Real D.C. Weddings

Love it or hate it the Knot is one of the best wedding resources for brides...and it's mainly because of their message boards and bios. Sometimes the boards can be vicious and if you don't want any of the drama I would just read and not post but they can also be your best resources for finding vendors. In general I also think the D.C./VA/MD boards are some of the most drama-free boards on the Knot.

It's easy to fall in love with a wedding in a magazine but what about the real world? I love looking at the Knot bios of the brides who are already married (the bios of brides before they get married can be helpful too but they mainly consist of ideas clipped from magazines and usually I want to see real world weddings)

One recent bio really caught my eye. Check out the bio of Brittmurch. Her photographer was the awesome Greg Gibson, reception at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in VA, florist Petal's Edge, and cake by Amphora Bakery.

All photos below from Greg Gibson

New Blog Find- The Bride's Cafe

I know, I know...who needs another wedding blog to read each day? In the ever crowded world of wedding blogging it's hard to get excited about a new comer and hard to imagine someone could come up with new and fresh ideas that we haven't already seen from superstars like Style Me Pretty, Something Old Something New, and BrooklynBride.

So why should you get excited about this one? 1) The blog's creator is the super talented floral artist Janie Medley and she's one of our own! Yep, based out of Richmond she serves the D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas. 2) Her first post is already GORGEOUS. I love how modern the bride's dress is, I love the pop of color from the flower bouquet and there's a dog in the pic...all dog pics are winners in my book.

The Brides Cafe will easily become a must read.





^Photo from Justine Ungaro. Flowers from Janie Medley.

Bride of Frankenstein?

This actually isn't about me but rather a certain person I know by proxy. But I mention it because (honestly) the whole idea of people "going bridal" amuses me to no end.

So, one of my best gals in the whole wide world has something crazy, like, four weddings within the next year. One in particular is fast approaching and she is in the wedding party. This wedding has become quite a... *um*... ordeal. (And that's putting it mildly!)

She's already been required to fly around the country to MULTIPLE locations for various wedding events AND she's actually going to have to LEAVE the country (and get this special visa and stuff) to actually attend/participate in the actual wedding. At the engagement party she was walking across the room for some reason and the bride actually came up behind her and said, "YOU ARE WALKING TOO SLOWLY." *AreYouKiddingMe???*

The latest production is the bridal shower and bachelorette party - all in one day that of which my best gal is flying in for a mere 24 hours for. That's not even the worst of it though! The WORST of it is that (for whatever reason) there's a dress code for these parties. It's been decided (by whom it's a mystery) that EVERYone must wear a sundress (In NOVEMBER!) AND all black (but all the shades of black MUST MATCH PERFECTLY).

This has posed as a major issue for my best gal.

1. She doesn't even own a sundress! Seriously. She doesn't like them so she doesn't own/wear them and she's had one heck of a time acquiring one at this time of year.
   
2. She (for whatever odd reason) doesn't currently have black pants. SO - she has to find a pair (and she's kind of tall so pants are an issue anyway for her) and also a "perfectly matching" black top.
3. The sundress is supposed to be some specific color that she's been assigned to in accordance with this "beach"/"sea" theme. *(again)AreYouKiddingMe???*

I love my best gal!!! And I feel so sorry for her as I've watched her go through this over the past few weeks/month. But I must admit - it's kind of entertaining to watch but surely it's like that since I am not the one dealing with it.

I told her that she should show up like Tom Hanks in Castaway or like a Pirate because it's a "sea" theme right??? That made her laugh and feel a little better, I think, for the time being.

*sigh*

*shrug*

What can you do, right? I, myself, got a bit of a "talking-to" (if you could even call it that) last weekend from our photographers (I work with them) about how the Big Day is MY DAY *afterall* and I should start putting my foot down more about stuff.

Boot Camp Part Two..

So I started my boot camp this week...EVERY morning 6-7 am at Barcroft Park

Let me tell you it is Worth it. I went with Fitness Image Results, and they are great. It is $189 for 4 weeks, but that is 1 hour a day m-f, so about $10 a day...Definitely worth the money.

The instructors are amazing, there are three instructors and they motivate you, but also help you and make it enjoyable. My MOH is doing it with me, so I have that extra motivation, but let me tell you getting up at 5:30 every morning is still taking some getting use to! As we were running our millionth lap this morning my MOH was cursing me ..haha..I believe her exact words were "This is all your fault for getting married". However, we both agree it is the best workout we have ever gotten. Neither MOH or I are "out of shape" or at least we didn't think we were! We both worked out 3-4 times a week on the elliptical for about 30minutes...until my doctor told me the work out I was doing was basically peddling down hill on a bike, and if I wanted to step it up , I should join boot camp, and here I am today.

