25% off LETTERPRESS!

I'm sure many of you already subscribe to Daily Candy, but if you happened to miss this week's Deal's Email, get thee to Daily Candy NOW for a 25% off coupon on Gryphon Stationer's beautiful letterpress!
Thank you so much to my wonderful boss who made sure I saw the email today! Gryphon Stationers is now making letterpress available to you and me! They are so beautiful and classic. If it's too early to buy invitations (it may be for me), its always good inspiration for the future!

Style Me Pretty Picks Monachetti as Vendor Fave

I've made no secret of how much I loved our wedding video from Monachetti and I'm happy to say that their talents are really starting to be recognized. Monachetti was recently picked to be in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book of the best wedding vendors.  Only 3 vendors are chosen for each category so it's quite an honor to be chosen. They are featured as a top pick for videography in the D.C. area. 

Monachetti has also launched a new website and their new featured video is beautiful! Check it out below. Don't you just love the bridesmaid dresses???

Surname Shmurname, Right?

I have one of those last names that garnered me quite a bit of negative press in high school, as well as unwanted attention. I heard the same jokes over and over again, and everyone thought they were some original hot shot when they said "I bet you never heard this before..."

The years went on, and even though people got older, the jokes still come. I was a 10 year old saying "I cannot wait to get married so I can change my name! I hate it!"

Now I am getting married, and get this... I'm conflicted!

For so many years I harbored bitterness towards this grief-causing moniker, and now that I finally have the option to change my name, I'm biting my lip!

Mr. JeffMemorial's last name is really nice. I've practiced the signature (of course), and it looks beautiful. It sounds lovely. I've said it a few times around girlfriends and we all smiled and giggled. To say it outloud makes my heart flutter in a wonderful way.

There is this part of me though that is sad to lose my last name. It's almost like it became a part of who I am. It's become my own badge of courage and something I'm proud of, and not from a making fun of standpoint.

I guess when you're younger it's easy to want to change your name. We constantly wish that our parents had named us something different. Heck, it took me forever to find my own first name not boring and frumpy. Now I like it. I kind of grew into my name, so to speak. Instead of it just being a name, it really became an identity... and maybe that's just a part of growing up.

And my mom was right. She would tell me that you may not like your name now, but when you're older you'll realize how lovely and distinguished it sounds.

As a compromise for myself, because I really do want to take Mr. JeffMemorial's name, I am moving my current last name to my middle name when I get married.

I vainly thought about hyphenating and keeping my maiden name prominent, but it sounded and looked ridiculous. It just wasn't an option. My name, as it stands with my first, middle and last name comes in at 22 letters. There is no need to add more to the mix.

This kind of falls under a category of things that come along with wedding planning that you didn't expect to be dealing with. It's not necessarily bad, but I've noticed that part of the planning process, whether we like it or not, is examining who we are now and where we really want to go.

Really.

I'm happy with where I'm going, but I'll miss my joke of a last name.

Really.

Finding THE dress

So I found the dress this weekend. Mama GP and FMIL were in town for the weekend and I included them in on the dress shopping experience - I kind of had to include Mama GP since she was buying!

I went to the David's Bridal up in White Flint where I had had a not-so-pleasant experience one other time, not horrible but just not the type of treatment you imagine when shopping for your wedding gown. The experience was replicated on Saturday afternoon with a twenty minute wait upon arrival and then definitely not the one-on-one attention that I should have received. It's funny though, because a pal of mine had a GREAT experience at David's Bridal, so I think mine was one of those that you hear about, but honestly, aside from the fact that the woman helping me was helping at least one other person and wasn't there when I needed her (often leaving me stranded unziped, untied, or just confused) I wouldn't advise people against David's Bridal - they have great dresses at reasonable prices, a great option for the bride on a budget.

So after trying on seven or so dresses - all of which were pretty, but left me feeling lukewarm, we headed up to I Do, I Do in Gaithersburg.

I was pretty excited since I had heard rave reviews - it's a bridal consignment shop, but they don't just carry used wedding gowns, they also sell new ones. It's one of the few places in the DC area you can find Alfred Angelo dresses. These were the dresses I've been swooning over since I got engaged back in June so I was pretty excited to finally make it up there.

The service we received at I Do, I Do was WORLDS difference than David's Bridal. I was the only bride in the store, I picked out four dresses. One was a dress that the woman helping me felt I should try on. So I did. Just for giggles.

No dice. I know what looks good on me and what doesn't. I know I have womanly curves, a slightly bigger bust than I had seven or so years ago. I don't deny this, so I know that certain dresses make my hips look about ten sizes bigger than they are and I know that spaghetti straps make me look like a linebacker. It's okay. I know this all.

