Photographer Found! (DJ on the way?)

Good Morning,

This a rare Friday morning post, but I am too excited to wait for the weekend.

Last night Steve and I finally chose the photographer. We went with Memory Productions! I emailed them last night and am excited to see what they have to say today.

I also emailed Jerry Bruno productions about a couple of their DJs, so we'll see what happens with that. I will post more about the DJs we liked and provide links to their web clips this weekend.

Groomsmen Ready to Rock

Hi hi,

So despite the Halloween weekend we got tons of stuff done, not the least of which is me getting bangs for the first time since I was 10 ( a look I am seriously considering for the wedding)

First up-Apparel

The boys are off to a strong lead in the being all set and ready dept. Steve went with classic black double breasted suits, Navy vests and Navy ties (regular straight tie) on an ivory shirt, black shoes, and silver smoke cuff links. The only difference for the Dads is that the vest and tie will be black. We got the group number (which we'll be sending out closer to the fitting deadline in August).

For the ladies, I sent all of the bridesmaids a list of stores closest to them that carry the line that makes the wrap dress. However, I've already heard that none of the ones in Ohio actually carry the dress, so uh that sucks! I'll tell you what if I had known how hard it was going to be to plan a wedding in Ohio, I would of put up way more of a fight.

Second- Menu

Wow, our chef just plain rocks- I gave him a little feedback on the last menu: not sure I'm into the sweet elements of the salad, am interested in breads, and had a different vision for the dessert. I think I'm going to stop talking about the progress of the food before the wedding, so that there will be at least a little surprise left.

Third- Photographers

Emailed the 4 of the top 6 with last questions and whatnot, realized the other 2 of them never replied after the first email. Boo LCD and Memory Productions- too busy, too much business?

They would be out except Steve really liked LCD and Memory came highly recommended by our excellent florist. So, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and call them, once.

Fourth- Save the dates

I ordered pretty silver address labels (it was really hard to decide who's name to put first)

Steve addressed more envelopes, but curiously has like 12 leaves left to do.

Save the Dates are hard because I'm actually having to think about how to address people. Steve's family is much more traditional, so he's just whipping through those. Little harder with my family and friends, but we'll get there. Also, I'm thinking we won't put '& Guest' on anything and we'll just see what happens.

Also, I finally got all of the addresses with one notable exception. Would Mr. Mark Biggins (groomsman) please text Steve back with your new address? Jeez

Finally- Website

I got the FAQs together (yeah there are some and will probably be more) and scanned in all of Steve's pictures, but was otherwise a complete dud with the copydeck and asset gathering. Boo, hiss, lazy bride!

**side note: we also got presents for all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen this weekend and I think they are awesome! I should have bought one for myself (Steve did), but I am hoping everyone loves their present.

News!

Hello,Wow! What a week!

1. The navy blue envelopes came and Steve started addressing them
2. Michael Latarski the amazing Chef at Rosemont got back to us with his menu ideas. (That's right I am going to share them here first)-No promises about what we'll end up with but here's what he said

Hi Miranda,

I hope all of your planning is going good and i wanted to run some ideas by you, after working the entire summer and seeing what all the other weddings were doing I wanted to do something different for you. I know we had talked about a family style dinner, are you still interested in this due to your liking of making your wedding not feel like a wedding and more like a family gathering.

Ive decided on going with a artisan cheese board with all mild, and sharp cheeses with fresh fruit, No stinky cheese just as your had mentioned.

My placed Salad would be a mixed green salad with dried cherries, apricots, candied walnuts and white French dressing.

A light appetizer would be a salmon pinwheel, which consists of smoked salmon boursin cheese cucumber and chive. I understand that there are a couple of people that do not care for seafood. for them or for the entire wedding I was thinking a Artichoke heart stuffed with toasted marscapone cheese on a toast point. It is very light and very easy to eat and going with a fall theme since you are getting married in October.

My main dishes were a little bit harder to come up with due to the diverse liking of your guests. Just some ideas that I came up with

Stuffed Chicken Sundried Tomato, Spinach, Mozzarella Cheese, With Balsamic Reduction or Basil Cream
I know that you had said no meat but that your husband was a big red meat eater, if we wanted to add a red meat dish i would recommend a roasted herb spiced ball tip( very tender sirloin) with a hearty demi glace( Fancy word for Gravy)
Pasta Primavera (squash, zucchini, roasted peppers, Red Sauce or White Sauce or light pesto cream)
Starch Wild Mushroom Risotto, or Vegetable
Veggies- Marinated Grilled Portabella Mushroom Salad, Roasted Red Peppers Buffalo Mozzarella
Italian Green Beans with Crushed Garlic and vine ripened tomatoes.

Love him! We are still a year away and he's done such a nice job with his very first round of suggestions. Honestly, we'll do so tweaking, but great job. We also found out that their event coordinator Jodi is leaving at the beginning of 2010. Hopefully, whoever takes her place will be just as good.

I realize I mis-typed in my last post about photographers, we actually still have a top 6. We have got to get this narrowed down soon. If you have any comments about these guys let me know.

1. Riverfront Photography

2. Memory Productions

3. BCR Studios

4. Catherine McKinley Photography

5. LCD Photography

6. Z Media

We also still have to pick a DJ, which is seriously turning into the nightmare of this wedding. Steve is ready to just go with one that we have, but I think if we are going to pay someone to play music they need to guarantee they will play the right music. So we are still talking about it.

In Dress news: I think I found the bridesmaids dresses.

It is a cocktail length wrap dress that can be worn about a million different ways. See the video on different styles here. All of the sizes come in a range because it's a wrap and can be tightened and loosened a bit, so nothing needs to be fitted or tailored. It comes in a gorgeous deep midnight blued (unlike the "marine" David's Bridal was trying to pass off as midnight blue). It is made of a matte jersey material so new icky shiny photos and it's hand washable. Oh and it's only $150, so affordable for even the most cash strapped bridesmaid. I'm really excited about it, but almost think it's too good to be true. There are a couple of stores that carry the dress in our area, so hopefully we'll have another girls outing soon.

