It's official, I need an officiant!

We have officially booked our ceremony location. I am really excited but nervous too. It's going to be outside in a garden right down the hill from our Reception venue. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous in the Summer and have plenty of beautiful flowers and even a pond to take pictures by. We have decided on ceremony times and reception times. There are many reasons, long debated questions as to why and how we came to choose this location but now I am getting excited. I have to call around and look into pricing for chairs, advertise/search for a violinist who can play the Wedding March and an officiant. I have already begun looking into the wedding officiant but everything is either too expensive or too odd-ball. One guy had 1970's sideburns and offered to sing in spanish on a guitar for us. That may be right for some people but I am one of those people who feels awkward when it's one person singing alone on a guitar. lol! I always giggle or dont know where to look or what to do. I want someone who can put some religious aspects into the ceremony to make it a little more meaningful. If anyone has or knows an officiant, let me know!?

Those awkward moments.

I am a shy person and avoid confrontation at all possible costs. I always feel uncomfortable and *too* ready to please when others put me on the spot. Well, boy, I was unprepared for all the awkward and uncomfortable moments that would come along when planning a wedding. I have been put on the spot so far for and about the following reasons:
1. Where is my ceremony? People have questioned my intentions and reasons for what I want and where I am choosing to have my wedding ceremony. It finally just came down to Mike and I having a frank discussion and just deciding and then letting people (only the need-to-know people) what our choice was. The others will find out when and if they are invited. Please dont ask or question a bride's decision on this as it is more difficult than you may assume or realize.
2. Why am I not a bridesmaid? Why are you having such a small wedding party? Why aren't you including so and so? This has been a rather difficult question. We are keeping the wedding party small so as to save on $ and to keep it simple. We want a small intimate wedding with those we love. The more people invited to be a wedding party member would mean the less people that are actually guests (there are not many) Plus, we both didnt have an equal amount of close friends and/or family that we wanted to have standing with us. That is why we both chose ONE person whom we felt most close to and that was that. People are becoming offended or hurt by this but they need to understand, its not their wedding. If they choose to add more people at their own wedding due to pressure from family members, than truthfully, I am sorry. But I refuse to change my positioning on this and do feel bad for those left out but hey this isnt a popularity contest. If for some reason you were under some other kind of impression because of some casual remark made one time 3 years ago, well, again, sorry.
3. Am I invited? Can I invite my cousins boyfriend's sister? Why cant we include so and so on the wedding list? Ugh. If I know you, love you, feel close to you or you are close family, than your most likely invited. If you have been dating the person I know and am inviting for more than a year, your invited.  But honestly, I dont want to turn around on my own wedding day and wonder who the heck you are. And I'd rather not turn to my husband and ask who the person is and have him have no clue either. I would like to know who you are when I write my thank you cards! Plus, I really have this vision of a small family wedding. So please, dont ask or assume your invited. This isnt the VIP party of the year but please, its my VIP day and I'd rather not feel awkward when you put me on the spot asking me whether you are invited.
4. Oh, why are you having your wedding there, why dont you have it at XYZ location. Um, I have made my choice and rather not here about your great experience at your cousins/sisters/friends wedding location just because you think its better than my choice. I cannot tell you how often I have sat through this conversation! When I ask all of these people majority have never even been to or had a wedding at my location. How can you honestly judge?

How do I invite thee?

So, I know the wedding is 8 months off at this point, but I have seriously started to realize what a daunting task it is going to be inviting people! I will have to track down and find addresses for people, order the invites, write all the addresses, buy stamps and mail it all! ah! I have started a notebook for this cause. I am writing down all the people I am inviting and collecting their addresses. This is going to be especially difficult when it comes to actually getting all the addresses from both sides of the family! Last time I asked people on both sides to do something wedding related it was like pulling teeth to get them to do it! So far my list of names and addresses is 5 people long! haha! I have a LOOOONG way to go. I better come up with some organizational ideas for this task. Anyone have any ideas!?

I love Quizzes!

So, we checked our mailbox today, which we only do once a week since we don't get much mail (most of our bills are via email)! And we had a exciting package! :) I love quizzes! I was one of those dorks who always did those myspace and facebook quizzes that asked you who your first kiss was, who you last talked to, what your fave color was etc. I love taking them! :) So this quiz is especially exciting and it got me excited about my wedding again after a disappointing week of stresses that made me upset.

