6 days! And I'm CALM (-ish). Adam's still alive. I haven't gotten ready for our honeymoon yet, but thankfully I think we are OK for the wedding, especially since I am off starting Wednesday.
I am already sad for this all to be over, because wedding planning has been such a HUGE part of my life for 18 months. It's like waiting for Christmas, but Christmas comes every day.
Some more projects to work on this week, but I think I have finished one of the big ones - that took me over 13 HOURS to complete. Let's see if you can guess what it is.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
10! - Michelle
How are we 10 days before the wedding? FOR REAL! I feel like yesterday we were 500 days away. HOLY COW.
Working on seating charts this weekend with my wonderful, FABULOUS, PATIENT mother. She's absolutely the best and I am a total b.tch this week, so I'm glad she's putting up with me.
You know how bad I am? My MIL (mother in law [to be]) called to check up on me. The poor woman is handling the rehearsal dinner and is worried about me. I must be worse than I thought.
As A said, he thinks I am creating issues for myself. Maybe I am, but I am very excited at the prospect of some time on a beach.
Working on seating charts this weekend with my wonderful, FABULOUS, PATIENT mother. She's absolutely the best and I am a total b.tch this week, so I'm glad she's putting up with me.
You know how bad I am? My MIL (mother in law [to be]) called to check up on me. The poor woman is handling the rehearsal dinner and is worried about me. I must be worse than I thought.
As A said, he thinks I am creating issues for myself. Maybe I am, but I am very excited at the prospect of some time on a beach.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010 - Michelle
AHHH!!!! That's what I felt like when I woke up every day for the last week. We're officially UNDER the one month mark - HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? I feel like it was only yesterday that I was nagging Adam to get engaged, and now we're getting married within a month. Quite literally, within a month, I will legally be a Howe. Yikes!
There are a few things I need to get figured out - like jewelry. I am meeting my hair guy tomorrow and my makeup girl on Monday evening. I need to work on a schedule for the day of, and give the final numbers to everyone. Very scary. We're finalizing fun things now, like our first dance song, what kind of cake we want, and what books I'll be reading on our honeymoon (any suggestions?). I just am a little sad that we're almost done with this adventure. Sure, there's another adventure awaiting us (one which allows Adam to use the new coffee maker), but after dating for 7+ years, I'm sad that this chapter is closing.
One of the most chaotic things on our plates right now is the fun of RSVPS. Why? Well, you see, the USPS has decided to eat some invitations, mostly ones going to people out of the Chicago metropolitan area. Obviously, this is an issue. We realized earlier this week that more than half of the responses hadn't arrived. We did some digging and found out that not all invites were received. So we feel really dumb, and also dumber because since we hand-made all of our invites that they're all sent out and we really don't have any extras. I feel like an idiot, and moreso because it seems to be people we're hoping to see that we haven't seen in a LONG time. I guess that's why you hope you only get married once - this is a lot of work!
We met with our florist, The Blossom Boys from Beverly, the other night, and they are FABULOUS. They mentioned to us when we first met them that if you don't feel comfortable with a vendor to not continue with them. This saved us when we dealt with a bum DJ. They are incredible, and I recommend them to anyone and everyone. Love love love them! I learn things from them EVERY time I'm there.
We're also finalizing the details of the actual ceremony (if the organist would email me back...) and it's really fun to have so many people involved in the ceremony. I hope a lot of people can make it to the church, especially because my dress is fabulous and everyone needs to see it when I'm walking down the aisle. It's the one time in my life that I will be totally self-absorbed.
So now that I've taken the time to update, I realize I need to do this more often before the wedding. After the wedding our lives will be boring, and there won't be the pitter patter of little feet for at least a few years, so hopefully this excitement will last for a while!
There are a few things I need to get figured out - like jewelry. I am meeting my hair guy tomorrow and my makeup girl on Monday evening. I need to work on a schedule for the day of, and give the final numbers to everyone. Very scary. We're finalizing fun things now, like our first dance song, what kind of cake we want, and what books I'll be reading on our honeymoon (any suggestions?). I just am a little sad that we're almost done with this adventure. Sure, there's another adventure awaiting us (one which allows Adam to use the new coffee maker), but after dating for 7+ years, I'm sad that this chapter is closing.
One of the most chaotic things on our plates right now is the fun of RSVPS. Why? Well, you see, the USPS has decided to eat some invitations, mostly ones going to people out of the Chicago metropolitan area. Obviously, this is an issue. We realized earlier this week that more than half of the responses hadn't arrived. We did some digging and found out that not all invites were received. So we feel really dumb, and also dumber because since we hand-made all of our invites that they're all sent out and we really don't have any extras. I feel like an idiot, and moreso because it seems to be people we're hoping to see that we haven't seen in a LONG time. I guess that's why you hope you only get married once - this is a lot of work!