Dress number 2. I come out and it's perfect. It's absolutely perfect. I admire myself in the mirror. No pictures allowed till you order but I knew, I just KNEW that that was THE dress. So I look over at my mom who's eyes are teary and red, and I start tearing up and it confirmed everything. So the cameras come out, the pictures are taken. They put a veil on and the woman takes me in to get my measurements.


I take a look at some more veils - still very undecided on that front, and Mama GP pays for the gown. It's ordered. It'll be in in January. Oh my God. I'm getting married and I have a wedding gown. Funny how little things like that just make it all sink in a little bit deeper.

They say that when you find THE dress, you just know. I didn't understand this until I tried on this gown, and I knew. It was the faster beating of my heart, the tears in my eyes and my mothers and the fact that as I looked in the mirror I saw myself on my wedding day in that dress, waiting at the end of the aisle with my father and mother looking down at Mr. GP.

I can not wait till September 12, 2009.

What kind of Bride Are You?

According to Vera Wang on Weddings I am a Romanticist Bride:

The Romanticist is ruled by higher passions than the reality of the world around her. She considers life a marvelous adventure and revels in the opportunity to realize her deepest emotions. The Romanticist is transported by a dress. For her, fantasy is always a reality. Her innate femininity and love of beauty can inspire a gown of great fragility and enchantment.

• Delicate ruffles, billowing sleeves or a lavish, fully-bustled train are some of the extravagant details that epitomize a romantic wedding gown. • Whether it’s a tulle confection worthy of Degas or an ode to Scarlet O’Hara, the Romanticist refuses to shy away from anything pretty. • Her choice of attire never betrays her true nature. For her, looking girlish need not mean sacrificing style. • Femininity and flirtation are her preferred tools of seduction, and she embraces them equally.

There wasn't a quiz or anything to take on her website, but I definitely identify most with this description over any of the others - especially the parts I highlighted above. When I was looking for a dress for my wedding, I was choosing between two: one very sophisticated and romantic dress with English accordion lace and another with dramatic folds and pick-ups. I looooove pick-ups, but in the end, I went with something that I didn't think would overshadow me but complement me and represent my character well - also it was gorgeous. But more on the dress in a future post.

Miss Vera has many tips and suggestions on her website and I encourage everyone to check it out :)

Eco-Friendly Invites

I have fallen in love with this company out of California, who has an Etsy shop full of letterpressed stationery on tree-free paper and envelopes made out of recycled magazines, books, and maps.  Look at these save-the-dates:

(photo credit re*inked by invited ink)

Could they be any more perfect for a destination wedding?

The company, Invited Ink, also does more traditional stationery and other paper products.  I thought these in particular were really inspired.

(photo credit Invited Ink)

You fill the little box with candy, and boom.  Favors. Place cards.  Done.

Wedding Weekend #1

This weekend, I will be in my sorority (line) sister's wedding. This is the first of 3 upcoming weddings I'm involved in. I'm getting married in April and my other linesister is getting married in May. This weekend, there are lots of wedding events, rehearsals, dinners, hair appointments, etc., and the actual wedding is on Sunday. It's normal to have such events on a wedding weekend. One thing that is a little unusual is that my linesister, Lady Hanover (I need something to call her) and her fiance are going to have their wedding featured on one of the country's favorite wedding shows. The rehearsal dinner tonight is at the clubhouse of my apartment complex in Elkridge, and I am a little nervous and just wanting things to run very smoothly for her throughout the whole weekend, so that it all looks super fabulous and fun on TV. The wedding ceremony will be at South Asian SDA Church in Silver Spring. The reception is at the Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville, and in between, the bridal party will be taking pictures at Centennial Park in Howard County. Right now, the forecast is calling for scattered thunderstorms on Sunday, but let's all pray the weatherman is wrong. I have no idea when the program will air, but I promise I will let everyone know, so you can see Lady Hanover and her hubby. I'll probably be floating around in the background somewhere, doing my BM duties and making sure my sister's day goes beautifully.

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Beginning in the spring before we were engaged, when I thought about how I was going to ask my closest friends (and my only sister) to be a wedding attendant, it often made me anxious and excited at the same time. I wanted to be able to include many of my closest friends, but I knew that it would be difficult organizing everyone and I'd have no friends left to watch the ceremony! I waffled between 6, 7, and 8 bridesmaids and thought about how pictures would turn out with each number, who would do what, how'd they get along, etc. Then my mother told me that Filipino weddings have a few more wedding attendants than other kinds of weddings:

1) Primary Sponsors - basically same as the couple's wedding godparents.
2) Secondary Sponsors - for the cord (to bind us), candle (to light our ways), and veil (to clothe us)
3) Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
4) Ushers and Usherettes
5) Flower Girl(s), Ring Bearer, and Coin Bearer (the coins are a Spanish tradition, I believe)

This gave me a little more flexibility, but it was still difficult to decide. And then, HOW do I ask them? I wanted to do something a little extra to show the girls that I really appreciate my special relationship with each one of them rather than just asking them in person or over the phone. Also, since not one of them lives in the same city as I, it was a little more difficult (they're in NY, PA, my hometown, Richmond, and my sister is in London). So, I decided to write them a letter thanking them for all their love and support and friendship and begin decorating a scrapbook for each one. I've asked them to send back their responses on the scrapbook pages that I'll save as a memento of our experiences together. Below is a shot I took in my prep stage:The notecards aren't attached to the page and the girls are free to use them or use something else when they respond.