This was the Kiley Mullen photography getting to know you quiz! It reminded me of all the reasons why I am getting married and how much this day really does need to be about us and our love! It asked us what we like to do together, what makes us unique, etc. It was a great reminder of how much we love each other! I took my quiz, and Mike is going to take his tomorrow. He likes to have me fill out all of his stuff since his hand-writing is atrocious and I allowed him to go play his video games.
Anyhow, it had a lovely card and magnet (which is already on my fridge). So thank you to Kiley for reminding me what's important about our wedding. And as my friend Melinda says "It is your special day!" :) Yay!

Another mindless rant...

There are days were I am SO excited to plan this wedding and then there are days were I SO am not! Today is one of those days.
There are many difficult things to deal with when wedding planning. There is the budget, the opinions, where to have your ceremony, who's to be in the wedding party, contracts, ideas, squashed ideas, keeping others happy, keeping yourself happy and just plain planning all those damn details.

You have this vision in your head about your wedding day, you think it will all just come together easily. Then reality sets in. You forget that this planning process has several other people involved.

FIANCE

First off, your fiance. Now, my advice to all fiances is just say "YES!" to anything and everything your woman wants. BUT, that is not always the case. It is his day too. So if you want to jump yellow flowers but he hates the color yellow, hmm, not going to go over well. Well, maybe some guys wouldn't care but some would. Then, you have the other guy who really could care less and just wants to be told where and when to show up. Thankfully, my fiance leans towards the "just tell me where I have to be and when" HOWEVER, this does create some issues too! There are cases and times where you ask for his opinion and he could honestly care less about it. I have learned to pick and choose which topics I find most important and that I think he will actually care about before talking to him about them. I usually wait until the weekend and then try to take up as little amount of time as possible with the discussion. Otherwise, you tend to see the eyes glaze over and then you know you have lost them. Still it is very frustrating. I want to make decisions and sometimes have to wait until it's a good time to discuss these things.
Some funny sites for guys to check out: *not that any guy reads my blog, but hey, if they are:
The Ten Dumbest Reasons to Get Married
Groom Duties
Hell, just check out this whole site. It's awesome: The Plunge

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTORS
So then you have the financial contributors. Every magazine tells you, listen to them because if they are contributing they have every right to make requests, share opinions etc. It's sometimes hard to do. Sometimes the opinions are great or something I never thought of or considered. But sometimes their vision, their idea and their opinion SO differ from yours its hard to take. Just listen, stay calm and then share your opinion and your reasons why you would like it a certain way. Try to accommodate their requests, even if it is sometimes a guest (or 2, or 3 or 10!) that they want to add. Try to make them see reason with why so and so that you don't even know should not be invited.
Check out The Knot for all budget related advice, including how to deal with these contributors

OTHERS
A.k.a those that should mind their own business

And then you just have your nosy-bodies who want to tell you what they did for their wedding or what you "have" to do for yours. Or they just plain make demands as if they are paying for your whole damn wedding. It gets annoying but try to not kill these people. I have decided that ignoring them, for me, works best in this situation. I have enough to deal with. Normal day to day stresses and then planning a wedding on top of that. These people with their demands are not something you should have to listen to and something I will certainly try to tune out.


Check out the first chapter free read ofTake Back Your Wedding: Managing the People Stress of Wedding Planning.by: William Doherty Ph.D and Elizabeth Doherty Thomas, for all advice and telling those who stress you out to, GO TO HELL!

I am frustrated today, hell, this week. And more Bridezilla then ever before. I am tired of the opinions. I am just hoping that the day I walk down the aisle it will be everything I imagined and more. But I guess, in the end, that is not what matters. What matters is that the person I am marrying, I love. I just want a day that reflects that. If I had a beer or a glass of wine right now I would raise it and say "Here's to hoping my day is as beautiful as the one I love"

Cheesy.

My knot.com checklist?

According to a very reliable source, theknot.com, I have fallen behind in my wedding planning. Seriously, how does a full time working bride EVER get things done!? There is so much to do. Here are the things I have yet to CHECK off of my list according to theknot.com:

1.Choose a wedding date and time, and finalize after okaying with important guests (parents, siblings, and grandparents), ceremony and/or reception location, and ceremony officiant.