As for my dress, I'm finally getting organized. Just going to a large bridal store didn't work, so I am readying the spreadsheet. So far I have a list of about 40 stores in our area and I am initially cross-referencing them with styles they carry (b/c it's easy to do). That way I can narrow it to a smaller population of stores that carry the most styles I like. I'm also adding in specific style numbers from designer websites that I want to try on. The style numbers are the next level of the cross, but will require actually calling stores and if I'm doing that I might as well be booking appointments.

The website is coming along (I know everyone is dying to see it, *snicker, snicker*). I'm really struggling with first person vs. 3rd and striking a balanced tone. There's such a difference between talking to your college buddies and your grandma...harder than it sounds. It's also tough b/c there is a lot I want to cram in there, but don't have enough images at this point to break it up. I'm becoming my own worst client. I did finally get Steve to cough up some pictures for the movie (what movie? you ask- yes, yet another project I started). It will be terrific!

So, progress is slowly but surely being made. 11 months and 11 days to go. I feel a little un-organized and unprepared, but I suppose events are always like that.

This weekend's to do list (in case you are keeping score)

1. Scan in Steve's pictures

2. Send congrats on being in the top 5 emails to the top 5 photographers (I know there are 6, someone is leaving)

3. Finish the website copydeck

4. Order return address labels

5. Email Michael menu comments

6. Spend at least 1 hour working on the dress spreadsheet

7. Make an appointment for the bridesmaids to try on dresses

Whew! Will update soon.

What a difference a month makes

Wow, time is just flying by. Work is crazy busy, but we've been trying to keep up with wedding stuff.

Went dress shopping

Yup, that picture kind of says it all. Ladies, I have bad news for you. If you want to wear something that does not involve a 50lb train or a million tiny beads and you have any curves at all, you are SOL. Ugh! The entire day was this tiny little woman trying to shove, squish, and jam me into a series of white marshmallow monstrosities. Kate and Sarah were an amazing help. They not only assisted with getting me into and out of the princess traps, but made jokes and were totally supportive. Really those ladies were the only thing that kept me from crying out of frustration.

Save the dates-finally finally found navy envelopes (after scouring the area and then ordering paper samples online) JAM Paper had them and they were really reasonably priced. We ran out of big leaves and Michael's stopped carrying them, so Steve ordered a couple packs online (not the right size). Uh so if anyone needs fall leaves for a DIY fall project you just let me know, our kitchen table is covered with them.

We are going to use a couple of the medium leaves instead and Steve only has 15 more to go. Then we are just waiting on the envelopes and will be sending out the save the dates. Looks like approx a month later than we planned. Thanks to everyone who helped us track down addresses! I think we are all set in that department. I hesitate to tell you this, but current guest list is at 121.

DJs- This aspect of the wedding is driving me crazy. I feel like all of the DJs on our list are terrible and unprofessional and I'm not sure what we can do about it. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Photographers- So, we had a list of 13, quickly to 12. Larry Spencer of Spencer Photography is one of the worst vendors I've dealt with, ever. We had two appointments to chat and he stood me up both times. The first time he said he confused the times, but called a 1/2 hour late which doesn't make any sense. The 2nd time he was again late and then we had a hostile email exchange. I'm starting to think wedding vendors in Ohio don't actually want to make money.

1. Spencer Photography- horrible & rude

2. Ken Love Photography-so cheesy it hurts to look, check out this canned email he sent me

well I am open that day by some miracle. I already have 40 weddings booked for 2010. All I have left is sunday's and fridays. Below is my info. I'll work with ya if I can. Lets talk about it. I also have video guy that's pretty cheap and real good.

I'd love to discuss your wedding with you. Below is info on me. I believe my pricing is much lower than many other photographers and at the same time very fair. Quite simply I book 100 + weddings a year for my associate and I for a reason and that reason is no one shoots quite like us or works harder than we do. I'm everything the other guys are not. I do what I do because of my passion for photography not the money. In other words when you do something for the right reason the results are unbeatable.

Here is some wedding info about me and my business. I'm a nationally award winning photojournalist and former Akron Beacon Journal photographer with 22 + years of experience working for 5 different newspapers and several national magazines. Don't let the lower price fool you.. I have lower overhead than the other guys and I do a lot of weddings plus many other kinds of photography so I don't have to charge inflated prices or try to sell you proof albums like in the 80's and 90's.. to try to charge you more money. It's a digital world. I give you all the photos on disk and it's super easy on shutterfly to make a wedding book. Save your money and only pay for what you really need which is my award winning photography. Or have me make your wedding book for a little extra.

3. Shane Wynn Photography- Jen was really nice, but looking through their galleries I saw very few pictures that didn't look like something a friend would have done

4. Riverfront Photography- good mix of drama, humor and clean crisp details- strong contender

5. Drobny Studio -you know you are in trouble when the first bride in his gallery looks like Night of the Living Dead-seriously the image you put on your site are all we have to go on

6. Memory Productions- this is the guy our amazing florist recommended, he's pricey but still a strong contender

7. Affordable Wedding Portraits- pictures are decent, but clearly they don't take touch ups seriously and none of the pictures are as good as Memory or Riverfront

8. BCR Studios- some great photos, they seem to lean toward some special effects with blurs and color splotches, but definitely in the running

9. Catherine McKinley Photography-She's very friendly and I thought her pictures were very well done, Steve wasn't as thrilled, but I think she's still and Excellent possibility

10. Cirino Photography- average photos, but they did not respond to my note to them, so they're out

11. LCD Photography-beautiful photos and love the look, but am a little nervous that they are used to doing much larger, much more expensive weddings than ours

12. Lindsey Beckwith Photography-again tough to see what they are doing differently than a friend with a camera would have done

13. Z Media- some interesting and pretty shots, definitely in the running.

So there you have it, a month later and we've got a top 5 for photographers, no dress prospects, a diappointing DJ pool, no menu, and a table full of leaves. I think it's safe to say we are going through a bit of a rough patch in the wedding planning dept., but I have high hopes for November.