I've asked all the girls to call me before they respond because I want to make sure they understand what goes into being a bridesmaid (I'm the first of our friends to walk down the aisle) and I want them to be there with me in any way they can, bridesmaid or not. I would never want any of them to feel like they have to be one or be surprised at some of the duties associated with it. Did anyone else do something specific or have something important in mind when "making the ask"?

What to wear...

Yay, another contract is in! Today, I sent off our deposit and contract to our wedding photographer who has also included our engagement session in his wedding package - AMAAAAZING! Now, what to wear? I want to go for something classic, but definitely me. It's not until October 26, so it may be a little chillier but at least it won't be humid! I think I can stand to wear short sleeves if it's still in the 50s or 60s (if that's what I choose to go with). Also, I checked the the sunset on that day (6:24 pm) so we'll definitely have enough light if we start on time at 3:30 pm.

Now, do I wear:
Cute skinny jeans that could possibly date my outfit in a couple years? But are flattering and make me look taller?
Less trendy and more conservative jeans that flare just a tad at the bottom but complement my derriere (for those backside hand-holding shots)?
Heels? Low heels? Cute flats? (I'm only 5'2" and Signor Keswick is 6'1".)
Short sleeves? Long sleeves? A classic white button-up?
I've already asked my roommate to schedule a manicure date for before for any of those ring close-ups.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions of what to consider for an engagement session? Did you and your fiancé coordinate your outfits? I've tried to conduct research, but one can only take so many slow-motion picture slideshows set to Norah Jones or Jack Johnson.

The Winner Is...

Recently, I had some worries about our reception site. Initially, we had chosen a hotel near Union Station, but when the proposal came out about $15k above our budget (I should note, we haven't made a budget, the proposal was $16 close to $17,000 which we both knew was WAY over budget.) we decided we needed to look elsewhere.

When Mr. GP finally emailed our fabulous wedding planner to tell her the sorry news, she was willing to make it work. But then I came forth and told him my thoughts - "the ballroom? Is ugly. I don't like it. I wouldn't have been happy there." Granted the upstairs for the cocktail hour would have been great! Unfortunately, at their prices, we couldn't afford a cocktail hour.

So we kept looking. We looked at a restaurant - Clyde's Gallery Place and we fell in love. I'm still a bit worried, but mostly because well, when I envisioned my wedding I envisioned a room with lots of lights, candles, a big dance floor, and this room? Hardwood paneling, it's own back bar and room for a...small dance floor. At best. If we keep the guest list down to 110 MAX!

But we put down our deposit. I convinced myself it's nice. We know the food is going to be INCREDIBLE and the man who will be helping us with the planning is beyond competent and incredibly helpful.

So a few weekends ago, as I aforementioned, we came across a restaurant on the Waterfront in Old Town Alexandria. I fell in love. We didn't go inside but I saw large windows, I envisioned hard wood floors perfect for dancing. I had heard nothing but great things about it from a friend who had dined there a few years ago.

Then Mr. GP's brother (Best Man) did some research and found some reviews after we put in a request for a proposal. The reviews were less than stellar. The good ones? Few and far between. The bad ones? Were stuff you don't want to read when you're considering it for a wedding reception. Bad service, mediocre and over priced food...not good.

So we discussed, and given the fact that the planner at Clyde's was amazing and got back to us within 48 hours of us inquiring and now 10 days later I STILL haven't heard anything back from Jane Doe Planner at Restaurant USA, we decided to not even bother with it.

But then he asked me what I wanted - I told him. I want dancing, a dance floor - not carpet (Clyde's doesn't have a dance floor - you have to rent one. Though our planner told us some people have foregone the dance floor and done without), Christmas lights, candles, pretty flowers - I want simple elegance.

He promised me we would make that room into whatever we want. We'll make it pretty, and just how I've always wanted my wedding to be. I smiled at him over my wedding binder, looked down at the pictures of the room, and knew he was right.

So Clyde's it is, this weekend we're taking our families there for lunch. (we couldn't get a tasting though we did try!) After that? The Mothers are going dress shopping with me...don't get me started about how that in itself is stressing me out.

"Does That Come in My Size?"

Like every girl growing up, I tied white sheets around me at the wee age of six and paraded around our townhouse in Northwest pretending I was wearing the most lavish and beautiful gown in existence. Beading, train, the works!