If you are a bride out there who is trying to lose some weight, or you just want to get a little more toned, or maybe you just want a structured work out regime, I highly recommend boot camp! I'm on my fourth day, I'm sore and I feel muscles I never new existed, but I know its working, and that's a great feeling!

Happy Halloween Everyone :)

Would You Let Your Groom Plan the Wedding?

This story is hilarious. I mean not laughing at the bride but at her ingenious creativity in making the best of a difficult situation. You have to read the whole story here. In short, the couple won a contest awarding them an about $30,000 US wedding of their dreams. The only catch, the bride would have to be hands off of the planning completely. This sentence started off the madness:

The moment I knew I wouldn't be having the wedding of my dreams was when the invitation fell through the doormat.As I looked down at the shoddily cut cardboard, frayed ribbon and the wording that had obviously been printed straight from our home PC on to photocopier paper, I couldn't help but burst into tears.

So would you allow your groom to plan your entire wedding? a better question, I guess would be ... Would you allow yourself to enjoy the wedding your groom planned for you? After all, that's pretty much what he's doing isn't it??

"X" marks the spots!

The way it's working out for our wedding, most of the guests will be from out of town. We just happen to live in an area away from most of our friends and family. *shrug* For this reason, many people aren't familiar with the area and even for the people who know it a little bit, it can be confusing. For this reason we are providing all of what they might need to know mapped out for all of the events of our wedding weekend. You could use mapquest or google maps but I actually found something much better than BOTH of those combined!

The service I recommend is called WeddingMapper.com. It's a mapping service specifically designed for occasions such as weddings. It allows you to put virtual markers (in fun little shapes, I might add) at all of the different important locations of the wedding (church/ceremony, reception, hotels, rehearsal dinner, even airports, etc.)

Here is a screen shot of our wedding map by Wedding Mapper:

The service can be hyperlinked to your wedding website OR (if you pay a little extra that's really not that expensive anyway) you can print actual full color copies of the maps off with every route and every location clearly marked.

I'm pretty sure that any location (in our outside of the US) is game since Wedding Mapper actually uses Google Maps to draft up their maps. It's great!!! And it's even more helpful when you've got a ton of guests coming in from out of town who aren't familiar with the area where the wedding will be. Also, as an added bonus, you can upload pictures of your actual locations to your map online so that when guests hover their mouse over the locations, actual pictures of the locations pop up!

Elum Discount - 25% Off

Maybe you can't afford drool worthy letterpress invitations but you'd like to send out fancy thank-yous or pretty Christmas cards. Or maybe you can afford drool worthy letterpress invitations and you'd like to send out a change of address card with your new married address or give your bridesmaids a beautiful journal ...either way get over to Elum and take 25% off your greeting card, thank-you card, and journal purchase with code DAILYCANDY (personalized stationary not included). Thanks to Daily Candy!


^Can't you just feel the texture on this thank-you even from this image??


^This is my fav of their new Christmas cards.


^How cute is this change of address card? Why send an email when you can send these? If you can't see just click to enlarge.


^I don't even write in journals but I'd still be happy to get a journal like this if I were a bridesmaid.

Cool (Punam) Beans

In an earlier post, I shared the love for an up-and-coming wedding photographer, Punam Bean. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person last week in New York City where she's based, and thought initially that she couldn't get any better than the impression she makes on paper. I was happily proven wrong.

Punam, first off, is extremely patient. I planned to meet her at noon at a coffee shop near the building I was working in, but work got crazy at the last minute, and I was one hour, count them, SIXTY minutes late. It may have been more, and at this point I can't even remember because I was running down sixth avenue close to tears. So finally, I meet her, a smiling Punam Bean on the corner of some busy street. She wasn't even phased by my extreme lateness and if she was, I never would have known.

The second quality I liked about Punam was that she asked tons of questions about my future hubby and how we met, etc. She just kind of let me go nuts with wedding details, obviously a woman after my own heart.

But what I liked most about her is that she's the type of person you could be friends with. That being said, the fact that I got that vibe from her is a true testament that she really does care about who you are and what you're saying; that you're not just one bride in more than 50 she'll meet that year. She doesn't rattle off tidbits about this or that bride that she photographed, it's this and that friend...with a story...and a name. Punam has this wide, happy smile that managed to cure most of my nervousness...and she hugged me goodbye.