            *While we have a date, we dont have a ceremony time!

2. Begin working on a preliminary online wedding guest list and decide approximately how many people you want to invite. Request "wish lists" from both sets of parents, then compile.

         *I have the "wish lists" and I know in MY mind who I want to invite. It's keeping that list UNDER 100 that will be a problem

3.Find a ceremony site (if one hasn't already been determined by your choice of officiant or reception site).

          * A point of serious contention.

4. Start investigating any family wedding customs or cultural traditions you might want to incorporate into your ceremony or reception.

            *um, what?

5. Finalize your wedding guest list. The Knot Hint: When you're done, make your lives easy by entering everything into your Guest List Manager.

           * I thought I was still at number 2?  

6.Sign your catering contract and send in a deposit.

           * Since my location is a county run golf course and although I have reserved my date, I cannot officially book and deposit until January, um help!?

7.  If you've chosen an outdoor ceremony or reception site, then research tent and lighting rental places in your area.

           * Ceremony is undetermined as of yet so lighting is not a concern...yet. My reception is indoors. They have light. yay!

8. Envision your wedding flowers and set up appointments with wedding florists in the area to discuss options.

           * While dress shopping Saturday, we stopped in at a Montgomery Florist and while the people were lovely, I was so lost. Where to begin? What do I discuss? In-season vs. Out-of-season? Centerpieces and ceremony flowers? Bridesmaids flowers? oh help me.

9. Start looking for and auditioning local reception bands or DJs.

            * This I am fairly confident we have covered, DJ Dave Vega. I went to high school with him. Great personality. I hope he will still let us book him!

10. Envision your wedding invitations. Look at invite photos and decide who will make your wedding invitations. The Knot hint: Coordinate all your wedding stationery from the save-the-dates to your invitations and place cards.

           * While I originally thought I would buy a packet from a store and print out my own invites. I am not sure I can undertake this task. I am fairly confident we will use Peacock Printing (our donation favors) to make our invites, but how am I to decide this without even knowing ceremony time location?    

11. Set up appointments with various florists to discuss options.

           *reference #8 and its issues

12.  Start a wedding registry at one or more of your favorite stores. Even if you start with just a few pieces, you can always add more items later. The Knot Hint: Do it all in one place at Registry Central.

          * I cant think gifts right now without actual planning complete

Dress shopping minus Quacks

Yesterday was dress shopping! Unfortunately, the Quack side could not make it but maybe it was better that way. There was a LOT to try on and a LOT to look at. More people may have been overwhelming.
Our first appointment was at David's Bridal at 11:30. We started off with mom dresses. Right off I told my consultant, my mom is NOT going to wear those mom styles. You know, the one's with the jackets? My mom is hip, good looking and young! She does NOT need to dress like some dowdy lady. She needs to show off her cute figure and good looks! We found one favorite for her at David's but we were not ready to commit for her. Next up was my sister. While I am trying to allow her to have a say, it's hard because it's the one dress I DO REALLY care about besides mine. I wanted her to try on styles she likes and loves and styles I love. In my mind, prior to seeing ANY dresses I had the idea of a cute cocktail length dress that flared out and had fullness in the skirt. My style leans towards vintage with a little modern edge while my sister likes more modern dresses. Well, at David's there was no common ground. There were dresses I liked and dresses she liked but no mutually liked dresses.
Next up was an appointment at K's Wedding Center. This store had brands like Alfred Angelo, Bill Levkoff, Eden, Mori Lee and so forth. So this meant more options, more designs and styles. Well, we walked in and raided the racks. My sister tried on AT LEAST 30 dresses! We have two contenders. One I am calling the Tinkerbell dress and the other is classy and has a 50's edge to it. My sister liked both. One was an Alfred Angelo and the other is a Mori Lee. Both had wide ranges of colors for us to choose from.
My mom also tried on dresses here and found one in the Bill Levkoff brand that was absolutely stunning on her. Like if she doesn't buy it, I am going to go back and force her to buy it! lol! We had a MUCH better experience at K's. Our consultant had more personality, gave recommendations, showed us new looks and styles we wouldn't have considered and really was all out wonderful. She helped find dresses that brought together my sister and I's looks and styles and it was such a huge help. She wrote down all of our favorites and we are probably going to go back there to get the dresses.
We had lunch and then my sister had to go to work, so my mom and I went to Reginella's in Montgomery. We walked up to the store and a man was outside smoking. We went to open the door and he stepped in front of us and said "Do you have an appointment?"
Mom and I: "No, do we need an appointment?"
Bouncer: "You must have an appointment to shop in our store"