We met with our florist, The Blossom Boys from Beverly, the other night, and they are FABULOUS. They mentioned to us when we first met them that if you don't feel comfortable with a vendor to not continue with them. This saved us when we dealt with a bum DJ. They are incredible, and I recommend them to anyone and everyone. Love love love them! I learn things from them EVERY time I'm there.
We're also finalizing the details of the actual ceremony (if the organist would email me back...) and it's really fun to have so many people involved in the ceremony. I hope a lot of people can make it to the church, especially because my dress is fabulous and everyone needs to see it when I'm walking down the aisle. It's the one time in my life that I will be totally self-absorbed.
So now that I've taken the time to update, I realize I need to do this more often before the wedding. After the wedding our lives will be boring, and there won't be the pitter patter of little feet for at least a few years, so hopefully this excitement will last for a while!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010 - Michelle
We are officially within the 5 month mark - YIKES! We need to get our invited printed pronto!
We have secured a DJ, so now we're sure to have an awesome time. Our old (read: fired) DJ is even sending our deposit back, so that's even better news. I really didn't want to have to get into a battle of wits with him. We met with something like 8 DJs and picked Dennis because he knows what he's doing, he's very personable, and we love the set up he has, along with the planning materials. The dance floor will be full all night long, so put your dancing shoes on!
We have secured a DJ, so now we're sure to have an awesome time. Our old (read: fired) DJ is even sending our deposit back, so that's even better news. I really didn't want to have to get into a battle of wits with him. We met with something like 8 DJs and picked Dennis because he knows what he's doing, he's very personable, and we love the set up he has, along with the planning materials. The dance floor will be full all night long, so put your dancing shoes on!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010-Adam
It's been a busy couple of weeks. After a few months of doing almost NOTHING related to wedding planning, things are starting to pick up. The big stuff is pretty much all done, but it's been nailing down the finer details, along with the much larger issue of finding a new DJ.
We decided to hire the front-runner from Shellie's last post. After getting e-mail from around thirty DJs, setting up interviews with eight, and actually interviewing six, it came down to him (Dennis) and one other guy. We actually had a pretty hard time deciding between them. We were very comfortable with both of them, they seemed very competent and experienced, prices were reasonable, etc. and we thought that each of them would do a good job for us. In the end, we wound up going with the guy we had been referred to by our videographer. All things being equal, we thought it wise to trust professional judgment, and our videographer has done a dozen or so weddings with our DJ. That's a bonus, not only on the basis of professional judgment, but because we know that the two of them can (and will) work together as far as coordinating the events, etc.
We're very excited, I might add, about our videographer. He was recommended to us by a friend who used him for her wedding. Having seen her wedding video, we were impressed with his work, and decided to meet with him to see if we thought we should hire him ourselves. We had really only toyed around with the idea of having a videographer at all; in some ways, it seemed kind of superfluous, and most of the professional wedding videos I have seen have been pretty low-quality, with bad sound, etc. (on the other hand, my sister Melanie's wedding video was shot with a Handi-Cam and is amazingly good, especially considering who shot it). Tom's work doesn't seem low quality at all, and we talked it over and decided that we would rather look back and say "I guess we didn't really need a videographer" than look back and say "I wish we had one good video recording of our wedding ceremony." When we met with him, we were immediately as comfortable with him as we were with Peter, our still photographer, so we decided "What the hell, let's go for it." It helped that he gave us a pretty healthy discount, of course, for having been referred by a previous customer. Tom is the one who recommended Dennis, our DJ, to us, and he had fantastic things to say about him, so when we finished interviewing all of the DJs, and it came down to Dennis and one other guy, we allowed Tom's recommendation to tip the scale in Dennis' favor.
We've also met with our florist (The Blossom Boys) twice now, once for an initial meeting, a second time to tweak the proposal. It's great to be so completely enamored with yet ANOTHER of our wedding vendors. Shellie and I could probably spend all day with those two, discussing/debating/gossiping, etc. It may seem foolhardy, but I don't mind telling you that they're the only florist we've met with and the only ones we're going to meet with; we're just so comfortable with them, and they're both so helpful and accommodating, it seems foolish for us to look elsewhere when they're exactly what we were looking for. Plus, the fact (for me, at least) that they're in the storefront where I purchased all of my prom/dance corsages, Chris and Betsy bought their wedding flowers, from them, etc. is a cool little sentimental benefit for me.
