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.