it done. Othertimes, I neglect to get it done and don't realize it until it's too late. Either way, I'm not being as effective as I am if I just write something down (in a centralized place). If we hold things in our heads, we waste mental energy re-remembering them over and over again. I say "centralized" to-do list because if we jot everything down everywhere, we waste a ton of energy trying to corral our thoughts. During my first year of teaching, sticky notes were my preferred system. What a disaster! They were everywhere. They were never prioritized. They would sneak up on me and frighten me. A centralized to-do list can take a lot of different forms: a notebook, Outlook, a website, a binder, etc. The trick is to pick one system and use it consistently. I also keep a centralized list of books to read, gifts to buy people, things I need from the grocery store/office supply store/Target, movies to watch, and things to do someday.
2. Process e-mail effectively: E-mail can be the bane of my existence. It demands so much maintenance and energy. It helps if I follow the advice of David Allen: if an e-mail will take two minutes or less to respond to, I go ahead and do it. If it will take longer than that, I move it into my "action" folder in my inbox and add it as a to-do item on my to-do list. Also, if I'm trying to work at my computer, I turn my e-mail off. It's so inefficient to constantly flip back and forth. It's better to process e-mail in batches.
   
3. Keep paper under control: I have a filing system that helps me keep my piles under control. I have a folder for "action required", "upcoming", and "to be filed." As I open mail or get more paperwork at work, I try to process it into one of these folders (or into the trash). If something requires action, I put it in the folder and then diligently add it to my to-do list (if I don't write it down, it never gets done). If I know I'll need something soon (like a boarding pass, meeting agenda, or directions), I put it in my "upcoming folder" so I'll immediately know where to access it when I need it. Finally, I put things in my "to be filed" folder and--once a month--I file everything in the folder into another system.

My pre-honeymoon to-do list is 33 items deep. I'll work as hard as I can to get stuff done (and then I'll write a post about crossing off entire items on your to-do list without getting them done and forgiving yourself in the process...)

Tip #15: Ideas for Building Successful Relationships

Make time for self-development apart from each other.

I love spending time with Matt. Although there is a direct relationship between the amount of time we spend together and the amount of quibbling we do, I still love hanging out with him. I long for eating breakfast with him at the park, playing Boggle, going to the farmers' market, watching our Netflix movies in bed, taking our dog to the park, eating at yummy restaurants, just sitting and talking, cooking dinner together, wrestling, and making crafts.

However, when the opportunity arose to trek to Western Massachusetts to stay with a potential kindred spirit in her cabin in the woods, I had to jump at the chance.

One of my goals for last year was to plan a retreat for myself. Unfortunately, in the busyness of wedding planning, buying a house, finding a new job, and getting a dog, I never got around to it.

I love the idea of retreats. Retreats are a chance to separate ourselves from our everyday surroundings and reconnect with our essential selves. In other words, we can step outside the cloud of electrons whizzing around us and focus on our nucleus. Ideally, I would like to create at least one retreat-like opportunity for myself each year.

This year, I've been fortunate to spend six days and five nights surrounded by trees and damp dirt. One of my consulting colleagues lives in Western Massachusetts and primarily telecommutes. I've been here for four days, and I feel my coiled self unwinding and making space for my thoughts and ideas.

My new friend and I spend our days talking, hiking, cooking healthy food, reading, doing yoga, exploring the quaint town of North Hampton, and sleeping. Although I miss Matt (and Hoss), I know this kind of time is important. I can't be my best version of wife or [dog] mother or daughter or teacher or friend until I am my best version of me. It reminds me of this Nikki Giovanni poem I just learned about:

Revolutionary Dreams
i used to dream militant
dreams of taking
over america to show
these white folks how it should be
done
i used to dream radical dreams
of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers
of correct analysis
i even used to think i'd be the one
to stop the riot and negotiate the peace
then i awoke and dug
that if i dreamed natural
dreams of being a natural
woman doing what a woman
does when she's natural
i would have a revolution

I'd like to find a regular retreat to attend year after year. I can imagine meeting amazing friends who flock to the ritual of reconnecting with one's core. I love the Be Present Retreats that Superhero Journal is part of, but the cost is a bit high for my budget.