Another week, another update

Okay quick break from work.

It's end of the quarter madness and I've been working loads of overtime. So, not a lot has happened this week. I did manage to track down most of the address on my list of missing ones. Only 11 more to go.

Steve and I went out today and bought all of the leaves for the save the dates and some extra metallic pens. We've had a really hard time finding the envelopes. There's one more place I want to check here in town, otherwise I am just going to order them online.

Steve and I and Sarah have been working on the wedding site. Basic structure is built and we've been populating some of pages with content. Thank You Sarah and Kate who sent their bios already so I could work on that page a little. Sarah also figure out how to remove the table color, which was super frustrating.

Here's the list of Photgraphers we're looking at

1. Spencer Photography

2. Ken Love Photography

3. Shane Wynn Photography

4. Riverfront Photography

5. Drobny Studio

6. Memory Productions

7. Affordable Wedding Portraits

8. BCR Studios

9. Catherine McKinley Photography

10. Cirino Photography

11. LCD Photography

12. Lindsey Beckwith Photography

13. Z Media

Okay that's the big list I'm working on and if you visit even a few, you'll notice that they're all really different. Here's hoping we figure out what we want, soon.

To that end, I am actually typing my wedding goals for this week in the hopes that the blogsphere will keep me honest.

This week's goals:

1. Narrow Photographer list to 3

2. Email potential DJs with list of demands

3. Find envelopes

4. Make first set of dress appointments

5. First draft of the copydeck

Updates on all fronts!

Hey guys,

So I am the worst blogger ever (this is why I never took up journaling)

Here is an update on everything:

Venue- Deposit down, still no word on the menu. I'm going to give him another month and then start gently pressing.

Flowers- Deposit down, found the perfect lantern like centerpieces (currently on back order with the Container Store)

DJ- So unhappy with this category. First, I can't believe how many DJs didn't return repeated calls. Second, of the DJs we have talked to, no one seems willing to do what we want. I hate the idea of compromising with a Vendor (I mean these guys get paid to show up and play music, how bizarre for me to ask that they guarantee it will be the right music)

Dress- Haven't been shopping yet but it's coming up soon.

Officiant- If anyone has ideas let me know. What I would really like to do is hire an actor to play the part of an officiant.

Photographer- Haven't looked yet

Save the dates- So we are a year out and it's time to get those save the dates in the mail. You know that little nudge that says you will be invited to this wedding, so block it out on your calendar, start saving a dollar a day toward your plane ticket etc. My big idea for this was magnets. I love the magnets...they sit on your fridge forever being useful and reminding you not to book that Colorado trip for the weekend of the 10th next year.

Sadly, magnets at our tiny qty. have a crazy per piece price and I really don't want a couple boxes of them just kickin around. Yeah I know, I can totally go and hire some skeeze in Chinatown to do it for way cheaper. The problem there is that dude proabably thinks Panteone chips are something they sell at Trader Joe's and because they are wedding magnets he's going to mark me as a not returning customer and slop some gunk on poorly/unevenly cut hunks of mildly magnetic material.

Enter Steve's brilliant idea: Leaves (silk ones not the real crunchies) painted with the save the date info and mailed out in posh envelopes. Will we hot glue tiny magnets to the back? Possibly.

We bought a packet of leaves tried out 6 different paint pens and I think we have found a winner. Next up, have Steve write each one free hand or develop a stencil? (Yes poor Steve is doing all of the writing for this wedding b/c his handwriting is far superior to mine)

Guest List: I am missing a quarter of the addresses we need to send out the save the dates (booo age of the Internet and me not knowing where any of my friends live) Emailed and Facebooked a bunch of them and am in the process of tracking them down.

Website: So, when sending a treasured friend or family member a cryptic faux leaf in the mail it is polite to offer them a tiny bit more information. Hahha and so our website is slowly taking shape. I visited a couple of wedding sites (all crap templates) and the Knot personal site was trully awful before I decided to do it myself. And if you're going to do it you might as well do it right. So, I bought the domain www.bucywedding.com (much easier to write on a leaf than the garbled string of junk the wedding sites give you) and am working on it. Some of you have already recieved content requests. Here's the basic structure I have so far along with a description of the content I'm thinking of adding. Please please please comment, I really want to know if there are other additons to be made before I get too deep into production.

Home (brief overview of the date and location with mapping feature)

Our Stories (background on us and how we met)

The Parents (head shot and bios for all of the different parent groups)

Wedding Party (headshot and Bio for everyone in the wedding party)

Timeline (structure of the wedding weekend and the event itself)

Hotels (links and descriptions of the hotels in the area)

Restaurants (some of Steve's favorite picks for the area)

Music (list of do not plays and comments fields, so that guests can make their suggestions)

FAQs (where we will be spelling out our dress code, child policy etc)

Guest Book ( a place for misc. comments, going to look into letting them upload pictures)

Our Registry(not sure what will be in in)

Okay that's the update, working on it, but man having a full time job sure does slow the planning down.

Florists (the other major thing we did in Ohio)

Hi,
Ugh I am still sick which is why you are all getting the news a month late (I told Steve if I am struck done by the H1N1, or whatever I've got, that I fully expect him to find someone else and execute on all of these wedding plans)

While we were in Ohio we visited a bunch of florists. If you are reading this and thinking "gosh that sounds like overkill because all florists are the same" keep reading and then visit twice as many for your wedding. It's true I wasn't sure how much could be accomplished by interviewing different florists, but when I found that a lot of them were using the same stock photos I was really nervous about commiting to anything without a store inspection first. So bright and early Monday morning Mom (who made the drive all by herself on Sunday- which sounds absolutely miserable to me and earns her major points), Patty (who by this time had put up with all of our cranky sleep deprived musings, my bridezilla-like thirst for organization, and a house full of people- cementing my impression that I am about to get the best in laws ever) and I headed off to our first florist.