So, the choice has been made. Punam will be the master behind the camera for our wedding!!! :)

And just for fun, some of my favs!

Beverly Hills Swag

If you are one of those brides always looking for a way to differentiate yourself from the myriad of weddings out there, why not take a look at your registry. Ever wanted to do some Beverly Hills shopping?
Gearys has been a West Coast tradition for more than 75 years for those seeking luxury and service. Gearys has gathered the finest in luxury brands from around the world including a full range of tabletop items, silver, crystal, china and linens, as well as, some of the biggest and brightest names in watches and fine jewelry.

If nothing else you will be able to swoon over some of the most luxurious items you could ever hope to receive from your guests Their line of contemporary dinnerware is quite extensive. But as well there are a number of gifts in the Under $100 price range which are fresh and unique.
Another great section to take a peek at is their Jewelry. If you are looking for inspiration on your wedding accessories Gearys really does have show quality jewelry, it's sure to get the creative juices flowing.

The site is easy to navigate and you can set up your registry online very quickly. I like that its the type of site that even after your wedding you can make use of many of the items available from the retailer. Baby showers, Gifts for Men or Women, even Office gifts are all available on the site. Give it a whirl and find a piece to fall in love with.

The first dress I tried on...

Ahh I am so excited right now!!! I don't know if y'all remember my post about a month ago when I tried on my first wedding dress. It was a peter langner that I fell in love with at his trunk show. However, since it was a trunk show and he didn't have pictures of the dresses up yet online, I was not allowed to take any photographs. Also since it was so early on, I was not going to purchase the dress, so I have just had the memory to sustain me...that is until now. As everybody knows most of the designers debuted there collections this past week in NYC and now Peter's dresses are online and I found "mine"!

I am including some photos of it here to share with my fellow brides-to-be. I know it may seem very simple to a lot of brides out there, but that is what I'm looking for. Something classic , delicate and beautiful(not to much to ask right? :)). This dress looked amazing on too ( if I can say so myself) it brought my MOH to tears.

I am going home to upstate NY this weekend, I'm going to go to my first couple of salons with my mom, So I will let you know how that goes..until then here is my favorite dress so far!


^I love the Lines, when its on the way it falls is so elegant.


^ I am not blessed with an ample bust, so I LOVE the sweetheart neckline, since I'm fairly young I feel it gives me the look I am going for. Also, this gives you a good idea of the fine details of the dress, The lines give it added texture, and its even more beautiful in person!



^ Since people will be staring at my back ( during the ceremony) I love the buttons!





^ Full shot from the back...*sigh*..can you tell I'm in love? :)

(all photographs courtesy of Brides.com)

Music - the high notes and low notes

The good news:
We've FINALLY settled on our first dance song!!! We've been largely undecided for a myriad of reasons that aren't worth going into but whatever the case, we've got it together now. We will be using "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins.

It's definitely an "old school" kind of song but it's actually the first song that we danced to together (why in the heck was it even a question for us to pick this then, right?) and also, the lyrics completely apply to us as a couple. And no matter how "old school" and 97.1 After hours/Glenn Hollis it might be *haha* - it's really classic, in my opinion.

Here are the lyrics if you don't know them by heart:

When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do
Is take a look at you, then I'm not so blue
When you're close to me, I can feel your heart beat
I can hear you breathing near my ear
Wouldn't you agree, baby you and me got a groovy kind of love

Anytime you want to you can turn me onto
Anything you want to, anytime at all
When I kiss your lips, ooh I start to shiver
Can't control the quivering inside
Wouldn't you agree, baby you and me got a groovy kind of love, oh

When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do
Is take a look at you, then I'm not so blue
When I'm in your arms, nothing seems to matter
My whole world could shatter, I don't care
Wouldn't you agree, baby you and me got a groovy kind of love
We got a groovy kind of love
We got a groovy kind of love, oh
We got a groovy kind of love

I think it's so sweet! I'm really excited that this is what we settled on because there were some songs that we kicked around that we both really like but none of them are really well-known enough for us to hear them on the radio (for future's sake) and be like, "Hey! That's our song!!!" Because isn't that the point of having a song with someone in the first place?


The bad news:
Remember when I discovered that wedding CD with that really cool version of the Bridal March sung by a German choir and I was all happy and everything??? As it turns out, we aren't going to be able to use it. We were very gently informed this morning at church that it actually has pagan origins! *shock* We are such young and unknowing Lutherans! *yucky face* Kind of stinky because we really did like that version but the one with the choir singing it in German ESPECIALLY has the pagan origins. *shrug* Back to the drawing board for that part of the ceremony music. We are going to be working closely with the music director of our church to figure out music that IS okay and NOT pagan.