Well, at that point, I was done. I turned to walk away but he sweet talked my mom into coming in only to give her the store card and tell her to make an appointment. Well, excuse me. We made appointments at both of the other stores but I guess appointments are mandatory here. We wont go back.

Anyway, in my mind there are three top picks for my sister. The two we saw at K's and one dress that I got from the fabulous Kiley Mullen. Her bridesmaids wore the most amazing vintage style dresses. I asked her where they were from and she sent my the direct link! Now, this is a sign of an amazing photographer! One who is willing to  "Copying be the highest form of flattery" rather than be annoyed and tell me NOT to get that dress! I really love that one that Kiley sent us and my sister loves it too. Honestly, it most likely will end up being that dress but I want to see as much as I can since I want my sister to agree 100%.

On the whole, dress shopping was a success and I know in my mind more clearly the style I want. Now it is just decision time!

Kiley Mullen Photography Pictures

Here are some of my favorites from Kiley's collections:

There are SO many more that I love, but these are just *some* of my favorites! Check our her blog and her website for more info and pictures!

Kiley Mullen Photography

So, earlier in this blog, I wrote about photography and choosing a photographer. Well, I didn't name names when I wrote about my photographer because, well, there was some hesitation on my part to do so.
When we looked at photographers, I emailed SO many my mind was spinning and I was forgetting who I had contacted. It was that bad. I felt that the photographer was one of THE top MOST important things about my wedding day. I could care less about things like cakes, hairstyles for bridesmaids, flowers etc. But pictures! I need my pictures to be AMAZING! I wanted a vintage, natural, photo-journalistic feel to my pictures. Part of the reason I think it was so important to me was because it really captures your day and I scrapbook. I scrapbook obsessively.

Ok so, I wont name names because that's mean and bad for business for photographers and I will not do that BUT, the first photographer Michael and I interviewed was great. Personality-wise he was fun, enthusiastic and all about making the BRIDE happy. (what about the groom? or so i thought) Well, I liked him and felt completely comfortable with him but his pictures were too modern for me. They were harsh, clear and very magazine styled. By magazine, I mean they looked like a picture of a cake in Better Homes and Garden. His pictures were not bad by any means but just not my style. I would still recommend him to anyone who asked.
Then, Mike and I interviewed a couple team whose pictures I was excited about. They were natural, had great lighting and a somewhat vintage feel to them. However, when we walked in the door, from that first moment it felt SUPER awkward. I mean, whoa. The husband greeted us and invited us to sit on the couch. He then disappeared to find his wife and when she came back in with him, it seemed like she was in a REALLY bad mood. She sat on the couch and put her binder in her lap and folded her arms and said "SO?" I felt like I had to start the conversation which for me, is HARD! I am typically VERY shy and awkward when I meet new people so this to me was a HUGE downer. Then during our chat, a child screamed from the other room and the wife turned to the husband and snapped "Go check on that." When he came back she snapped, "what was that about?" and he gave a detailed response about a child getting hurt in the garden oustide? I don't know but it seemed like there was underlying tension for the couple towards each other. After an awkward hour of questioning, Mike and I left and summed it up to they were just really socially awkward but we loved their pics. Before leaving, we asked that they give us a quote to print out about 250-300 4X6 prints so that I could scrapbook our wedding. Well, a week later I got my quote that was to be added to our contract. I was happy and okay with the quote. I went home talked to Mike, we decided it was good. I emailed her and asked that she revise the contract and email it to me to sign. The next day, I checked my email and I had an email from the wife who had given me the quote. I will copy and past it here:
Hi Erin,

Sorry for the delay. Been super busy w/ portraits this week. Anyway, I told my husband the quote I gave you for the prints, & he said that was way too low. His offer was $***. Attached is the new contract, thank you.