The Flower Corner (Mogadore)- Off to a rousing start as this institution is neither on a corner, nor very into flowers. We pulled into their gravel lot and Mom was quick to point out the dusty plot of dirt next to their door with wilting flowers still in their black plastic tray. It was like a sad Kmart special. The shop itself was dirty, dusty and had a small collection of $30 brownish daisies. The man at the counter has no idea what we are doing here (at this point neither do I), but does eventually manage to produce a frightened dewy young woman who begins our consultation. The next 45 min pass- her asking me what I want, me insisiting I don't know anything about flowers, and Mom asking her questions she can't answer or gets wrong. This is a sad place and I pity the bride who ends up giving them money.

House of Plants (Akron)- Running late and greatly disheartened by out first encounter, House of Plants is a breath of fresh air. Located in a tiny strip mall, the entire front sidewalk is a riot of interesting plants and trees. Steve (the florist) was kind, energetic, and had great ideas. He kept rushing to another part of the store, picking out more things, and rushing back.

Some of his great ideas include:
*Using Lily grass to make the bouquets more interesting
* wrapping the boutinere stems in either silver ribbon or navy blue ribbon with silver wire

We had a tough time getting anywhere on the pieces for the ceremony. The entire wall we will be standing in front of is windows, so I'm for something that frames us, but doesn't look like a funeral arrangement.

Total Price: $843.48

We so enjoyed our time with Steve that their was no way we were going to make A Bed of Roses on time, which is fine because the woman on the phone was really hard to understand and seemed spacey. Patty called to tell them we weren't coming and we spent the extra time trying to eat lunch and showing Mom the reception sites. (We actually did sit down at Olive Garden before realizing we had to be at Baughman's in 30 min, so we hit the drive through at Swenson's and continued on)

Baughman's Florist and Greenhouse- So, apparently this family has been in business for generations. They were #1 on the Fox list and one of the appointment I was most looking forward to. By this point, Steve had finished golfing and joined us. The place has that generations upon generations feel ( a little like a gypsy caravan-complete with several large cats roaming the area). We were shown into a crowded back sitting room and the woman we met with kept asking the same questions over and over, slurring her speech and dashing off to get something. She then usually returned with nothing or with something completely different than she had gone out for. She was downstairs in another part of the shop when steve quietly asked "Do you think she's drunk?" I'm not sure if the place was bugged or if she just has really really good hearing, but she refrenced that comment for the rest of our visit. All in all the price was really reasonable, but I'm afraid that what we would end up with wouldn't be what we really wanted.

Greenhouse Florist- So, we knew going in that these guys would probably be pricey. The shop was gorgeous and interesting. We met with a very arty/funny young woman, who had great ideas and an interesting spin on wedding flowers. She's the one who suggested Blue Thistle, which we loved right away. Also, they ran out of small chairs and the table, so the two Moms got to sit on tall stools and lean over us. (Total Gargoyle moment, Mom was even making faces-classic and absolutely returned the fun to wedding planning)

Quick aside- how many freaking weddings have you been to where it seems like the bride steamrolled right over the groom? I mean it's supposed to be a celebration of the two becoming a family, but end up an orgy of pink , roses, and taffeta. Gak!

So, this gal totally got the part about it being interesting and adding to the abiance and not just being about me getting as many flowers as possible. (We got their quote about a week after we came back, ouch can't spend a quarter of the budget on the florist, so sorry wonderful gal with great ideas)

Finally, the next day (after our Stan Hywet visit) we saw the last florist of bunch.

Platinum Weddings and Events- Going into this one I was pretty excited. He was one of the few florists to not use stock photos on his site (novel concept displaying his own work), ranked #2 on the Fox list, and we had a wonderful pre-interview conversation. My major con going into this one is that he's a one man show (with the help of his wife), which makes me a little nervous about illness and accidents. I love that he's a special events florist only, so it's about style and he's not going to be distracted by a million tiny orders or his delivery schedule.

Meeting with Rob was amazing! He got our sense of humor, had Mom calm and laughing. He suggested things we hadn't thought of, argued the pros and cons of the flowers we were already thinking of. (quick note: He was also the only one to use a computer, I can't help it, it made me like him more).

Long story and an even longer post short: Rob came back with a very reasonable quote and we've signed the contract, put down a deposit and have ourselves a florist!

Ohio the Venues

(sorry this post is so late, it was a draft for a while and then I got super sick and didn't do any work on it)

Saturday we landed in Akron with little to no sleep, but earlier enough to keep all of our venue appointments.

First up Todaro's:
We pulled into the parking lot during a torrential downpour and there on the edge of the parking lot is the outdoor ceremony site.


The staff was really friendly and clearly had done about a million weddings. We toured room#3 (which would be our location) it was nice in that it has it's own access and bathrooms (the other two share a set). Although it doesn't have any windows, the walls are grooved and lit. The walls were a nice neutral color but there are also two sets of gold colums (yuck). We've heard from everyone how wonderful their food is, but our major issue is we can't figure out how to do a cocktail hour, ceremony, and reception in a row in this little room.


Next we were off to the Rosemont country club:

This location wasn't even on my original list. I wasn't very impressed by their website and had counted them out when a couple of months ago Patty attended an event there, set us some pictures, and suggested it might be worth seeing. I have to say she couldn't have been more right. The drive leading into the club is long enough to make it feel private and secluded. The club itself is breathtaking and pictures just don't do it justice. Huge windows, fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, a patio balcony overlooking the golf course. It's absolutely gorgeous, but we were concerned because we weren't sure if it would be too big or not and no one could really vouch for the food.