For all those ebay lovers out there....

My maid of honor is addicted to eBay...I'm talking addicted! She buys most of her clothing on there and she knows how to work the system. This weekend we had a girls shopping/talk about wedding get together and she informed me that I needed to check out LuxuryLink .

For all you brides that have not heard of Luxury Link I recommend you check it out! Fiance and I have a set budget for the wedding, whatever we have leftover goes towards the honeymoon ( although he did rack up MANY frequent flyer miles with the purchase of a certain ring, so we are hoping to use those :)! So even though we would love to go on a spectacular honeymoon it would be really helpful if we could cut a corner here....this is where my MOH came in.

While talking with her about the different options Fiance and I have floating around in our heads ( ranging from Greece to Turks and Caicos) she matter of factly said to me "you've looked at luxury link right"? I hadn't...I'm not sure if any of you brides out there are going the same route as me, and letting your fiance plan the honeymoon ( for the most part). That's what I've been doing so my effort hadn't been spent researching honeymoons, but I am so glad that she hooked me on luxurylink.

Its a website where you BID on luxury vacations. You can save up to 50% or higher on world class luxury vacations. Yes these are still expensive but much cheaper than if you had paid full value. I know some people are like me , and don't like the whole "gambling" aspect, but they also have the buy now option, its only 20-30% off, but it's still better than nothing!

If anything I recommend just browsing the website, it shows amazing ideas for vacations/honeymoons and you never know what you might stumble across!



Here is just one example of a vacation I was looking at, at Santa Marina Resort & Villas in Mykonos, Greece








Mmm I wish I was there now :)

Speaking of Affordable...

These triple teardrop chandelier earrings are only $45.90 (marked down from $78.00) at Nordstroms.

Affordable Caribbean

In case you missed it, the New York Times sent a team of travel editors and writers to 13 different Caribbean islands to uncover affordable yet nice places to stay, eat, drink, shop and play. If you'd like to have a Caribbean honeymoon but are worried about the cost then you should definitely check out Affordable Caribbean. Now you aren't going to find any luxurious 5-star places, but if you're looking for some place scenic, clean, and less then $100 a night this can't be beat. And coming from someone with lots of travel experience...the best restaurants are the hole-in-the-wall joints serving local, home-made, comfort food for just a few bucks.

Much more than a thousand words

Thought you might enjoy checking out some samples of the lovely team that is doing our photography...

[all images from BalanceWeddings.com]

Nathaniel Corn and Nerissa Miller are Balance Weddings and Balance Photography. They are a husband and wife team who have some of the most brilliant work I've ever seen. The thing that I actually like the best about them is that they aren't just wedding photographers and they have a ton of photography experience in the publishing and photojournalism industries. And I really think that shows in the work that they do for weddings.

One of my favorite magazines in the world is Life magazine. Growing up my mother had a coffee-table book of "The Best of Life" and I used to look through it for hours. I loved how the pictures seemed to make real life come alive. The pictures never looked like just photographs. For me, Nathaniel and Rissa do exactly that.

Certainly the photography has been one of the most important elements for this wedding. And definitely the fact that I shoot weddings myself has a ton to do with where I place my priorities but just the same, flowers wilt and clothing goes out of style, but memories can truly last a lifetime when they are captured as beautifully as they happened in pictures.

New Season Trends: Death of the Ballgown

O.k. who is kidding who? The ballgown will NEVER die. It's a classic princess look and there will never be another time in your life where you can look like a princess. That being said, I've never seen as few ballgowns on the runway as I've seen this season. Most of the styles were a slimmer silhouette. The empire waist was quite possibly the most popular waist line this season and the trumpet/mermaid/fit&flare skirt is going extremely strong. A-line was another classic that showed well. I just didn't see a ton of ballgown except from the few designers that really specialize in ballgowns like Kenneth Pool or Reem Acra.

The good news is it's never been easier to find a different and unique silhouette that will flatter your shape. All pictures from thekot.com and brides.com

1st Row- Jenny Lee, Romona Keveza, Romona Keveza
2nd Row- Romona Keveza, Bonaparte-Ny by Junko Yoskioka, Anne Barge
3rd Row- Priscilla of Boston, Jenny Packham, Amy Kuschel

New Season Trends: Drop Waist

The drop waist trend is still going strong. I think that silhouette is here to stay. It creats a very femine form.