So the hall... we went there this past weekend and met with Steve. I don't think we really got anywhere with him regarding the tasting (he suggested we go try a bunch of different things in high-end restaurants to come up with what we wanted to eat), neither of us decided that it was important enough or worth it to push the issue. We picked one dish we want to try, got the tasting set up for June, and if we don't like the dish we taste, then we'll go with something different. For now, we decided on our chair covers, napkins, head table arrangement, got the floor plan, and nailed down our appetizers, soup, salad, dressings, ice cream, etc. as well as getting the owner to add five cases of Old Style to the bar package. That way, everyone (including me) should be happy with the beer selection. We have to narrow down what else we get (liquor-wise) but that part is taken care of.
I think, now, we can honestly say that we are just getting down to details; choosing bridesmaid/groomsman gifts, centerpieces (with which Shellie's Aunt Dawn has so graciously volunteered to help us), etc. I'm very happy that the big stuff seems to be taken care of, because that means we can minimize the stress level of the next five months.
We decided to hire the front-runner from Shellie's last post. After getting e-mail from around thirty DJs, setting up interviews with eight, and actually interviewing six, it came down to him (Dennis) and one other guy. We actually had a pretty hard time deciding between them. We were very comfortable with both of them, they seemed very competent and experienced, prices were reasonable, etc. and we thought that each of them would do a good job for us. In the end, we wound up going with the guy we had been referred to by our videographer. All things being equal, we thought it wise to trust professional judgment, and our videographer has done a dozen or so weddings with our DJ. That's a bonus, not only on the basis of professional judgment, but because we know that the two of them can (and will) work together as far as coordinating the events, etc.
We're very excited, I might add, about our videographer. He was recommended to us by a friend who used him for her wedding. Having seen her wedding video, we were impressed with his work, and decided to meet with him to see if we thought we should hire him ourselves. We had really only toyed around with the idea of having a videographer at all; in some ways, it seemed kind of superfluous, and most of the professional wedding videos I have seen have been pretty low-quality, with bad sound, etc. (on the other hand, my sister Melanie's wedding video was shot with a Handi-Cam and is amazingly good, especially considering who shot it). Tom's work doesn't seem low quality at all, and we talked it over and decided that we would rather look back and say "I guess we didn't really need a videographer" than look back and say "I wish we had one good video recording of our wedding ceremony." When we met with him, we were immediately as comfortable with him as we were with Peter, our still photographer, so we decided "What the hell, let's go for it." It helped that he gave us a pretty healthy discount, of course, for having been referred by a previous customer. Tom is the one who recommended Dennis, our DJ, to us, and he had fantastic things to say about him, so when we finished interviewing all of the DJs, and it came down to Dennis and one other guy, we allowed Tom's recommendation to tip the scale in Dennis' favor.
We've also met with our florist (The Blossom Boys) twice now, once for an initial meeting, a second time to tweak the proposal. It's great to be so completely enamored with yet ANOTHER of our wedding vendors. Shellie and I could probably spend all day with those two, discussing/debating/gossiping, etc. It may seem foolhardy, but I don't mind telling you that they're the only florist we've met with and the only ones we're going to meet with; we're just so comfortable with them, and they're both so helpful and accommodating, it seems foolish for us to look elsewhere when they're exactly what we were looking for. Plus, the fact (for me, at least) that they're in the storefront where I purchased all of my prom/dance corsages, Chris and Betsy bought their wedding flowers, from them, etc. is a cool little sentimental benefit for me.
So the hall... we went there this past weekend and met with Steve. I don't think we really got anywhere with him regarding the tasting (he suggested we go try a bunch of different things in high-end restaurants to come up with what we wanted to eat), neither of us decided that it was important enough or worth it to push the issue. We picked one dish we want to try, got the tasting set up for June, and if we don't like the dish we taste, then we'll go with something different. For now, we decided on our chair covers, napkins, head table arrangement, got the floor plan, and nailed down our appetizers, soup, salad, dressings, ice cream, etc. as well as getting the owner to add five cases of Old Style to the bar package. That way, everyone (including me) should be happy with the beer selection. We have to narrow down what else we get (liquor-wise) but that part is taken care of.
I think, now, we can honestly say that we are just getting down to details; choosing bridesmaid/groomsman gifts, centerpieces (with which Shellie's Aunt Dawn has so graciously volunteered to help us), etc. I'm very happy that the big stuff seems to be taken care of, because that means we can minimize the stress level of the next five months.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010 - Michelle
Last week I started the week with a sinking feeling. I didn't know why, I just didn't think it would be a good. Unfortunately, my feeling proved to be somewhat true.