Well. For me, changing a quote after GIVING a quote is rather unprofessional. I took a week to think about it and then Mike called and talked to her. There was no apology, no regret, just plain, well sorry but thats what it is. For me, it was a deal-breaker. For Mike, he wanted to forgive and hire.

I waited another week and then told Mike I was just plain NOT comfortable with this and them. They were not only awkward but plain unprofessional. While their pictures may be great, I would never be comfortable with them.

SOOOOOO, then began another many weeks of researching

 

and emailing and then a LIGHT at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

 

I found Kiley Mullen.

Her pictures were amazing and made me really excited! I emailed her and got a great response back. She was informative, enthusiastic, and had the same style I was looking for. She answered all my questions and dealt with Bridezilla tendencies. Her packages were PERFECT and included everything I wanted. So I set up an interview, Mike couldnt make it that night because he got stuck working $OT$$$ BUT! It was a great meeting. She answered all my questions and her style was what I was looking for. All I can say is THANK GOD I did NOT hire the other people. When I asked what her style of photography was, her response was VINTAGE!! I was beyond happy because with every other interview with photographers that was the one key word always missing. Her pics just are so great because they capture those special moments. I truly cannot say enough! She has answer all of my questions with honesty, openness and is willing to basically make her clients happy. Something I felt was truly lacking in other photographers I interviewed. She even sent me the website link to her bridesmaids dresses that I had admired from her OWN wedding! 

Here is the link to her website:

http://www.kileymullen.com/

And her blog:
http://kileymullen.wordpress.com/ 

What it comes down to is feeling comfortable with your photographer and finding someone who wants to make you happy and feel beautiful on your special day. Anyone who asks, will get this *opinion* and advice from me: Go with your gut! pick a photographer who matches your style and expectations but makes you feel comfortable!

But hire Kiley! Oh! And she loves animals, like me! *remember my donation favor?! :)

"Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion"- Madonna

So, you have an opinion? Do you? Well, be warned, your opinion, unless asked for, is not something a Bride wants. She may just become a bridezilla!

While your opinion is YOUR truth and YOUR fact, it may not be mine. So, unless I ASK you to share your truth, your fact, YOUR opinion, most likely, I do NOT want it.

Since I have been planning our wedding, I have heard nothing but opinions from anyone and everyone. Some I am open to hearing, accepting, considering but some, not so much.
In MY opinion, Bride's have enough to worry about. Planning a wedding is far more stressful than some may believe. Before planning this wedding, I thought it was as easy as picking out a dress, a venue, some food and flowers. Haha! Boy, was I naive. You don't think about the contracts, the money, the permits, the officiants, and you most certainly didn't consider the opinions.

When I pictured my DREAM wedding, I thought about a country, tree-filled forest on a Mountain Range or with views of mountains. There would be home-like country food, lantern and fairy lights and sweet tea and apple pies. Well, reality is, that type of wedding with a setting like that, just isn't something affordable or attainable. BUT, if I can ever win a wedding giveaway, THAT would be it!

But back to the point here. Your opinion is just that, an opinion. Look up the definition. Unless I ask you for it, most likely I do not want to hear it. But thanks for sharing anyway!

Dress shopping with Quacks and Mills

Ah! On October 30th, we have appointments at David's Bridal and at K's Wedding Center to go dress shopping with Momma Q, my mom, my sister and hopefully the flower girl!! We want to look for mother dresses and maid of honor dresses and flower girl dresses! I have NO idea what I want for the flower girl dress. I have not seen a SINGLE thing I like in looking through pictures for ideas. I feel like all of the flower girl dresses are super cheesy and over-the-top frou frou things. Let's see how this goes.....

Blogroll

Oooo! So, I have been listed on a BLOG roll! Cool! I feel super special and like I should be more "editorial"! Haha! Here is the link to the blog I have been listed on Brenda's Wedding Blog. Her blog is really great and has a lot of information AND fun giveaways! Check it out!