^Kenneth Pool


^Pnina Tornai


^Priscilla of Boston


^Judd Waddell

New Season Trend: Overlay

In general I'd say that most dresses this season are a lot more structured then in the past and I don't think there is as much lace or beading as we've seen previously. Dresses have a cleaner look. That being said there are still some great examples of romantic, soft dresses, with lace and/or embroidery. I've seen it most in overlays...i.e. where there is an underskirt and then an overskirt on top of the bottom skirt. All pictures from theknot.com and brides.com

1st Row - Watters, Claire Pettibone, Claire Pettibone,
2nd Row- Melissa Sweet, Platinum for Priscilla of Boston, Reem Acra
3rd Row- Reem Acra, Amsale, Monique Lhullier

New Season Mini Trend: Obi Style

Going along with the overall belt trend I noticed a mini-trend of Obi style dresses. If you don't know an obi is, it is the piece of cloth that wraps around a kimono so there is a slightly Asian vibe to some of the dresses. All photos from theknot.com and brides.com



^Anne Barge


^Platinum for Priscilla of Boston


^Alvina Valenta

^Rivini

New Season Trends: Belts

Silver metallic belt-like embroidery was also very popular. Once again I think almost every designer had at least a few "belt" dresses. All pictures below from theknot.com and brides.com

1st Row - Carolina Herrera, Romona Keveza, Claire Pettibone
2nd Row- Bonaparte-NY by Junko Yoskioka, Kenneth Pool, Badgley Mischka
3rd Row- Priscilla of Boston, Jenny Packham, Amsale

New Season Trends: Blue

Last season's hot color combo was black and white and this season it is blue. There were blue dresses and blue accents everywhere. At least you will easily have your something "new" and something "blue." All pictures from brides.com and theknot.com.


^Watters


^Reem Acra


^Reem Acra


^Alvina Valeta

New Season Trends: Short Dresses

The new season of wedding dresses have debuted in New York. Time to drool and maybe even time to have a little dress remorse! Over the next few posts I'll be blogging about some of the trends I could spot from the new lines.

First up---short dresses! It's never been a better time to be a short dress bride. Literally I've never seen so many. It seemed like almost every designer had at least one. I love them all! All dresses below from brides.com and the knot.com

1st Row - Melissa Sweet, Jenny Lee, Romona Keveza
2nd Row - Anne Barge, Priscilla of Boston, Platinum for Priscilla of Boston
3rd Row - Platinum for Priscilla of Boston, Vineyard Collection, Jim Hjelm

And counting!!!

I don't know if anyone else is doing this but I'm definitely starting to countdown to the Big Day.

:)

About a half an hour ago I realized that by this exact time in just six months I will be in my dress and at the altar taking my vows. By this time in six months I will be a married lady!!!

I was just looking at pictures of my dress online (at David's Bridal) and I'm just getting so excited about it all. I was never a girl who dreamed and schemed about what my wedding day would be like but the faster it approaches, the more I really do dream about how cool it's going to be. Also, meeting other brides-to-be or seeing pictures of their very recent weddings makes me even more excited. I guess it's kind of like "the more, the merrier"? I don't know. David's Bridal has a new feature on the site where you can submit reviews and even pictures of the dresses that you try-on/choose. It's really cool to see the how the same dresses can look so incredibly different depending upon who is wearing them. David's Bridal's new feature definitely made some of the dresses that I tried on but didn't choose look really stunning on certain people. Check it out if you're just starting your dress search even if you aren't interested in buying from David's Bridal since it helps to see how the dress silhouette works with different body types.

*sigh*

Guess that's it. I'm just really getting excited about the Big Day. I've been more into the whole music than the dress and stuff but perhaps tonight when husband2Be goes out for his evening activities I'll try on my dress and dance around a little in the living room. I mean... I have to get used to wearing it don't I???

DreamHouse's I Do-How To

We spoke about Dream House previously and how cool the whole concept is. I don't know how many of you had the chance to get up to NY and check but I am telling change your plans for this weekend hop in the car and head up there for a really neat experience. The Icon, Sylvia Weinstock will be there in person this weekend. I love, love, love Sylvia and ad the pleasure of meeting and speaking with her last year. What a gem. Not only will Sylvia be on hand but a fantastic cadre of wedding professionals to give you some inspiration on your own wedding. Bring your books and have the autographed for a forever keepsake.