We rounded out the day with a visit to the favorite, Roses Run:

From the beginning I was pretty sure this was going to be the location. It's super close to Patty and Jim's, beautiful website with nice pictures, and a menu that I think we could work with. We arrived while they were setting up for a ghastly Barbie wedding. Pink as far as the eye could see! That poor groom. They even had matching neon pink plastic cups for the bar. I knew that in the main room their is a high ceiling area and a low ceiling area, but you don't get a sense for how jarring the room is or just how low that ceiling is until you are actually there. We met with Jill, who didn't remember anything she and I talked about (including the great deal we agreed to). Then we went upstairs to see the ceremony site which has no windows and they would charge us $500 to use. As we were leaving she was about to cancel the bride's dream outside cocktail hour because apparently their patio is a wind tunnel. Last, but certainly not least, we've heard that their food sucks.


On Tuesday we headed out to the final venue, Stan Hywet:

I ah apparently took no pictures of this final venue. Basically, we knew within seconds that it was both out of our price range and would be a heck of a lot more work than any of the other sites. They had crazy high site fees and no onsite cater. Steve said it seemed like something straight out of the Shining. I thought it was an interesting historic site and am glad I got to see it, but it was not very pretty for as much as they were charging.

Tuesday night we headed over to the Rosemont Country Club for dinner. They have amazing bread and one of the better salads I ever eaten in the midwest. The entrees were sort of hum hum and Patty's chicken was dry. I was getting that nervous "crap our food is going to suck even if the venue is beautiful" feeling when the chef came over to chat with us. We had a long talk and some exciting developments took place. First, the chef is new and comes to the Rosemont from the Bellagio steak house in Las Vegas. Second, he has a ton of vegetarian experience and was visibly excited to create a menu, rather than just walk us through the standard wedding banquet fare. He's going to work on it and email us menus in a couple of months. Last, but not least, he didn't flinch when we brought up the dry chicken, just apologized and explained that it sometimes happens with grilling and slicing, but that even if we have chicken at the wedding he wouldn't prepare it that way.

Okay so long post short, we are getting married and having a huge party at the Rosemont Country Club on 10-10-2010. Yay!!

Ohio Odyssey: Delta the worst airline ever

And we're back!

We got a quick and easy start Friday morning. I was up at 7am, checked in with Delta so we wouldn't have to wait in line, made everyone breakfast, double checked the luggage, and we were off. We hopped on BART and arrived a good half hour/45min early. That's when everything went wrong. I had already checked us in and paid for the bags, so all we had to do was drop the bags at curbside and make it through security. This is where the trouble started:

We made it curbside, but they refused to take the bags and we had to wait in the line. Which took a while and we finally get up there and this nasty little man tells us no we can't possibly get on the flight and apparently Delta has no more flights leaving from any airport for 200 miles. He charges us $50 a piece to put us on a red-eye to Atlanta and confirms us on a 5pm flight from there to Cleveland. Which equals a whopping 29 hours in an airport!

While checking our luggage in for the red-eye we get a women who moves us to a noon flight (yay for 24hours rather than 29) and prints us tickets that say we are on standby for the 9:30am flight. We then spend the entire day hanging out in the airport, board our plane, get the only row of seats that doesn't recline and make our way to Atlanta.

Picture hot sticky Atlanta at 5 am, we are slumping from concourse to concourse in search of breakfast when we notice there is a 7:37am flight to Akron. Why would we not have been put on this one? This is particularly annoying because we asked the nasty little Delta man if there was any flight flying into any airport within 200 miles of Akron.

While Steve and Kaylea try to grab a nap on awkwardly spaced airport chairs I start canvassing the gates in the hope that someone will help us. Finally a woman at the 3rd gate directs me to a bank of help phones. After 10min of ringing and being on hold a very nice woman finally picks up. I explain the entire situation to her and she checks our tickets. Um so although I am holding in my hand sheets of paper that say we are on standby for the 9:30am flight, we are not! Oh yes she can see where we were added to the list, but she can also see where someone has removed us from the list.

I am horrified and on the verge of a mental snap when she agrees that we were badly treated in SFO and books us on the Akron flight, but the flight has decided to board and push back early so we have to hurry. I sprint the length of concourse C, rouse my groggy party, hustle everyone to the gate at the other end of the concourse where boarding has already started.

At the gate, another nasty little man tells us that he sees us booked on the flight, but the tickets have not been reissued so there is nothing he can do and that I need to talk to the woman on the service phone. So, sweat flying I sprint the concourse back to the length of phones and after another 10min on hold, am connected to a much less helpful women. She doesn't really want to talk to me and her silence is punctuated only by sighs and keyboard clicks. A small cluster of Delta employees is standing by the gate next to the phone bank gesturing and laughing while one guy makes exaggerated running motions. I continue to watch the minutes tick by until after 15more min she tells me there is nothing she can do and hangs up.

I sprint back to the gate (now deserted except for Steve, Kaylea and a handful of standbys). I try again to reason with the man at the gate and he finally relents and prints the passes. We are in the last row and before take off are treated to a fight between two of the flight attendants. We are finally airborne and although the passenger in front of me is belligerent and drunk before we take off, they serve him 4 beers during and hour and a half flight.

I was sort of under the impression before this flight that Delta was a real airline, but if you want to make to somewhere with your sanity and bank account intact (I returned home to find out they had charged the same baggage fee to my card 4 times) do not fly Delta!!!

I am not losing my mind, ha!

Hi,
So I've been running like crazy to finish up at 24 Hour Fitness, set up and use the new Bodybugg, get ready to start Google, and schedule all of the appointments for our trip to Ohio.

Today I thought the gourd had finally cracked. I kept seeing the same flower bouquet pictures over and over. Frantically checking website addresses to figure out how I had mis-keyed and ended up on the same website over and over, I finally realized the florists of the Akron-Stow area are all using the same stock photos on their websites. Ugh! I'm so disgusted. Well the meetings are set, but I need to put new ink in the printer so I can catalog and make note of some of this crap.