Favors courtesy of Peacock Printing of Rochester, NY

So, I received my donation favor cards in the mail last week. They are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO happy with them and so excited that I was able to see something I had only envisioned be created and made by someone so talented. I cannot say and sing enough praise for Erica at Peacock Printing. Here is the link to her Etsy shop. And this is the link to her blog. She did a wonderful job and was so helpful in really helping me find my vision for what I wanted the cards to look like. After feedback and some suggestions she came up with a design I loved instantly. Here they are! I cant wait to see how they look on my wedding day!

I'm not going to show off the back, because I want there to be a little surprise for my guests on the day of the wedding! But Erica of Peacock Printing in Rochester, NY did a wonderful job!

Donation Favors

So, I am really excited about our favors! Now, I am not saying this about all wedding favors, but have you ever gone to a wedding and the favor was some awful thing with the couple's name or wedding date on it and you thought, "when will I ever use this?"

Well, that is exactly what I did NOT want to happen when guests came to my wedding. I did not want to waste money buying and creating a favor that would just most likely end up in the trash anyway. So I decided to do a donation favor. What that is, is the giving of a donation in the wedding guest's names. So instead of spending $5-$15 per guest on a favor, that money is donated to a cause or a charity close to the couple's heart.
Mike and I love animals, we are practically cat hoarders and have three lovely darling kitties whom we have adopted from an amazing Shelter, Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.

Our kitties came to our home in great health and were clearly well cared for. The volunteers and workers at the shelter clearly took good care of every animal and were so kind and sensitive to everyone. While there I saw a young man who had to put his dog to sleep due to cancer diagnosis and the volunteers were so very compassionate.
Anyway, after seeing how wonderful the staff was and how great the shelter was, we knew we would return there to adopt a dog some day. So, when discussing which charity to donate to, we knew that Mohawk Hudson Humane Society would be it. I contacted the shelter and let them know what we would be doing and got an instant email back that was great. The woman gave suggestions on how to let our guests know and even provided a PDF image of their name.
Since then I have gone on Esty (LOVE) and used Esty Alchemy to put in a request for an artist or crafter to create something that would let my guests know what we are doing. Erica from Peacock Printing caught my eye with her thoughtful suggestions, ideas and her own love for adopted animals. (She has adopted two wonderful dogs) After much collaboration back and forth she has created a beautiful card that will be printed out and given to each guest telling them where we donated to. I am so excited. As much as I am truly tempted to showcase Erica's beautiful work, I want to wait until we have the design completely finalized. But it's gorgeous and she is such a talented woman. I cannot wait to see the final version.

For the love of the dress

As much as I want to blog about my wedding dress....I WONT! I am going to try to follow the tradition of not talking about, showing or pretty much anything. Have to be traditional about it all......
soooo instead let's discuss maid of honor dresses!!!!! Mike and I have decided in order to keep our wedding small and intimate we were not going to have the HUGE bridal party that some have. While we would love to incorporate our best friends, we just felt it would get to hectic and expensive too! So, we asked Mike's father to be the best man and my little sister to be the maid of honor.
Mandy already knew she would be wearing purple and she was a trooper about it! When we went dress shopping at David's Bridal, I asked her to try on some styles so I could get an idea of what she liked compared to what I liked. I want her to be happy in the dress too. I don't want to stick her in a dress she hates because then she will look uncomfortable. I was unsure whether I wanted a darker purple or a lighter purple. I still am unsure. I like darker purples but I feel that they are more of an autumn color. Whereas the lighter purple's may better fit the summer season. I really only have two main points in which I don't think I would change my mind. It has to be purple and it has to be cocktail length. I am not sure if I like flowy or more structured dresses... Here are some favorites and inspirations I have seen lately and hope to go on when we go shopping.

We are going shopping the first weekend in October, so I am really excited. Most of all I want her to be happy with what we choose. After that she can pick her own shoes, jewelry, hairstyle etc...
I am so excited to go!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Great Lantern Search continues...

So this past weekend, my fiance and I, yet again, stopped by Pier One to check out the lanterns we had spied a few weeks ago. We wanted to see if we still LOVED them. Well, again, we felt they were too tall. The woman at the Middletown, NY store was just wonderful though. She let us know that there were only 3 in stock at her store and then looked up all local stores and provided us with the phone numbers of each store and how many they had in stock should we choose to purchase. I just dont want to rush into it and buy them and worry about them being too tall...
So again, we looked online and I found these lanterns and they are just as gorgeous AND cheap! In my opinion they are the perfect height and have the right look. However, I am going to wait till after I go to the Country Folk Art Show at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY. Because, if I can find lanterns there then why not!? But I am still thinking about those Pier One Import one's. Even the wrought iron ones there are beautiful.
Again, I dont know! I am waiting to find the one's that I LOVE!