This week we've been meeting with DJs. Our original DJ seems to have flaked out on us, and so we're moving on. Basically, we had a DJ we loved, and he ended up being unavailable on our date, so he recommended some more DJs to us. We talked to them, and put a deposit down with one of them. The kid (he's younger than my brother, which we didn't know until this past week) is in school at ISU, and hasn't returned voicemails or emails. I tried to get a hold of him on Facebook, and he ignored that too. He finally returned Adam's call, and Adam didn't call him right back, but did call the kid's uncle (the original DJ) and basically told him what was going on. The uncle calls the kid, the kid calls us back and starts giving us all sorts of excuses (he doesn't check that email - though it's the only one he gave us, maybe there's something wrong with his email - it's yahoo, and he didn't get our voicemails). We learned our lesson and met with 4 DJs this week, and we have 3 more next week.
So DJ's:
DJ 1: He was nice, but a salesman. His company has awesome "extras" but of course the extras all cost more - WAY more. Though we liked his style, and we liked what his company could offer.
DJ 2: We wanted to like this guy more than we did. Seemed like an all-around NICE guy. Told us how he was doing this full-time after he got laid off from his job. But definitely seems more like a guy we'd like to hang out with at a bar than a guy we'd want to DJ our wedding.
DJ 3: So far our front-runner. Matter-of-fact, personable, and his company does weddings in way we like - we can have as much control or as little control of the music as we want.
DJ 4: Seemed nice enough, but wasn't impressed by much of anything he said, and didn't seem entirely prepared.
We have 3 more we're meeting this week, and then we'll make a decision. YIKES!
Then the hall: We're trying to make a tasting appt with the hall. Well, evidently they don't like that we want to taste more than one dish, so they want to charge us for the other ones. Moreover, they don't want to do them all at one time, they would prefer that we come out each time they have a wedding that is offering that dish. Adam went back and forth with their coordinator, and the owner (who we booked through) and so we're meeting with the owner on Thursday after work. YIKES! I am hoping we can get this straightened out - I DO NOT want to have to try to find a hall this late in the game, especially because we booked ours about 2 weeks after we got engaged.
So that's the drama for this week. We went to pre-cana today, so we're ready for the church. That reminds me that I need to get confirmation of me having my first Confirmation...I need that before we can meet with Fr. Tom again. 'Round and 'round we go...
This week we've been meeting with DJs. Our original DJ seems to have flaked out on us, and so we're moving on. Basically, we had a DJ we loved, and he ended up being unavailable on our date, so he recommended some more DJs to us. We talked to them, and put a deposit down with one of them. The kid (he's younger than my brother, which we didn't know until this past week) is in school at ISU, and hasn't returned voicemails or emails. I tried to get a hold of him on Facebook, and he ignored that too. He finally returned Adam's call, and Adam didn't call him right back, but did call the kid's uncle (the original DJ) and basically told him what was going on. The uncle calls the kid, the kid calls us back and starts giving us all sorts of excuses (he doesn't check that email - though it's the only one he gave us, maybe there's something wrong with his email - it's yahoo, and he didn't get our voicemails). We learned our lesson and met with 4 DJs this week, and we have 3 more next week.
So DJ's:
DJ 1: He was nice, but a salesman. His company has awesome "extras" but of course the extras all cost more - WAY more. Though we liked his style, and we liked what his company could offer.
DJ 2: We wanted to like this guy more than we did. Seemed like an all-around NICE guy. Told us how he was doing this full-time after he got laid off from his job. But definitely seems more like a guy we'd like to hang out with at a bar than a guy we'd want to DJ our wedding.
DJ 3: So far our front-runner. Matter-of-fact, personable, and his company does weddings in way we like - we can have as much control or as little control of the music as we want.
DJ 4: Seemed nice enough, but wasn't impressed by much of anything he said, and didn't seem entirely prepared.
We have 3 more we're meeting this week, and then we'll make a decision. YIKES!
Then the hall: We're trying to make a tasting appt with the hall. Well, evidently they don't like that we want to taste more than one dish, so they want to charge us for the other ones. Moreover, they don't want to do them all at one time, they would prefer that we come out each time they have a wedding that is offering that dish. Adam went back and forth with their coordinator, and the owner (who we booked through) and so we're meeting with the owner on Thursday after work. YIKES! I am hoping we can get this straightened out - I DO NOT want to have to try to find a hall this late in the game, especially because we booked ours about 2 weeks after we got engaged.
