Sunday, September 25, 2011

1,000 Cranes

One thing I've wanted to do for my wedding for years and years is to fold 1,000 paper cranes. Why would someone do this, you ask? The explanation lies somewhere in the murky depths of Japanese folklore. Depending on who you ask, folding 1,000 cranes can:
  1.     grant the folder a wish.
  2.     bring peace.
  3.     bring happiness to a marriage.
Many people know the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who suffered from leukemia after surviving the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Sadako had just turned 12 when she was given one year to live. She began folding cranes with the hope to receive one simple wish: to live. Using all the paper she could--medicine labels and gum wrappers were fair game--Sadako folded crane after crane. She fell short of her goal, having folded just 644 when she passed away. Afterwords her friends and family took up the banner. They completed the cranes and also set up a memorial, which is always overflowing with cranes folded in her honor. Since her passing, the message of the cranes has morphed from wish granting to world peace and healing. 
A photo I snapped of a few thousand cranes at Sadako's memorial in Hiroshima. 
The message reads: "Peace is our deepest wish."

This brings us to the third meaning: a happy marriage. The first time I was made aware of this was when I was in college. A friend was getting married right after graduation, and she was determined to fold 1,000 cranes for the wedding. (I guess graduating college, having her senior recital, and getting married in the same week wasn't enough!) At an all-hands-on-deck event one night near the wedding, a dozen of us sat in a dorm lounge and folded crane after crane late into the evening. I'm sure it was stressful for the bride but it sure was fun for the rest of us! (And yes, they are still happily married 8 years later, with 2 kids!) 

So why do people fold cranes for a happy marriage? I've read at least half a dozen explanations, so I will merely touch on the ones that hold meaning for me. First, it is a sign of patience and industry in a bride-to-be. (Or possibly stupidity and tenacity. Whatever.) Second, cranes have long life spans. Third, and most important, cranes are one of those rare animals that mate long-term. Therefore, folding 1,000 cranes shows determination for the marriage, and symbolizes longevity and fidelity. The Japanese long ago embraced these meanings, making crane imagery a traditional aspect of the Japanese wedding.

























Two brides wear uchikake--a formal coat worn over a kimono--decorated with crane motifs.

Needless to say, since the beginning of this process, I knew I would be folding 1,000 cranes. Once we reached the 4 month mark, I knew I had to get going. I ordered a set of 1000 sheets of origami paper off Amazon and, after a quick refresher lesson on folding cranes courtesy of youtube, I got started. I had absolutely no idea how long it was going to take me to fold my cranes. (I have to admit that I had visions of spending the weeks before the wedding holed up in my apartment, folding like a madwoman.) But once I got started, I found it difficult to stop. It was the perfect thing to do while watching TV and movies, but I have to admit I did the majority of them at work. Since most of my team works in Columbus, Ohio (how ironic, I know!), I'm often stuck on conference calls for several hours a day. I found that folding origami kept the floaty part of my mind occupied so I could actually concentrate on the calls better! So after just 2 months, they were all folded, and I could check off the first item of my to-do list. 

Then I had to figure out what to do with them.

As with many things, the Internet once again came to my rescue. I'm not the only girl who loved the paper crane idea, and brides have integrated them into their weddings in many different ways. Here are just a few examples:

Use them as escort cards

Use them as boutonnières

Heck, put them on your cake

But to me, the most beautiful way to display the cranes is to string them and hang them like a gigantic  curtain. Behold:



Clearly the curtain is the winner here. Thankfully, after confirming it with the event coordinator at the reception space, my crane curtain is a go! Now I just have to finish stringing the damn things on fishing wire... but for someone like me with proven patience and industry, I say, bring it on!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A Stationery Journey

Wedding stationery is one of those things that I never really saw myself getting too invested in. Sure, its pretty, and I've always enjoyed flipping through those gigantic wedding stationery folders at fancy boutiques, but it's an awful lot of money to spend on things that pretty much go straight in the trash. (Think about it. How many wedding invitations have *you* ever saved? Hmmm?) When the time came for me to begin my stationery journey, I was perfectly content to troll etsy for a design I liked. I searched, I found some stuff, and I waited until time got closer to make a final decision. And that's when my friends intervened.

One very cute tandem bike design I considered, from Paper and Pinafore.

You see, I have a lot of awfully talented friends. Friends who write books, design magazines, bake delicious confections, give me free legal advice . . . well, you get the idea. And when it comes to my wedding, I have the benefit of lots of talented married friends. "You MUST get Amie to do your invitations," they said. "She is amazing. And she LOVES it." 

Sure, sure, sure, I'd say, thinking in the back of my head that the last thing this busy woman needs is to design an invitation suite for me. But over and over I heard the same words of praise, the same reassurances that it's her passion. And so I asked her to help me out, and she graciously accepted.

A very cool suite that is held together with grommets, by Ruff House Art.

Now you'd think that once you bring a professional on board, that's when things get easy. Well, you'd be wrong. At our first meeting, Amie took me to Paper Source, aka pretty paper mecca, where she patiently explained all of the various pieces and parts of a wedding invitation. There's the enclosure. There's the invitation card. There's the info card, the rsvp card, the map, the directions, and the return envelope. She walked me through the various types of enclosures (what the hell is an enclosure, anyway?!), at which point I overloaded. Who knew there was so much that went into an invitation? 

But after several months of emails and a few more meetings, we had a design. We had a layout. We had copy. We had enclosures. We had colors. And finally, we had the invitations.

Pieces of our stationery waiting to be assembled.

Last weekend several of my girlfriends came over and helped me put all of the invitations together. They helped me glue, fold, cut, tape, stamp, and address. It was amazing. I have such awesome friends! :') 

Everyone hard at work. 

One little detail that I came up with myself was to integrate a touch of Japanese through washi paper and mizuhiki cords. In Japan, people often use paper "belts" and mizuhiki cord tied in elaborate knots to secure their cards and letters. 

Examples of mizuhiki knots on wedding cards. (Photo from Monique Monteverde.)

Working with the mizuhiki turned out to be much more of a challenge than I anticipated. More than one of my girls quickly found other tasks to keep them busy once it was time to tie the mizuhiki knots! But they turned out absolutely beautifully, and I'm really glad I incorporated them into the invitations. (Spoiler alert: This is not the last you will see of the mizuhiki!)

A completed invitation secured with washi and mizuhiki.

In the end, I am so happy that I asked Amie to help me create wedding stationery from scratch. It was definitely overwhelming at first, but when I saw all the pieces come together, and I knew all of the input that I had in every detail, well, it was a wonderful feeling. 

The final product--absolutely perfect!

There you have it folks! It was a long journey but totally worth it. By the way, Amie is thinking about starting up her own independent service soon. When she does, you MUST get her to do your invitations. She is amazing. And she LOVES it!