Wedding First Aid

Hey Everyone,
All hilarious, but if you are only going to watch one make sure it's the 3rd one.

Ohio Itinerary

Hey,
We are booked to head on out to Ohio and try (please let this work) to select a venue. To keep everything straight I am building the itinerary out here on the blog. That way you can all laugh at out ambitious schedule

Friday: July 10
All day Travel- arriving in Cleveland at 11pm
(spending the night at Patty and Jim's)

Saturday: July 11
12pm-Todaro's
2pm-Rosemont Country Club
4pm-Rose's Run

Sunday: July 12

Monday: July 13
9am- The Flower Corner (Mogadore)
10am- House of Plants (Akron)
11am- A Bed of Roses (Cuyahoga Falls)
1pm-Baughman's Florist and Greenhouse
3:30pm- Greenhouse Florist (Hudson)
1pm-Baughman's Florist and Greenhouse (Stow)

Tuesday: July 14
10am-Stan Hywet Hall
1pm- Platinum Weddings and Events (Hartville)

Wednesday: July 15
All day Travel- leaving Ohio at 6:45 am

Things we have to decide
1. Are we going to meet with photographers?
2. Are we going to meet with DJ's?

Will alter this post in blue as I get more details, but let's hear it...what am I forgetting? (Read what else can I pack into this weekend without losing my mind)

Check out this invitation

Okay so invitations suck big time. You want them to be nice, but not too fussy and no one is going to keep them, but they set the tone for the event and are freaking expensive.

I love what this couple did, totally not our style and they have we too much time on their hands but still neat!

Location, Location

Hi,
Patty sent me some great pictures of a place we are going to check out in July. Rosemont country club is on the short list of places we want to check out. We have 5 sites that we are planning on looking at.

1. Roses Run (favorite so far b/c of location and how accommodating they are)
2. Rosemont
3. Stan Hywet Hall
4. Todaro's
5. The Tangier

Can't wait to finally get the location settled. Here are the pictures:

Cake hahaha!

Kate just sent me a link for this amazing blog that everyone should visit!

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

It made my morning and I spent a good half hour on it while I was drinking coffee and getting ready for work. It also reinforces my desire to avoid being that bride. xoxo Hope everyone is having a great day, I'm off to chirp greetings and check IDs in Berkley. 

Guest Book

Hey,

So, I was thinking about the guest book. It seems like an expensive waste of money, so I was looking for alternatives. Some people have little scraps of paper that guests can write notes on and are then stuffed into different cubbies or vessels. That seems like a lot of clutter (I can just hear Steve making pack rat sounds in the background).

So, I was thinking what if we asked all of the guests to submit a picture of themselves they like when they RSVP and then put them together in a book (to be printed and bound at Kinkos). We could leave space around all of the pictures, so that instead of signing in you write a little message next to your picture (or someone else's). Kind of yearbook style. I just think if it had pictures and messages we'd be more excited about keeping it and it would actually mean something.

Thoughts? Does this seem like too much to ask of our guests?

New Job

Hi Everyone,

So after months of agonizing over my life direction and generally hating most of the jobs I was applying for....I have a new job. I was just hired as a customer service rep at 24 Hour Fitness in Berkley. Everyone is super nice, there is plenty of opportunity for career advancement, and it will definitely help me get in shape for the wedding. I have to say this felt a whole lot like fate. After months of applying and not hearing anything or hearing back and having endless interviews, this process was super clean and easy. I applied last week. They called me within a day to set up an interview. I went in this morning, met 2 managers, and will probably start on Friday.

It pays almost nothing, so that's not super helpful for saving towards the wedding, but I think the job will be tons of fun.

Music!

Ugh I can't believe an entire month got away and I didn't do much thinking about the wedding. We did finally open our wedding dedicated bank account (my first joint account, sooo scary). We are going to use it to save for the wedding and because it's a checking account we'll be able to pay vendors directly out of that account. Later I'm sure we'll use it to save for a house or a vacation, so I think it will still be handy.

We still need to go to Ohio and decide on a location and I guess that is what is stalling my planning. It's hard to get into specifics when I don't have a graph paper layout of the room.

In other news, Mom is waiting for the lavendar in her garden to grow out to the proper length and then she's going to try and make one of those cute wands. We'll see how hard it is, I'm all for DIY, but am not about anyone being crippled in the making of wedding favors (JJ: "my hands hurt").

The other big thing I've been thinking about is music, could be because someone (no, not me) is obsessed with making new ring tones after he finally figured out how. Anyhow, I want to be able to go to whoever we choose for a DJ with a list of demands. As in, I demand that he not play this at the wedding. I know, I know I sound like bridezilla, but I don't care. So, I'm starting a list and I definitely want everyone's help. Of all the music out there, surely we can fill up a couple of hours without having to hear anything annoying or (ahem) inappropriate. So on that note, here's what I've got so far.

During Dinner: Something relaxing and instrumental (hopefully JJ has some thoughts, or Kate?) 

Reception:

DO NOT Play

1. Butterfly Kisses- Bob Carlisle (I may ban him entirely)

2. The Hokey Pokey

3. YMCA

4. The Chicken Dance

5. Brick House- Either version, but particularly not Lionel Richie

6. What a wonderful world- Louis Armstrong

7. Baby's got back- Sir Mix A Lot

8. Funky Cold Medina- Tone Loc

9. I Swear-either version, but mostly the All 4 One

10. When a man loves a women- Michael Bolton

11. Thank Heaven for Little Girls- Gigi

12. Can you feel the love tonight- Elton John (really any music from a Disney movie is out)

13. Macho Man- Village People (I know with Steve as the groom their is great temptation)

14. Loveshack- B-52s

15. Sexyback- Justin Timberlake

16. Macarena

17. Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla Ice

18. It's Raining men

19. The Beatles 

20. God must have spent a little more time on you- N'Sync

21. Cotton Eye- Joe Rednex

22. Hot in Here- Nelly

23. We are Family-Sister Sledge

24. Girl, you'll be a woman soon- Neil Diamond (ick)

25. cha cha slide

26. Have you ever really loved a woman- Bryan Adams

27. Eminem

28. Maddona

29. Mambo #5-Lou Vega

30. Walk like an Egyptian- Bangles

Play

1. You shook me all night long- AC/DC

2. Brown eyed girl- Van Morrison

3. Pour some sugar on me- Def Leppard

4.Old Time Rock and Roll- Bob Seger

5. Hey Ya!-Outkast

6. Footloose-Kenny Loggins

7. (Steve says) Anything by Journey

8. Should I stay or should I go- The Clash

9. Red red wine- UB40

10. Rock me like a hurricane- Scorpions

11. Elvis

12. I love Rock and Roll- Joan Jett

13. Get down tonight- KC and the sunshine band

14. You really got me- The Kinks

15. Livin on Prayer-Bon Jovi

16. Sweet home Alabama

17. Louie Louie- The Kingsmen

18. Bamboleo- Gypsy Kings

19. Dancing Queen- abba

20. Sweet home Chicago- Eric Clapton

21. Cherry, Cherry- Neil Diamond

22. Let's make a night to remember- Bryan Adams

23. I'll always be right there- Bryan Adams (longest couple dance)

24. I can't help myself- Four Tops

25. Reach out and I'll be there- Four Tops

26. Baby I need you lovin-Four Tops

27. Sweet Caroline- Me first and the Gimme Gimmes

28. Stayin Alive- Bee Gees

29. Build me up Buttercup- Foundations

30. The way you look tonight- Frank Sinatra

31. Girls just want to have fun- Cyndi Lauper

32. Come on Eileen- Dexy's Midnight Runners

33. Let's Get it started- Black eyed Peas

34. What I like about you- Romantics

35. Let's go Crazy (dance mix)- Prince

36. Kiss-Prince

37. Raspberry Beret- Prince

38. Hips don't lie- Shakira

39. I want you to want me- Cheap Trick

40. Crazy Little thing called love- Queen

41. Rolling Stones

42. Are you gonna be my girl- Jet

43. Everybody have fun tonight- Wang Chung

44. Play that funky music- Wild Cherry

45. Rock n roll all night- Kiss

46. Pump it up- Elvis Costello

Okay I know there are a million more, but what do you think are the most important songs to add or to make sure do not get played? Okay I am adding to the list in blue so as not to confuse any one who has already read this.

Preview of coming attractions

Hey,

We did it, we moved! It is everything we thought it would be and more. The apartment is terrific, Steve is in laundry heaven and we love the surrounding area. It is full of amazing restaurants, shopping, and beautiful hiking. We are also really excited for Kate and Aric to move in next door.

Thursday I have the first real interview with a company I really want to work for and a position I am really excited about. At 10:30am PST, everybody wish me luck!

Okay so right before we moved I stumbled across the most amazing list of websites. I'm going to be going through a bunch of them, but wanted to post them here so that you can all check them out too if you've got a little time on your hands.

PS Update on a previous post: Somehow in the course of our move (according to the Wii Fit) I've lost 6lbs, yay! Down to 137lb and I set a new goal 132 by May. 

Okay Here are the Sites (all 75 seperated into categories):

Accessories

1. emitations.com

2. overstock.com

3. myglassslipper.com

4. saragabriel.com

5. figleaves.com

Beauty

6. hairstyles.nexxus.com

7. sephora.com

8. smashbox.com

9. scentdesign.net

Bridal Party

10. dessy.com

11. groomgroove.com

12. usangels.com

Budget

13. costhelper.com

14. costofwedding.com

15. numsum.com

16. ebay.com

17. diybride.com

Cakes and Cookies

18. fancyflours.com

19. unitedsugardesigns.com

20. gaugenyc.com

21. paristiaras.com

22. causesweets.com

23. wilton.com

Ceremony

24. todays-weddings.com

25. themonastery.org

26. nawoonline.com

27. myweddingvows.com

Embellishments

28. midoriribbon.com

29. societyofscribes.org

30. themacbethcollection.com

Favors

31. orientaltrading.com

32. foryourparty.com

33. Blissweddings.com

34. save-on-crafts.com

35. lumia.us

36. annagriffin.com

Flowers

37. weddings.proflowers.com

38. fiftyflowers.com

39. flowerbud.com

40. westhavendesign.com

Food and Drink

41. bambuhome.com

42. wineinsiders.com

43. sugarcubes.ca

44. gatheringguide.com

45. estiloweddings.com

Ideas

46. eweddings.com

47. offbeatbride.com

48. earthfriendlywedding.blogspot.com

49. melissasmitten.blogspot.com

50. colorhunter.com

Legalities

51. usmarriagelaws.com

52. missnowmrs.com

53. prenuptialagreements.org

Music

54. ballroomdancers.com

55. apple.com

56. discjockeys.com

57. gigmasters.com

Party Planning

58. facebook.com (their wedding application)

59. classicpartyrentals.com

60. toptableplanner.com

61. partymosaic.com

62. photo-me.com

63. banquetfacilities.com

64. squidoo.com/tent-decor

65. weddingmapper.com 

Photography

66. ppa.com

67. wedpix.com

68. youshoot.com

Registry

69. bedbathandbeyond.com

70. myregistry.com

71. idofoundation.org

Stationery

72. finestationery.com

73. myjeanm.com

74. photostamps.com

75. formal-invitations.com

Okay so tons of fun stuff to get through! I'll add notes as soon as I visit them, but let me know what you think. 

We're moving!!!