Even when I was small, I was convinced my dress would be nothing short of fabulous. We all do this. We dream of THE dress, as if it's some ethereal other-worldly creature that doesn't exist on our plane of reality.

Let us flash foward to today. As with every bride, we never quite lose that little girl within, twirling around in sheets. We are different people, though, and to be honest, I was concerned.

I'm a girl that boasts a large personality, but underneath just wants to be happy with what she sees in the mirror, or something equally After School Special.

When it came to finding a dress, I knew it was going to be a challenge, and I almost dreaded the task. I'm just shy of six feet tall, and I am completely in shape, if you consider somewhat round a shape. In addition, I feared that the size of my chest would make strapless dresses impossible.

I made calls, and initially came face to face with my worst fears. Larger sizes would have to be special-ordered, but none were available in my size (or near it) to try in the boutiques. I heard this over and over again, and began to feel very discouraged. I literally had nightmares of going into stores feeling completely awful about finding a dress.

Finally, I caved.

I called David's Bridal - White Flint in Maryland. (Metro accessible: White Flint Stop on Red Line; located in Metro Pike Center, 2nd floor.)

I was hesitant to call. I've heard mixed reviews. Some had horrid experiences, warning people away. Some hated the fact that it was a chain. The positive stories were few and far between, but I cracked because I knew they would carry a good selection in my size to try on.

I took one of my best friends (Miss Gallery Place) with me on my first trip there, as we're both getting married, along with Mr. JeffMemorial. Miss Gallery Place was a peach and helped me with my insecurities and gave great dress advice.

How would I rate my experience? Incredible. Not only that, but I found the dress:



This picture was taken this past weekend, as opposed to my first trip a few weeks ago.

My review of David's Bridal at White Flint is nothing short of a rave. My bridal consultant was sweet, attentive, and really helped me feel comfortable even though I am a plus size. In addition, when I went back, she remembered me, inquired after my family, as well as remembering all of my sizing information.

Not once did I feel pressured or have an unpleasant experience with any of the staff. Also, the prices were very reasonable. My dress actually has gone down in price.

In addition, I'm all smiles about the dress. It's something I never imagined I would have. As soon as I put it on, I knew. I honestly thought I would end up with something a little more on the plain side and most definitely not strapless.

Moral of the story? Just because something is a chain store doesn't mean it's a bad thing. In addition, just because your butt might be bigger than your budget doesn't mean you should have to settle.

I will be buying the dress in November.

Cakes by Graham

We love our cake baker. He is awesome. Cakes by Graham is the sole cake baker recommended by our venue, Virginia Crossings Resort, and for good reason. Graham's the best. He was a baker with the British Royal Navy for 15 years. Then he crossed the pond, and began working for some top bakeries in Central Virginia when he decided to go into business for himself. We met with Graham for the first time a few weeks ago. I definitely appreciate their scheduling flexibility. We met with them on a Saturday morning, Graham's busiest day of the week, but they new we were coming from Maryland and called to let us know once he had a Saturday opening. On arriving at his business, the first thing we saw was the model cakes in the window. He does cakes for all occasions. When we went inside, we found ourselves in the cutest little sitting room with comfy couches and table holding numerous albums of cakes that Graham had made. In front of us, was a very updated reception desk, with the necessary office equipment and there were cabinets on the two walls behind the desk. Throughout the whole room were little baker collectibles and figurines. Many were in display cases. Some were on tops of the cabinets, a couple were whimsically hung from the ceiling, and all the little bakers looked like Graham! I suppose that many of them were gifts from clients. There were also frames news articles and plaques on the walls, as well as a digital photo frames showing images of some of Graham tasty works of art. We sat on the sofa, and in front of us was a framed welcome sign that read "Welcome Miss Glen Allen and Mr Glen Allen. Please make yourselves comfortable. Graham has another client at the moment, but he will be with you in just a few minutes." How thoughtful! Next to the sign was another little baker figurine holding a tray for samples. In a few minutes, Graham came out a greeted us and brought us into his office, where he sat at this lovely little antique desk. To the right and left behind the desk were armoires holding more display cakes. We discussed out thoughts for our weddings for our wedding cake, pretty briefly, because Fi and I had no idea what we wanted. We were pretty much leaving it to Graham to use his creative license and make a masterpiece. He told us all about the elements of cake construction relating to the shape, size, flavoring, and decoration. We definitely learned alot. We designed what we're sure will be a beautiful cake, and the samples were delicious!!! One thing I had been concerned about was potentially dry cake. Before this meeting, I had never tasted Graham's cake before. Needless to say, I am no longer worried. His cake was so good, and very moist. We left so excited about our wedding cake and about Graham. Our cake will be 3 square tiers, turned, with buttercream frosting, decorated in ivy and pearl designs with our monogram on the top tier. Our cake topper will be fresh flowers, and we will have flowers decorating the rest of the cake as well. Of course, our cake is not baked, yet, but here are a few pictures of some of Grahams creations.