So that's the drama for this week. We went to pre-cana today, so we're ready for the church. That reminds me that I need to get confirmation of me having my first Confirmation...I need that before we can meet with Fr. Tom again. 'Round and 'round we go...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, 27 March 2010--Adam
So I guess it's been a year since I bothered to post on this thing...
As one of my few posts said before, everything has really been proceeding along swimmingly. We've booked the hall, a block of rooms at a nearby Days Inn for the guests, a photographer (who is only like the coolest dude in the world), a DJ, met with Father Tom, registered for pre cana (that's something I honestly NEVER thought I would do), picked out the tuxedos for the groomsmen and I, Shellie has her dress, the bridesmaids have their dresses, booked a trolley, bought invitations, and met with one florist, from whom we hope to have a proposal today or sometime very soon. We've also booked our honeymoon in Cozumel.
I guess that means we pretty much have everything done, or at least all of the big stuff... Shellie, of course, believes that we have millions of other things to do... I suppose we do need to worry about things like centerpieces and whatnot, and whether or not we're going to have a chocolate fountain, etc. For right now, though, with six months to go before the wedding, I'm really happy with the state of our preparations.
Getting really excited for things to happen now.
As one of my few posts said before, everything has really been proceeding along swimmingly. We've booked the hall, a block of rooms at a nearby Days Inn for the guests, a photographer (who is only like the coolest dude in the world), a DJ, met with Father Tom, registered for pre cana (that's something I honestly NEVER thought I would do), picked out the tuxedos for the groomsmen and I, Shellie has her dress, the bridesmaids have their dresses, booked a trolley, bought invitations, and met with one florist, from whom we hope to have a proposal today or sometime very soon. We've also booked our honeymoon in Cozumel.
I guess that means we pretty much have everything done, or at least all of the big stuff... Shellie, of course, believes that we have millions of other things to do... I suppose we do need to worry about things like centerpieces and whatnot, and whether or not we're going to have a chocolate fountain, etc. For right now, though, with six months to go before the wedding, I'm really happy with the state of our preparations.
Getting really excited for things to happen now.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010 -- Michelle
Adam and I have officially started the wedding diet. We waited until we came back from Hawaii to start, and now we have no fun food in our house! :(
Next up on the wedding list: entree tasting at the hall, cake tasting at Swirlz Cupcakes, finding a florist, booking the organist...and all of the rest of the details. I, of course, am most excited about the things that involve food!
Now the panic of wedding planning is setting in. Never enough hours in the day (you know, work interferes with wedding planning for 10 hours a day or so), and weekends are SO busy. Need to really get on the schtick. Loving every minute of it though!
Next up on the wedding list: entree tasting at the hall, cake tasting at Swirlz Cupcakes, finding a florist, booking the organist...and all of the rest of the details. I, of course, am most excited about the things that involve food!
Now the panic of wedding planning is setting in. Never enough hours in the day (you know, work interferes with wedding planning for 10 hours a day or so), and weekends are SO busy. Need to really get on the schtick. Loving every minute of it though!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009 - Michelle
The save the dates are BOOKMARKS, people! The white part in the middle comes out, it has a ribbon and everything.
I did get a few back in the mail, I need to get addresses and re-mail them out. Don't want people t think they're not invited if they are.
Supposed to meet with Father Tom, our priest, tomorrow, but he has been called away to Arizona for a funeral. I really want to hammer out the details of the ceremony, see what we're working with. I still need to officially reserve the organist, that reminds me...
I did get a few back in the mail, I need to get addresses and re-mail them out. Don't want people t think they're not invited if they are.
Supposed to meet with Father Tom, our priest, tomorrow, but he has been called away to Arizona for a funeral. I really want to hammer out the details of the ceremony, see what we're working with. I still need to officially reserve the organist, that reminds me...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
October 11, 2009 - Michelle
Half of the save the dates are done, and I am finally comfortable enough with the wedding website to send them out. Hoping to get them out in the next week or so. Yikes.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009 -- Michelle
The wedding website is up and running! I will publish the link to the site soon, and will also put a link to our blog on it as well. Like most projects I get into, I could spend all night working on it. Unfortunately, my alarm will go off and I am a crabby girl if I don't get any sleep.
Adam and I are waiting (somewhat) impatiently for our friends Ryan and Dawn (though, really Dawn) to have their second son. The baby is due Sunday, but Dawn would have liked to have him, oh, yesterday. We're very excited to meet him, and know Jacob is excited to meet his little brother. We are so lucky to have such supportive and wonderful friends.