Yay!! Okay I'm going to be a very bad bridal blogger for the next couple of weeks. We found the almost completely perfect apartment in Lafayette. Lafayette is only a 15min drive to the city and only 5 min to Berkley. The apt. is a 1min walk to the BART station. It's a gorgeous 2 bedroom 2 bathroom. It's also really close to shopping, restaurants, and a reservoir for hiking and boating. There are only 3 tiny detractors- 1. It's carpeted (white -puppy potty nightmare) 2. It doesn't have a patio or balcony (still hoofing it downstairs with the pups) 3. We have a view of the crazy cross memorial (the guy who is putting a cross in his yard for every fallen soldier in Iraq)

Making up for that, we have laundry in the apt. and 2 bathtubs and we'll save a ton of money on rent to move into a nicer place.

So, now we need to pack and get everything settled.

A Weekend of Backsliding

Hi, 

This is going to be one of those embarrassing soul-baring posts. Fair warning given:

I've been trying to faithfully stick to a combination Wii fit and OnDemand Excercise TV plan. I've also been trying to stick with the Body for Life eating plan, but can never quite get to that meal 6.  Yeah I cancelled my Crunch membership after getting laid off, but figured there is no time like the present to get in wedding shape. According to the Wii fit, I am overweight bordering on obese with a BMI of 29.04. That's almost 30% fat, yuck! I think the Wii is being a tad harsh, but still...

I was recently reading a blog that said to really lose weight you have to tell your friends and family (all of them) that you are trying. So, that's the plan for this post. Now feel free to ask me how it's going and remind me that the pictures from my wedding will last a lifetime. Haha, that ought to do it. Oh and if you have diet or excercise related thoughts, I would love to hear them. 

This Lantern....sigh

Hi,

Lately I've been reading Bridal magazines. It's the combination of being unemployed and getting a professional discount. So, I got subscriptions to 3 of them for $8. Steve will be happy to tell you that he thinks ripping little snippets out of these magazines just proves that I am teetering on the brink of pack rat status. However, in the most recent issue of Elegant Bride I came across these (for lack of a better word) lanterns that a couple uses to light a path. I've been trying to find them everywhere.

Search terms used:

candle lanterns

luminaries

candle luminaries

decorative lanterns

decorative luminaries

metal luminaries

victorian lanterns

So, if anyone has any other search terms or ideas on locating something like this. I would love to hear them. The only thing I've found that is even remotely close is this victorian coach light (only $6 a piece)

Hi everyone

So were getting closer and the you can cut the excitment with a cake knife!! were narrowing down the the colors (Navy or dark blue w/ a lavender accents) which looks good even though I was not convinced until I saw them together and now I'm a believer! We should be traveling to Ohio to scout locations in May even though we've pretty much located the spot. (Roses Run). I could use some suggestions on grooms man's gifts. Rather than giving the Norm (Flask w/ initials). So keep on keeping on and BLOG to you soon!

Lavender Tangent

Now I'm thinking about Lavender and doing a bit of research and I came across these. 

Lavender Wands

Lavender favours, or faggots, were originally used to scent linen and other stored fabric and clothes. They were often used to mark the dozens, and the half-dozens, in piles of linen in a bride's dowry chest, and it was usually the children who were set to work to make them. Nowadays, they make nice small gifts, either individually or in a "bunch" to put in a vase.

YOU WILL NEED:
Freshly gathered lavender stems, about 30cm. (12") long and 1 metre of narrow ribbon.

METHOD:
Take an uneven number of stems of lavender, 15 is about right. Tie these together tightly, with the end of the ribbon, just below the flower heads. Turn the bunch upside down and carefully bend the stems back over the flower heads, one by one. Start to weave the long end of the ribbon in and out of the stems, as there is an odd number it will have a basket effect. Shape the head as you go, pulling the weaving tight as you get to the bottom of the flower heads. Wind the ribbon round a couple of times, and slip knot the end. Use any remaining ribbon to make a bow. Trim the ends of the stems level. You can bind these with the ribbon too, and make a loop to hang up the "favour".

Cute favor idea or not? I'm not a huge fan of candy or useless knicknacks as favors, but want something that people will actually want to take home and that is special. 

Wow a new color pallette

Hi,

Danielle just sent me this amazing bridal board (originally from http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/2009/02/board-345-navy-lavender.html) 

What is everyone's feeling on Lavender (little know fact: Steve loves the scent of lavender and it was one of the first inside jokes we had as a couple)

I guess I usually associate it with spring, but looking at this board it seems like it could work for October. Also that would solve several flower issues.

Wedding Dress Update (based on your feedback)

Hey,
Great comments so far. I wanted to give more details on the ones that everyone like and even found more pictures. (If you click on these pics they get much bigger)

#32 has been the run away favorite so far. The dress is by Jim Hjelm

(Ivory Silk Organza trumpet gown, sleeveless Alencon lace empire bodice accented with Ivory satin ribbon, V-neckline, 2 tiered lace accented skirt, low open V-back, chapel train)

I still like the dress a lot, but after seeing the back I am worried that we may have some foundation garment challenges.

Price $3,000-#5,000 (yikes)



#3 is Anne Barge her La Fleur collection, but of course I can't find the dress on her site anymore

Price $3,000-$5,000(yikes, but I'm sure I can find a knockoff for cheaper)

#28 is Demetrios from the Ultra Sophisticates collection

(Sleeveless beaded V-neck tulle with empire bodice. Attached train.) There was only one additional picture of the dress

Price not given



#15 is Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner

(Delicate chiffon with lace. Lace appliqués decorate the sheer halter bodice and meets the center-shirred midriff. Corset tie-back on the A-line skirt with chapel length train. Available in 3 Lengths: 55", 58", 61" Colors Available: White/Silver, Ivory/Silver) Here is a picture of the front and a picture of the back.

Price $600 or less




#17 is from Eden Bridals

(Matte Luxury Crepe gown features a bodice of Lace and Beading. Open Lace and Beading embellish the empire waist and side slits on the front and back of the A-Line skirt. The back is open leading to a Chapel length Train.)

I found a picture of the detail and the back.

Price $600 or less