We can't forget about the grooms, now can we? I'm considering changing this to an Xbox 360 for my groom's cake. I detest video games, but for my darling . . . anything.

For Henrico County's finest . . .

A few days later, Graham's assistant placed a follow-up call to us to thank us for our visit and to see if we had any questions. They definitely gave us excellent service and answered all our questions in the first meeting, but it was thoughtful of them to call afterwards. The service provided by Cakes by Graham has been excellent.

My Save-The-Dates Arrived!

I was so excited to come home from work yesterday to find my save-the-dates waiting for me.  Hooray!  I got them made by Cheerupcherup, on Etsy, because I loved her design so much--and they look even better in print than they do online.

And here it is!

I'm really pleased with how they turned out.  Now all we have to do is get the website finished, and we'll be officially on our way with this wedding!

Wedding Budget Theory

Sounds like advanced math course at MIT to me!

Before I got engaged, I was already a little (totally) tuned in to wedding-planning-land. I "let" myself look at wedding websites, and I let myself cruise the wedding mags at B&N (but I never bought!! I swear). In all my browsing and pre-engagement planning I started to pick up on was the different ways in which couples designed their budgets. After getting engaged and conducting further research, I've come to conclusion that there are two main theories of wedding budgeting.

1) The Guest List theory.

This theory, the so-called guest list theory, is known as such because it involves basing your budget on your guest list...oh wait, was that totally obvious because of the name? The idea is that if you know you MUST have certain people at your wedding, you figure out what those numbers add up to and decide what you can do based on that number. In other words, if there is not way you're getting away without inviting the 17 cousins on your mom's side AND all their kids, you might use this.

We tried this at first. I think I only made it two weeks after our engagement before I had Mr. Fairfax sitting in front of an Excel spreadsheet, with me saying, "ok if you could invite everyone you ever wanted at your wedding, who would it be?" We knew we had a pretty limited budget, so we thought if we figured out who we absolutely had to have, the guest count + the budget could dictate the wedding we'd have. I think this is how weddings like the picnic in the park or dessert buffet weddings happen (Mmm, dessert. BUFFET!). If you only have to have 15 people and you've got ten grand, awesome--ten course tasting menus and a live bands all around! If you must have a 150 and have ten grand, you might figure out the best way to throw a party that size with what you've got.

This theory worked for us for about 10 minutes. That's how long it to me to remember I don't actually like huge parties, I'm more the intimate cocktail party type. In the time it took Mr. Fairfax to fetch me a paper bag to breath into (yes the thought of a huge wedding was that scary!), we had moved onto budget theory two.

2) The "Pick the Elements Most Important to You and Spend Your Money on That" Theory.
Pretty sure the names says it all there. We talked about what we really enjoyed at other weddings, what our already married friends and family members had said, "yes, we are glad we did that" about their own weddings, and what we like in general. We came up with three items:

• Food: We are definitely foodies. Having delicious food that we like is important to us.
• Booze: We are definitely boozie...I mean, appreciative of fine wine and delicious drinks! We want to be able to serve a nice wine, preferably one of our fave varietals, and a nice beer at our reception. We're thinking we might even go here and make our own!
  
• Photography: We were so impressed with the photographs from the Big Sister's wedding we knew we wanted a great photographer. What sealed the deal further on this was having a married friend express her regret at letting "Uncle Bob," family photographer extraordinaire, photograph her wedding. She ended up without any pictures of the grooms family...whoops.
  

Since we knew we would have limited amount to spend on our wedding, we knew focusing our budget in this manner would require having a smaller party. But that's what we were most comfortable with anyway so this worked for us.

It's been helpful in making other decisions along the way because we felt we had some areas, like food, were we felt we could splurge a bit. It's helped us keep our spending in check and just say no with other elements of the wedding because we've already identified our priorities.

Did you have a budget theory? How did you design your budget?

The New Girl: Miss JeffMemorial

Hello, all! Miss JeffMemorial here. I'm the newest addition to DC Nearlyweds, and I'm very excited.

While I am a DC Native (yes, we do exist), Mr. JeffMemorial is from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Oddly enough, Mr. JeffMemorial and I have known each other since we were about 18 years old. We never dated. We weren't terribly close, but we got along and were friends. Last year he reappeared in my life; I had moved home to DC after spending six years in Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, and North Carolina. We reconnected and got swept away last December. We just fell right into the relationship, like we had been together forever. But I knew instantly, even before the relationship began. I called our friend up and told her in confidence that I was freaking out, because he was the man I was going to marry. I just knew it.

And I was right.

He proposed in April, and I said yes. While it surprised everyone, all we received were well wishes and support. Anyone who knew us said that us getting married was a wonderful thing.

Mr. JeffMemorial and I now live in Capitol Hill, at Potomac Avenue, with our Scottish Terrier, Horatio.