Any other ideas for budget-friendly, yearly retreats focused on self-development and rejuvenation?

Wedding Traditions

Oh man. If you want really depressing insight into the origin of wedding traditions, read this article.

Encouraging Wedding Guest Involvement

Matt and I kind of asked a lot from our guests:

1. We asked them to fly to Denver (since most of them lived elsewhere).
2. We asked them to rent cars to trek 1.5 hours into the mountains for the wedding (although we did facilitate carpooling on our wedsite!).
3. We asked them to pay for their own lodging (although we found a place that only cost $25 or $35/person/night).
4. We asked them to upload a picture and write a short bio on our wedsite (to facilitate the creation of community among people from very different social and familial groups).
5. We asked them to mail us a scrap of fabric before the wedding, so we could incorporate it into a wedding quilt.
   
6. We asked them to donate any of their unused, old gold to greenKarat so it could be melted down and formed into new rings.
   
7. We asked more than 30 of them to take on small jobs to help make the Welcome Picnic, ceremony, and reception possible.
8. We asked them to upload all of their photos after the wedding to a centralized flickr account.
   

Phew. I get tried just listing all those things.

Not every guest did every item on the list, but many of them did a lot of them. In the end, it helped our wedding center on community, connection, commitment, and fun.

That's why I was so excited to hear about Zach and Meg who are encouraging their guests to read Infinite Jest before attending their Alaskan wedding. Here's what they say on their wedsite:

Diversion In the midst of wedding planning and enjoying the Alaskan summer, I’ve decided to take the infinitesummer challenge. Won’t you join me? After all, you have at least 3-9 hours on a plane to get to Alaska for the wedding. Plus, it could make great cocktail party conversation at the reception, if someone else happens to have read or is reading the book (I can think of 2 other people who are and they may be at the reception). Also it doesn’t require physical exertion and you shouldn’t get sweaty, well you could, but then you’d probably be doing more than just reading the book.

We used creative name tags to facilitate conversation at our Welcome Picnic, but I love the book club idea! Oh, how I wish I were friends with Meg and Zach. The ceremony is at a rose garden in downtown Anchorage, and the reception will be held at their home. [insert sigh of contentment]

One of My Website Staples

Grand Hotel le Florence in Nice, France (where we'll be spending two nights)

As a blogger, I know I'm supposed to be "one step ahead" in terms of what I find and share on the internet, but sometimes old things are really worth a post.

Like Trip Advisor.

You all know what I'm talking about, right?

I would be elated if I had the honor of introducing at least one person to the marvel that is Trip Advisor--a website for user reviews of hotels in almost any city imaginable.

Matt and I are trying to book lodging in Paris, Nice, and Athens. Trip Advisor feels so candid and real (almost a little too real sometimes).

My best friend Andy and I used Trip Advisor when we went to Costa Rica a couple years ago. That reminds me--I need to figure out what Andy wants to do for Thanksgiving this year. He and I have a tradition of traveling together (I think Matt is going to see his family in Indiana. Since we're going to see them a few weeks later at Christmas, I think it's okay to travel with Andy instead. Maybe Belize? Definitely somewhere Spanish speaking...I need to practice so I'll be able to communicate with my students' families next year!)

Guest Column: DIY Wedding Invitations

Marissa is here to share how she made eco-friendly, budget-minded, hand-crafted wedding invitations. (If you'd like to submit a guest column, please e-mail me your idea(s)!)

Take it away, Marissa!

-----------------

I only used materials that I already had lying around in my craft box (minus the envelopes), and it only cost me about $2 to make about 25 invitations this way. I used cardstock that I bought on sale at Joann Fabrics last fall (6 pieces for $1!) on a whim. The actual invitation portion is just printed out on plain computer paper that I used on my home printer. The ribbon I got for free from my roommate who had it left over and didn't need it any more. And...it was really easy to do! The most time-consuming part was implementing the detailing around the bottom edge (I cut a scalloped shape and punched holes with an exacto knife to give it a bit of a border). I just thought I'd share my peace of mind that DIY invitations need not be a labyrinth of complicated pocket-folds and tons of stress.