Dawn, Jackie (another friend) and I have spent the last few Friday nights just sitting around and talking, sometimes looking through wedding stuff. Both have been married for about two years, so they're pros now! Them, plus their husbands, give me enough backing to strongarm Adam into just about anything.
Still trying to find a DJ. Planning on going dress shopping on Sept 19th. Unfortunately, it's also the family golf outing, but it took so long to get my first together and I can't really reschedule. I am just sure I'll find a dress that takes six months to come in...now watch, I'll get something off the rack!
Emailed the woman about the cake topper and haven't heard back. I hope she can do it.
That's all that's going on in wedding land this week.
Adam and I are waiting (somewhat) impatiently for our friends Ryan and Dawn (though, really Dawn) to have their second son. The baby is due Sunday, but Dawn would have liked to have him, oh, yesterday. We're very excited to meet him, and know Jacob is excited to meet his little brother. We are so lucky to have such supportive and wonderful friends.
Dawn, Jackie (another friend) and I have spent the last few Friday nights just sitting around and talking, sometimes looking through wedding stuff. Both have been married for about two years, so they're pros now! Them, plus their husbands, give me enough backing to strongarm Adam into just about anything.
Still trying to find a DJ. Planning on going dress shopping on Sept 19th. Unfortunately, it's also the family golf outing, but it took so long to get my first together and I can't really reschedule. I am just sure I'll find a dress that takes six months to come in...now watch, I'll get something off the rack!
Emailed the woman about the cake topper and haven't heard back. I hope she can do it.
That's all that's going on in wedding land this week.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 -- Michelle
We have a photographer! He is everything I want in a photographer. We met with him yesterday, but after chatting with someone we went to HS with, and reading all of his reviews online (weddingwire and yelp) I was ready to make a move. As someone who considers herself to have a bit of a photographer's eye at times, it's important for me to have GREAT pictures of our wedding, and a GREAT photographer who will take them. It's important to have a good feeling about the only person who is in charge of capturing your memories for your day for you, and I really feel like we made the right decision.
The best part is that we will get a DVD with all of the images he takes, so we can print as many pictures as we want without having to pay him to get them printed. A HUGE save of money, and something that I really wanted. I don't see a reason to print every picture to SEE every picture, when some of them will for sure have eyes closed, someone looking away, etc.
I am so excited about this. Now, onto the DJ!
The best part is that we will get a DVD with all of the images he takes, so we can print as many pictures as we want without having to pay him to get them printed. A HUGE save of money, and something that I really wanted. I don't see a reason to print every picture to SEE every picture, when some of them will for sure have eyes closed, someone looking away, etc.
I am so excited about this. Now, onto the DJ!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
June 14, 2009 - Michelle
I spent most of the day putzing online looking at wedding stuff and started thinking about tables -- do we assign seats, what do we do for centerpieces, do we number tables, etc. and came up with the idea of naming our tables after streets that are important to us -- the streets we grew up on, the streets of WY, the street where we had our first kiss, the street where he proposed, and so on. I think we can come up with 20-25 street names.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009 -- Michelle
Today I went with Mom, Zosh, Cindy, Rachel and Stephanie to make the final deposit on the country club. It's now official! Really, it was official before, but now our deposit is paid in full and we only owe the balance about 2 weeks before the wedding.
It was nice to be there when everything was in bloom on the golf course. The trees look so much nicer with leaves, and will look great in September. I will probably head there around our wedding date this year so I can get an idea of what we are looking at for next year.
While we were there, they were setting up for another wedding. The colors of this wedding were Tiffany blue and white. I am not really too sure on that Tiffany blue. They did have the chair covers though and it looked beautiful.
While we were in the country club, there was a wedding at the conglomerate of a hall next door that was using black for the sashes, which looked great. I think we are definitely going to use black as our main color with jewel tones -- which will look great with the surprisingly multi-colored carpet in the country club.
It was also nice to see how much room there is in the center of the table when the table is set. This gives me a much better idea of how much room I will have for centerpieces. I am starting to see it all come together in my mind.
Adam and I stopped at a bakery this morning to get coffee cake before everyone came over, and we plan on putting them on our list of bakeries to talk to. We definitely know what we want to do as far as "cake"... :) We know what we're doing, but we need to finalize some details. I am so excited for that. My mom, when she and my dad got married, always wanted a fountain for their cake. So I have always wanted something a little different too. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, June 11th -- Michelle
Adam had his nose un-deviated today. Poor guy is packed with gauze with some under his nose, which reminds me of the Monopoly man's mustache. While I was waiting for him, one of the women who was in the waiting room waiting for her mom asked me if I was getting married (probably noticed the wedding magazines I'd brought to amuse myself). She then came over to ooh and ahh at my ring (something I won't ever get sick of) and told me that we were a good match because I was there waiting for him and worried about him when a lot of women didn't bother to stick around while their husbands were in surgery. A little strange, but cute.