Now we are doing the unthinkable. We are having a wedding IN Washington DC without putting anything on a credit card and with a budget of $5000.

Some may think I'm joking.

I'm not.

Some may say this seems impossible!

Much to my surprise, it isn't.

While we'd love to adhere to tradition with my family chipping in, it's not possible. The money for a big wedding isn't there on either side; so we're being very 21st century and paying for it all ourselves.

Now I'll admit that the budget restrictions have not always been a source of smiles and rainbows. The wedding has been through a number of incarnations as ideas went from feasible to unreasonable. Throw in a money-eating family emergency for good measure, and you have a recipe for a bride wanting to run off to Vegas and never look back.

Thanks to one superstar bridesmaid and the support of another (who happens to be Miss Gallery Place!) we're not eloping. We're pulling off the impossible, and we have just a bit over a year to do it, with our wedding being on October 10, 2009.

Our vision was to have a wedding that showcased why we loved Washington DC so much. So many write DC off as a fake city, but it's our home, and it's my favorite place.

We've been through art gallery receptions, church hall receptions, you name it... we've tried to plan it. And that's when the idea came up, thanks to my Super Bridesmaid.

Why not have the wedding on the West Lawn of the Jefferson Memorial?

We're looking at a tiny itty bitty cost for permits, as opposed to the astounding non-member fee structures at our church. Not only that, but the scenery is beautiful for our guests, a number of whom are from out of town! Also, Washington DC in the fall is so romantic to me.

Now it isn't officially our location yet, as we cannot purchase permits for use of the memorial more than a year out from our date. Needless to say, on the morning of October 10th I will be calling the Parks & Rec department, check card in hand!

Coming up...!

Can a plus-sized bride find a reasonably priced dress of her dreams?

And!

How can one throw a fabulous reception in Washington DC on a small budget?

In all seriousness though, I'm happy to be here and sharing planning with all of you!

Invitation Timeline

For our April 10 wedding, we've got lots of international guests. FI is American from Queens, NY, and his family would be coming from NY, NC, TX, and TN. My family is Jamaican, and family members would be travelling from Jamaica, Canada, England, NY, NJ, and FL. We expect to send out our save-the-dates in November and the invitations in December. My dear mother is stressing me about sending out invitations much earlier, so people can make their international travel arrangements, but I think sending invitations in December still allows plenty of time for people to make their travel arrangements. Plus, they'll have received their save-the-dates a full month before that, allowing 5 months for travel planning. My question is: Should invitations be sent out earlier to accommodate international guests? If so, how early should they be sent?

Contract Negotiation

So, we received our first contract from Keswick about a week ago. I read it over several times and it is really general - making me a bit nervous about protecting ourselves in case 1) an unthinkable something should happen and 2) overall because I think so many brides are so excited / naive about the contract negotiation process that they just sign off on whatever thinking that they can't really do anything to negotiate with the venue. I'm a bit of a contract negotiation rookie and it makes me anxious that I'm signing off on such a big ticket without much experience. PLUS, they originally told us during the site visit that we wouldn't have to meet a room or F&B minimum because our wedding is on a Sunday. But now they're "requesting" us to have at least 5 rooms total (instead of 5 rooms for 2 nights each, per usual) because their policies "recently changed."

LUCKILY, my awesome friend / former boss was willing to look over it and help me put in some language that made it more specific (what costs what, etc.) and point out some simple inconsistencies in the contract. Still, it's kinda scary.

Did anyone else try to negotiate their reception venue contract and what did you ask for or find they were willing to bend?

Registry Fun

A few weeks ago, Fiance and I have started our registries. So far, since I haven't planned much - aside from one or two days dress shopping (unsuccessfully), a couple wedding shows, an unfinished wedding website (two months later), and a few unsuccessful attempts at researching photographers (usually leading to much frustration and anger at the outrageous prices!), I feel like I haven't done much.

But one Sunday, about a month ago or so, fiance and I decided to trek down to Macy's in Metro Center to get this party started.

The ah-hem, party, lasted about an hour before we headed back to the Hill for 5pm Mass, thus our registry was left unfinished, and hardly worthy of being shown to anyone. Anyone except our parents of course, both of whom responded "YOU REGISTERED FOR A HEINEKEN BEER TAP BUT NOT POTS AND PANS OR DISHES?!?!"

Well, really we just wanted to have fun with the scanner and get things started, why not right? We did register for other things...you know, some utensils...a Kitchen Aid mixer....with attachments...you know, the fun stuff. Fiance insisted to them that we weren't done yet, and that we still had research to do which, is no lie. We've just kind of been lacking on having the time to do so.

So a couple weekends ago, we went to a lovely Bridal Show up in Woodley Park (which I got him to go to promising tastings as there were some at the last one I went to in Alexandria, there were none at this one. Whoops?) and saw the Macy's table. Macy's, oh how I love thee, especially with the Martha Stewart line. You've never done wrong by me Macy's.