Wedding Band Shopping

So, over the weekend, while we basically stalked every store we could think of for lanterns, we stopped into Kay Jewelers. The intent of this visit was to have my engagement ring cleaned, something Mike is pretty insistent we do every 6 months at least. While there I dragged him over to the wedding band section to look at some rings for him. I wanted to get a feel for his style and what he wanted for himself compared to what I liked. Well, thankfully, we have the same taste!
Here are our favorite styles:

Beautiful Card Boxes

Wow! I came across these beautiful card boxes through Lucky Bride Giveaways. The creator has a company called Creative Custom Card Boxes. They are pretty amazing! I thought I could make an awesome card box but whoa.

The Great Lantern Search

So, yesterday my fiance and I spent time scouring stores for lanterns. There is not much out there. The first shop we went into was in Colonie Center Mall, a store called Candles & More. They had a few lanterns that were black and very pretty, but again, not exactly what we were looking for. We stopped by Michael's, JoAnn Fabric's, Kirkland's, Burlington Coat Factory, Yankee Candle, etc.

However, the great find was in Pier 1 Imports. They had a LOT of lanterns. The lantern I loved was too tall about 2 feet, but it was the right style. So now we have more of a vision.

It gave us a great direction. Here is a better link to the actual lanterns. We love this idea so much. I think the white one's are best because they can be roughed up to look more rustic. The store did not have the smaller 12 inch one's in stock. I think if those one's HAD been there. We might have bought them.

We have decided if we cannot find 10 of the same lantern's that it would look cool to have 10 different lanterns. One different one for each table. So the lantern search continues...

Flowers

So being a girl, who isn't all that into flowers, I thought finding a bouquet would be difficult. Or so I thought. I wanted something simple and pretty that still looked good with my rustic/natural theme. I saw some cool inspirations in my search. Silk flowers, Button Bouquets, bouquet's made out of vintage brooches.

There are a lot of unique idea's out there. Some bride's carry wheat inspired bouquets to really bring out the rustic theme, which I love too! But my favorite so far is this one:

I am going to do my best to have a bouquet similar in style to this one. I absolutely love it. I love the colors, I love the twigs. I just plain love it.

Photographer

So tonight, we have made our decision on the photographer and contacted them about the deposit and contract. We, well, I spent countless hours searching for a photographer that shared the vision I wanted to create for my wedding pictures. I really wanted someone who adhered to my theme of a rustic, natural feel with a bit of vintage touch.
So many photographers were emailed. I am not kidding here. I must have emailed 30. Bridezilla? eh? Well, I judged a lot based on how they answered my emails. I wrote detailed questions and explained what I was looking for and some, quite frankly, didn't match my expectations. Maybe I am too picky but I know what I want.
What I wanted was not only someone with that natural, vintage feel but someone who could match my budget and ideas. I am a closet, addict scrapbooker. Every year my fiance, for the past 5 years, gets a scrapbook on our anniversary. It details our year in photo's and blurbs written by me. It's something that I hope when we are 65 and have grandkids can look over together.
Sooooo, being a scrapbooker, my fiance knew this was something I loved and when he asked me to marry him, he incorporated this. He gave me a wrapped box filled with wedding related stickers and cardstock and even an album. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to not only scrap about our wedding but scrap the rest of our lives together as husband and wife.
Well, whether he meant that or not (which he did!) that's what he is getting! I want to scrap my wedding! By all means I will do a traditional photo album but I wanted a photographer who could hand me 150 4x6 pictures so I could just scrapbook. Some photographer's emailed me back with the response that I could just select one of their ridiculous packages, which didnt match my needs and then order a la carte from their site after the wedding. But ordering a la carte from their website sometimes meant spending $8+ on a 4 x 6 picture! For just ONE! Crazy!
I also wanted a photographer who was willing to not give me a set time frame and say here, this package is for 6 hours, thats it. I thought that was nuts! I am getting married in a church probably around 3 pm and then not having the reception until 6pm. Logistically that doesn't work for me. Plus, I wanted the possibility of a second photographer, to capture not only my face coming down the aisle, but my fiance's as well.