I think I found our cake topper. :) I know we are thinking of going a little different for our cake, but at the same time, we're going to need to have a topper. I have been thinking of ways to incorporate lobsters into our wedding and I think the cake topper would be a perfect way to do so.
I think I found our cake topper. :) I know we are thinking of going a little different for our cake, but at the same time, we're going to need to have a topper. I have been thinking of ways to incorporate lobsters into our wedding and I think the cake topper would be a perfect way to do so.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June 9, 2009 -- Michelle
I have the song "White Wedding" stuck in my head. It's about a shot-gun wedding, evidently. I finally took the time to read the lyrics.
We are starting to talk more about different aspects of the wedding, and I even found the most perfect cake topper today (how thrilled Adam is, I don't know). I have set ideas for the cake and a few other things, but before I reveal too much, I want to do some more research. I want some of the things at the wedding to be a surprise, and I also don't want people to steal my ideas (haha).
We went to the gym tonight -- we are determined to be a buff bride and a buff groom!
We are starting to talk more about different aspects of the wedding, and I even found the most perfect cake topper today (how thrilled Adam is, I don't know). I have set ideas for the cake and a few other things, but before I reveal too much, I want to do some more research. I want some of the things at the wedding to be a surprise, and I also don't want people to steal my ideas (haha).
We went to the gym tonight -- we are determined to be a buff bride and a buff groom!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
April 29, 2009 -- Michelle
Last night Rachel and I went to the Melting Pot for dinner. On a whim, I decided to check out the website. I THEN found out it was a bridal show night! No, Rachel didn't want to surprise me, just a happy coincidence. :)
We ended up getting there a little early and checking out the show. We met a florist, a baker, a photographer, etc. It was fun, but it really just cemented that I have to really get to know the people we are going to be working with. Some of the people were great, others weren't, and I know they may have great websites, but you realize how important personality is.
I think I have finally settled on a black/white/jewel tones color scheme. As Rachel pointed out, it is something I have wanted for a long time. I think the more choices I have (and there are a lot!) the more times I will change my mind and I just need to remember what I have ALWAYS wanted. I don't want to look back at this wedding and think "We should have..." at any point.
Otherwise, just trying to get ideas together. We may not have made decisions, but it's still fun to talk about the things we COULD do.
We ended up getting there a little early and checking out the show. We met a florist, a baker, a photographer, etc. It was fun, but it really just cemented that I have to really get to know the people we are going to be working with. Some of the people were great, others weren't, and I know they may have great websites, but you realize how important personality is.
I think I have finally settled on a black/white/jewel tones color scheme. As Rachel pointed out, it is something I have wanted for a long time. I think the more choices I have (and there are a lot!) the more times I will change my mind and I just need to remember what I have ALWAYS wanted. I don't want to look back at this wedding and think "We should have..." at any point.
Otherwise, just trying to get ideas together. We may not have made decisions, but it's still fun to talk about the things we COULD do.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009 -- Michelle
Yesterday Sarah came by and we dropped off the second installment of the deposit for the country club. It was set up for another wedding so we went and peeked. It looked GREAT. Seeing it set up like that made it a whole lot easier to visualize it being OUR reception. The tables were set, the placecard table was set, the guestbook was set, it was really nice to see how they set it all up.
My debate now is that I want my bridesmaids to wear black, but we need some color. I am not really sure how I feel about black with fall colors (gold/orange/red), but I don't know that I really want to do brown/bronze for the bridesmaids. I am now wrestling with all of that.
We went to Target and did some registering today. The gun they give you is very strange, and it kept ringing things up that we weren't registering for. Example: we were trying to register for towels and it registered us for Gerber Onesies, 3-6 mo. Uh, no. That's not coming for a while. I think we went a little gangbusters putting stuff (like towels) on there, but it's easy enough to change that stuff online.
Otherwise, same ol' same ol'. I am trying to hold off so as not to get too much planned. So far that strategy is working.
My debate now is that I want my bridesmaids to wear black, but we need some color. I am not really sure how I feel about black with fall colors (gold/orange/red), but I don't know that I really want to do brown/bronze for the bridesmaids. I am now wrestling with all of that.