So a lovely woman was talking to us about our registry, the china we plan on registering for, and told us about a fabulous event which today, happened to end up in my Inbox thanks to The Knot yesterday.

Sip and Scan - "an event featuring fun beverages, hors d'oeurves, music, and fabulous registry experts to help you create your dream registry. Bring your fiancé and he can play 007 with the scan gun while you sip your drink and approve his choices." NICE!!!!

Now, not only can we finish our registry (well, one of them) but also, have a fun little date night out at the same time and please both of our mothers by completing the registry at the same time!

Any other DC brides planning on going to Sip and Scan on October 2nd?

Sample Sale Madness

Last night I went to the Mark Ingram Bridal Sample Sale.  It wasn't the scrum I thought it would be--I've been to sample sales before and thought it would be an all-out fight to the death.  This was relatively civilized, although we did all have to try dresses on in a common room.  I'll tell you, when focused on a task like picking a wedding dress, we have no shame.  Everybody was all hanging out in their underwear and even less.

I wear a size 8-10 on the street, which in bridal gown size means I'm a 12-14.  (Can someone please explain why bridal gowns are sized to make you feel fatter?  Anyone?) If you decide to go to a bridal sample sale, be aware that most of the gowns are size 8 or 10, which means you should be a size 4 or 6 to be able to fit into them.  I did manage to squeeze into a few, but altering them would have been impossible.  There were some gorgeous gowns, though.  I did like an Anne Barge similar to this one:

There was another gown I liked from an Italian designer whose name I can't remember, but the lace at the bottom of the hem would have made it impossible to shorten.

I think the problem with shopping for wedding gowns at a sample sale is that it's difficult to imagine them in context.  You're in a big room with 10 other half naked women, all competing for the same dresses, your underwear is sticking out the back, random people with headsets are coming through shouting, "Can I take that?  Do you have any dresses for me to take?"...it's hard to imagine being serene and bridal!  I know lots of women do it but they must be made of sturdier stuff than me.  I really had difficulty imagining myself in any of the dresses on my wedding day.  And normally I'm a sample sale stalwart!  Plus, wedding dresses are big and heavy.  It was tough carrying them around.  

The other thing that I wasn't aware of is that sample sale wedding dresses are not in good shape.  A lot of them have rips, busted zippers, and ragged hems.  You would definitely need a good tailor to have your dress ready to wear on your wedding day.

Did you buy your dress at a sample sale?  Have you ever been to the Running of the Brides?  Do you have any tips or tricks to make it easier?  

People that want to be married . . .

Last night I was working at the Nationals Stadium - which is very nice, by the way! - and my coworker asked me what made me decide to get married. Note: I have only been working at my new job for about 2 months and this colleague and I do not work on the same project, so we're not well acquainted. I stumbled and stammered a little because when one is posed with a serious quite like that, there is so much to say that it's somewhat hard (at least for me) to articulate a succinct and appropriate answer without gushing or without saying too little - especially for someone I'm still getting to know. We were interrupted a few times, giving me some time to think of what I wanted to say.

I finally was able to tell her that Sig. Keswick and I have known each other for a long time (over 8 years) but have only been dating for 2.5 years. But I knew even before we officially began dating that he was the one. In fact, I knew he was special the day I met him! (More on that in a future post.) However, quite early in our courtship, probably even more than 1.5 years ago, I had already stopped "looking." I was happy whenever I was with him. He understood me better than anyone I knew. When we fought over an issue, we were able to resolve it because we valued each other's opinion and were willing to work through it.

She thought this was interesting as she is in her late late 20s/early 30s, has been engaged once before, but she's not dating anyone currently. She recently finished a book (I won't say which because I don't want to give it away, but let me know if you want to know more about which book it is), in which a mother tells her daughter "People that want to be married are married." This made her wonder what exactly did it mean and how did that apply to her? She's been in serious relationships, but ever since she began working at a nonprofit, she hasn't been in one since.

We discussed it and came up with some possibilities:

1. People aren't married because they don't want to be - they make excuses not to, they prioritize their work, life, friends, [fill in the blank] over being in a relationship because they don't want to be in one.
2. People are married because they put up with more (or they settle) -- I don't think it's necessarily that they settle, but it's possible they're willing to work through some issues more than others.
3. People who are married are mature enough to know what they want and make an active effort to find and keep it.
4. On the flip side, people who are not married are mature enough to know what they want and do not want to sacrifice what they want in order to be in a relationship.
5. Some people are just lucky enough to find the right person at the right time -- and then know it and work hard to keep it.

Thus, why did you decide to get married OR what do you think about the idea that are married want to be. We had more theories, but I'll spare you the iterations of the above.