My Bridal Bridezilla words of advice for photographers: If I spend time emailing you detailed questions, dont waste my time with the response to check out your attached packages and call to book you when I am ready. I want to know you, meet you and LIKE you before I even think about booking you. Hell, before I even meet you, I want to LIKE you via email.
If this makes me a Bridezilla, watch out world, because I am planning my wedding. haha!
Let's hope my contract and deposit that I literally just emailed them about is accepted and the date not already booked! Once I hear back I will blog about their name!

Oh and PS- I NEED a picture JUST like the one below at my wedding! LANTERNS!

Bridal/wedding giveaways

My friend Kristen has won 2 giveaways so far by entering contests on blogs! She won a book about creating mixed drinks called Bubbly Bride AND a necklace from Lili's Corner! How awesome is that! Lili's corner is doing a new giveaway for this beautiful necklace. So amazing. Such works of art!

Just had to add this!

In my Bridezilla pyscho search for the perfect lantern's I emailed the photographer of the bride who had her lantern centerpiece featured on The Knot. Her website was pretty awesome and she took pretty awesome shots. Now only if I lived is Dallas, TX! Jenny Martell Photography was the photographer who featured this bride who had apparently various different lanterns at each table setting. Cool interesting idea. So not one is the same? Something to think about.

Then I stumbled upon this websiteWedding Bee! Apparently brides can sell and search for wedding decor/ dresses etc here! So I will now stalk this website for lanterns from another bride.

The search for lanterns begins! (well already began)

So, when I sat down and began envisioning my wedding, one of the first thing's I thought of a knew I had to have at my wedding was candles and twinkle lights. I love how everything looks in candle light. Romantic and just pretty. So in my search for candle centerpieces on The Knot I discovered lanterns! I was in love. I am not much of a girl who loves flowers, so for me these beautiful lantern's would make amazing centerpieces.
And so, the search began. I have found some black lanterns about 6 or so inches high at Michael's Craft Store and Mom Q (the fiance's mom) found some pretty ones at Ikea. While I love the black one's, there is one I saw on The Knot that really I cannot get out of my head:

I wish I could find something like it, somewhere! I would put a little pillar candle inside and have it lit all night long. So, I have spent countless, wasted hours searching for something just like what you see above. The closest I have come so far is this Country House Online Store.

If it comes down to it, I will end up with black lanterns, which look beautiful too! Either way, the limited number of flowers I use, the more I will save too! I love this simple lantern idea so much! Let's hope it works out!

Here are some other pretty idea's I am inspired/intrigued and interested in:

So it's about time I started this thing

So, my friend Kristen, who's blog I will somehow learn to add and follow on this, created her very own blog about her Wedding (Version 2.0) which inspired me to want to write my own!

I have been wedding planning since Michael proposed on  May 21, 2010. He proposed in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, Lake Placid, NY. The atmosphere there inspired me to create a wedding based off a rustic/vintage theme.

While my dream wedding would take place on top of a mountain with a few friends and family members in attendance, that was quickly changed when our parents expressed their own opinions for a bigger wedding. But it's okay, I am getting into it now.

So revision time came and we searched out and found Stony Ford Golf Course located in Montgomery, NY. It's a shame that because it is a county building, they cannot advertise and promote their location. Getting business there is strictly through word of mouth, but let me tell you, I will tell anyone I can about them. It is the most beautiful location I found in Orange County, NY.

My picture does not in anyway show off the pure beauty of the place. The ceilings are all exposed wood with wrought iron lights hanging down. The bank of windows along the one wall overlook a mountain range. There is even a wrap-around deck outside, which I am CRAZY about! On the wall not pictured is a HUGE stone fireplace. This place is pure beautiful rustic lodge (or as close to one can get!). I love it.


Rosalie is the woman in charge and she makes us feel so comfortable and reassured. She was quick to our, well, MY million questions. I can't say enough about her and the food is so delicious!

That's enough for today, but tomorrow I will start really blogging about my ideas and thoughts.