Materials:

• 12 x 12 Cardstock (each piece yields 3 invitations)
• exacto knife or other sharp detailing knife
• scissors
• hole punch
• computer paper
• pencil with eraser
• ribbon
• glue

Instructions:

1. First, use a sheet of paper to make the templates for the invitations. The first one will be used for the cardstock backing and measures 3.5" x 10". The second template will be used for the actual invitation layer and measures 2.75" x 6.25".
2. Use a hole punch to punch two holes near the top of both templates. These will be the holes the ribbon goes through to tie the two pieces together, so make sure both sets of holes line up!
3. Optional: cut a border along the bottom of the cardstock template. I used eyelet lace and traced along the bottom edge to get a scalloped effect on my template, but you can use any number of patterns.
4. Using the completed template, trace the design along the pieces of cardstock.
5. When you're all done tracing, use the scissors to cut out the basic pieces (use an exacto knife to get the detailed edge, if necessary). Use the hole punch to punch out the holes. Use an eraser to erase any stray pencil marks.
6. To do the detail work around the edges, use an exacto knife and gently puncture holes in the cardstock. Use a ruler to guide you. Don't worry if the lines aren't exactly straight--that's part of the beauty of home-made!
7. If you haven't done so already, design the actual invitation on a word processing document. I did a trial-and-error process to get the measurements exactly right, but you can choose to alter the margins to fit the invitation template size.
8. Once you design and print the invitations, use the invitation template to trace and cut out the invites.
9. Using about 2" of ribbon per invite, tie the cardstock and the invitation together and glue together on the back.
10. Enjoy your handiwork!

Q&A: Wedding Flowers

Reader Question: I am planning my own very inexpensive wedding and don't see flowers anywhere on your pricing breakdown. I am ordering bulk and doing them myself but I was curious as to how much of your budget went to flowers.

Originally, we had $50 allocated to "decorations." We used $33 of those dollars to purchase vintage sheets from the Goodwill that we used as tablecloths. We were going to use the rest of the money to buy my bouquet from Whole Foods, but at the last minute, we realized we could ask a friend to collect wild flowers from the property adjacent to the Bed & Breakfast where we were staying.

We had visions of potentially using potted zinnias from our garden for centerpieces, but our garden didn't do very well that year, so we decided to skip centerpieces. We figured the food would be enough decoration. We had homemade guacamole, salsa, and chips waiting on every table when the guests arrived at the reception. Matt's parents hosted a family lunch on our wedding day and so we did end up with some reused flowers from that event that Cathy and Cory (the B&B owners) added to some tables at the last minute.

I hope that answers your question!

Wedding Anniversary Ideas

Our first wedding anniversary is coming up. Can you believe it?

We were married on Saturday, July 19, 2008.

Matt and I are trying to figure out how to celebrate our anniversaries (it's pluralized because I'm talking about all of our future wedding anniversaries, not just the first one). We're not really presents kind of people. Exchanging gifts at Christmas and birthdays (and other random times) seems sufficient.

Maybe we should start a tradition of planning a surprise excursion or experience for each other. We could alternate who does the planning each year. Some years it could be a trip. Other years, it could be more like a date night. For example, since we're going on our Annual Adventure right around our anniversary, it might make more sense to do more of a day-trip this year.

Hmm...I'm liking this idea! It seems like a great way to cultivate care and creativity in our relationship (and, once we have kids, the said kids won't be invited, so we can continue to cultivate intimacy in our lives).

I wonder if we should also write a letter to each other to encapsulate our past year together. We could keep these in a binder and look back over the old ones each year. We started this tradition at Christmas, but it might make more sense to move it to our anniversary. Or we could go through our pictures from the year, print them out, and put them in an album together.

Have you come across any cool ways to celebrate wedding anniversaries?

Paperless Wedding Invitations

2000dollarwedding kindred spirit, Sarah, shared this New York Times article about Paperless Post, a company that lets you send real looking invitations electronically.

Matt and I opted for snail-mail invitations because we like real mail and we wanted to write personalized notes to each of our guests, but we did send electronic Save-the-Dates. I love that this company combines the look of real invitations with the money-saving and eco-friendly benefits of e-mail (only $5 for 60 invitations!).