Bella Rosa

Bella Rosa is a gorgeous little bridal boutique, located on the West End of Richmond. They have a wide selection of designers, styles, and prices to suit every bride. The atmosphere is warm and the service is top notch. I have never been to Kleinfeld's in NY, but in terms of the look of the place, I always refer to Bella Rosa as looking like a mini-Kleinfelds. When you get there, and start trying on gowns, they definitely make it all about you. You will definitely get service that is second to none. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, yet still professional. Bella Rosa creates a dress shopping experience that is all about you. This is an actual photo of the bridal area of their boutique. Doesn't it look like every bride's dream?

They definitely have excellent quality gowns because they carry only designer originals. Some places will try and sell you designer replicas. They increase their profit by getting a cheaper, lower quality dress, but mark it up to the same price a reputable boutique would charge for a designer original. You can usually identify a boutique as selling designer replicas, because if you touch a few dresses, regardless of the name of the "designer" on the label, the dresses will all feel the same, like they're made out of a sateen-ish sort of tablecloth or drapery fabric. To digress just a bit, there is a competitor boutique in Richmond on Springfield Road between Nuckols Road and West Broad Street. I actually made a stop here before going to Bella Rosa. They had lesser quality dresses. The lady working there didn't say hello or anything when I and a friend arrived and were looking around. We were the only other people in the store. When she did finally end up speaking with us, she tried to sell me on using her husband as a DJ! So not cool. . .

Anyway, I've visited a couple different boutiques, but Bella Rosa is the one and only place where I've tried gowns on, and I ended up purchasing one of the gowns I fitted in that first visit. Don't think that you have to forgo good service or having a designer gown, just because you've got a budget. When you go to Bella Rosa, they'll ask what style of dress you'd like and what type of wedding you're having (beach, church, etc.). Then, they'll ask how much you want to spend. Designers make dresses in every price range. I told them my target price, and when I started fitting, they not only brought dresses near the top of my budget, but also at some lower price points. The dresses that made it as my top two were both by 2Be bridal, a great designer if you're athletically proportioned like me. The samples I tried on fit me perfectly, and when I checked the price (after I was already in love with them), it turned they were well below my target price. I don't know if this is a sales strategy that Bella Rosa uses, but it worked. I'm happy. They're paid. Bella Rosa also carries mothers, flower girls, and bridesmaids gowns, special occasion dresses, and a full assortment of accessories.

They also have wedding gown samples available for sale. The sample of my gown was on their website and has since been sold for less than 1/2 of what I paid for it.

At Bella Rosa, they can keep your gown in their climate controlled store for as long as you wish. They do alterations on site, and they will steam your dress twice for you at no charge, once usually for bridal portraits and once for your wedding. They also have trunk shows quite regularly. My salesperson, Susan, is no longer there, but everyone else at Bella Rosa is just as wonderful.

Miss Capitol Hill Wedding Recap - Some Details

I promise I'm going to finish recapping my wedding even if it kills me. My only excuse is that life really does go on after you get married and you slowly emerge from the wedding fog.  So to make up for my absence I'll post some shots of the one thing most of you care about...Details!

As always, all photos below the work of Linda Wallace 

^This is what our large main table on the verandah of the Clifton Inn looked like before the flowers. I like this pic cause you can see the beautiful chairs that come included with the rental price of the Inn. 

^ Escort Card Table

^As I mentioned earlier, all the paper was done by Etsy seller andbear 

^Each guest had a name card and menu (both courtesy of andbear) as well as a little favor waiting for them at their seat. 

^These are our adorable and affordable favor boxes that I blogged about so long ago. Inside each we had a chocolate wrapped in foil that matched our kelly green theme.  The great part is the leftover boxes can be used to decorate our first Christmas tree together. 

^Menus by andbear 

^I LOOOVED our reception flowers from Blue Ridge Floral. Crisp, clean, elegant...exactly what I wanted. 

^These calla's were repurposed from our ceremony 

^This was the flower girl's pomander that she quickly discarded

^A nice shot of our guests enjoying themselves at dinner

^A quiet moment while the rest of us were on the dance floor outside 

Vendors So Far:

Video- Monachetti

Photography - Linda Wallace

Hair/Makeup- Daphne Latham

Dress Designer - Vwidon

Dress Salon - Promise for the Savvy Bride

Shoes - Vera Wang new from Ebay

Bracelet- Carolee

Veil- Occansey Design

Purse - Belk

Hair Flower - Ella's Alley

Flowers - Blue Ridge Floral

Suits- Men's Wearhouse

Ties - Wild Ties

Socks - The Gap

Bridesmaid Dresses - Maggy London from Nordstrom

Flower Girl Dress- Rare Editions from Dillards

Sportscar - Sports Car Rental

Reception/Accommodations - The Clifton Inn

Getaway Streamerthrows - Aerotechnic

Paper - Andbear