We went to Target and did some registering today. The gun they give you is very strange, and it kept ringing things up that we weren't registering for. Example: we were trying to register for towels and it registered us for Gerber Onesies, 3-6 mo. Uh, no. That's not coming for a while. I think we went a little gangbusters putting stuff (like towels) on there, but it's easy enough to change that stuff online.
Otherwise, same ol' same ol'. I am trying to hold off so as not to get too much planned. So far that strategy is working.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 5, 2009
538 days! It seems like a million though. I know the extra time will keep me from freaking out and rushing into making decisions I wouldn't normally make, but I like instant gratification! (Though, really, after dating Adam I think we all know I will wait forever).
Looking at save the dates and invitations. It would really help if I could decide on a color scheme. I think I am settled that my bridesmaids will wear black, but then I am in the air if the flowers should be white or be colored. I like black/white/red combos (and black/white/pink but I don't know if I can talk Adam into that). Since it will be early fall, I would kind of like to go with the oranges, golds and reds of the season.
This whole experience is just a lot to handle. Adam has been SMART enough to not really argue with me unless he has a strong opinion (remind me to thank Betsy for buying him that book that told him to do that), but at the same time I can come up with a million ideas and it's hard to narrow them down. I think that's the biggest challenge I am having right now: EVERYTHING is a possibility, but what is realistic?
Now that we have the hall booked, I feel so much better. I think I had a bit of a spaz attack because it is the single biggest commitment we are making for this wedding (besides to each other, but whatever :) , but now I can think of flowers and centerpieces and table seating and all of that good stuff. I am also thinking of themes (not necessarily to be incorporated into the invites, but for naming tables) and it's getting very exciting. I am really ready for this and trying to not get ahead of myself or get myself too wrapped up in things (like my last couple of blogs probably indicated).
I am ready for Adam to come home now.
Looking at save the dates and invitations. It would really help if I could decide on a color scheme. I think I am settled that my bridesmaids will wear black, but then I am in the air if the flowers should be white or be colored. I like black/white/red combos (and black/white/pink but I don't know if I can talk Adam into that). Since it will be early fall, I would kind of like to go with the oranges, golds and reds of the season.
This whole experience is just a lot to handle. Adam has been SMART enough to not really argue with me unless he has a strong opinion (remind me to thank Betsy for buying him that book that told him to do that), but at the same time I can come up with a million ideas and it's hard to narrow them down. I think that's the biggest challenge I am having right now: EVERYTHING is a possibility, but what is realistic?
Now that we have the hall booked, I feel so much better. I think I had a bit of a spaz attack because it is the single biggest commitment we are making for this wedding (besides to each other, but whatever :) , but now I can think of flowers and centerpieces and table seating and all of that good stuff. I am also thinking of themes (not necessarily to be incorporated into the invites, but for naming tables) and it's getting very exciting. I am really ready for this and trying to not get ahead of myself or get myself too wrapped up in things (like my last couple of blogs probably indicated).
I am ready for Adam to come home now.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
March 29, 2009 -- Michelle
OVERWHELMING. That's how it all feels.
It feels good to have the site booked and also the reception site, but in trying to figure out how to keep it all without our budget...HA. Seriously, HA. We were discussing the rehearsal dinner and realizing how we didn't figure how much THAT would cost. Yikes.
I think a photo booth may be out of the question, but I am still counting on a chocolate fountain. We need a DJ and a photographer, which are our next 2 biggest hurdles. Then we have the issues of flowers, dresses (me, bridesmaids), centerpieces (flowers?), cake or an alternative, the chocolate fountain (ha), transportation, the rehearsal dinner...the list goes on and on. I suddenly realize how people can spend $30,000+ on a wedding. Oh my gosh.
At least now I can start to picture things...too bad what I am picturing right now are the dollar signs going out that door. ;) It'll be worth it when it's all done though, I am just anxious to get it all done.
It feels good to have the site booked and also the reception site, but in trying to figure out how to keep it all without our budget...HA. Seriously, HA. We were discussing the rehearsal dinner and realizing how we didn't figure how much THAT would cost. Yikes.
I think a photo booth may be out of the question, but I am still counting on a chocolate fountain. We need a DJ and a photographer, which are our next 2 biggest hurdles. Then we have the issues of flowers, dresses (me, bridesmaids), centerpieces (flowers?), cake or an alternative, the chocolate fountain (ha), transportation, the rehearsal dinner...the list goes on and on. I suddenly realize how people can spend $30,000+ on a wedding. Oh my gosh.
At least now I can start to picture things...too bad what I am picturing right now are the dollar signs going out that door. ;) It'll be worth it when it's all done though, I am just anxious to get it all done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