WHAT/WHO:	Dream House is the first-ever, tourable show house displaying the best in bridal, beauty, fashion, fitness, registry and home for the bride-to-be. The show house will host events with the editors of Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Brides.com and Brides local magazines. Special seminars will be given from top wedding experts, home designers, fitness gurus and more. · Saturday, October 27th (12:00noon-5:00pm) Meet the Experts "I DO" HOW-TO WITH SYLVIA WEINSTOCK, SUE FLEMING, MARK GARRISON & MORE! Plan your big day with a complete wedding workshop, featuring: · Sylvia Weinstock's wedding cake tips · Sue Fleming's advice on gown-worthy fitness · Mark Garrison's hairstyle inspirations · Joann & Frank Gergoli's destination wedding advice · Mara Urshel's fashion tips · Sharon Naylor's wedding style trends · Marc Alvarez's cooking demonstration ·
WHEN / WHERE:	LOCATION: 112 East 73rd Street DATES: Open October 18 to November 15 HOURS: Tuesday thru Saturday, 11AM to 6PM
HOW:	· Tickets are FREE To register, visit: http://www.brides.com/dreamhouse
VISUAL:	· For a virtual tour of the Dream House visit: http://www.brides.com/promotions/dreamhouse/virtualtour

New Honeymoon Destinations

Is it just us, or is there something divine about staying at a brand-new hotel? After all, nothing puts the kibosh on romance like signs of previous guests (gross). So for those of you lucky ducks planning a honeymoon in 08 or 09, here are the top five new resorts you should think about to checking out. Now that Provo has become as crowded as Cancun, developers are slowly taking over the rest of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Ritz-Carlton is opening the West Caicos Reserve in December 2008, and Mandarin Oriental is settling in on nearby Dellis Cay. On the other side of the globe, just east of Madagascar, the new Four Seasons Mauritius will open mid-2008, right around the same time as the Four Seasons Bora Bora (just a shell’s toss from the St. Regis Bora Bora). And speaking of the St. Regis, their highly anticipated St. Regis Anguilla (pictured) should be open by the end of 2008, butlers and all.

Sam Hill Entertainment

When looking at music for the wedding Fiance and I were pretty sure we wanted a band as opposed to a d.j. Fiance is a huge live music fan and we both liked the atmosphere that a band can create. Unfortunately, bands usually cost a lot more then a d.j. and Fiance and I didn't want to spend a ton of money...which meant we had to research, research, research to find a good but reasonably priced band.

Hands down the best resource we found for researching bands was Sam Hill Entertainment. They are a booking agency based out of Charlottesville but they book all along the East Coast (focusing mostly on D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina). What sets Sam Hill apart from the other booking agencies is their website and their customer service.

They were the only booking agency we found that listed the price range of the bands on their website. This was so incredibly helpful. We didn't have to contact an agent just to see if the band we were looking at was expensive or not. Fiance and I could look at bands that were within our budget range and not get our hearts set on something we couldn't afford. We could see videos, listen to music clips, and read reviews of the different bands as well. It was also a great learning tool...what's the difference between a $10,000 band and a $1,500 band? Take a listen and see.

Some other agencies I contacted were less then helpful and actually refused to give me a price list for their bands...so there was no way I could compare bands or figure out what fit within my budget. I felt that any place that would refuse to share prices of the product they are supposed to be marketing was probably pretty unethical and trying to hide something so I didn't give them my business. I didn't want any financial "surprises" on my wedding day.

When you look through Sam Hill's site make sure you put in the correct region your wedding will be in...part of the pricing on the bands depends on the location of the band....so a band based out of Philadelphia will be cheaper if your wedding is in Philly and more expensive if the band has to travel from Philly to D.C. Hiring a local band can save you a couple hundred to a $1,000+

Church Street Bridal

If you are a bride on a budget and want to help a good cause consider making a trip down to Lynchburg, VA to check out Church Street Bridal. All of the dresses there range from $200-300 and all the proceeds go to help fund projects at the YWCA and the Domestic Violence Shelter there. The dresses are brand new and are donated from other bridal stores and bridal designers. Previous donations have come from Jim Hjelm, Kleinfeld Bridal in New York, and over a dozen local bridal stores.

They also sell veils, hairpins, tiaras, formal gowns, and tuxes. All for SUPER cheap.

And for after the wedding let your bridesmaid's know about their Prom Dress Project. Gently used and new dresses are sold at a discounted price so girls can afford to go to prom. Your bridesmaids could make a donation so that at least someone else might wear that dress again...plus they could write it off as a tax deduction.

Bridesmaid Dresses...

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm letting my bridesmaids pick out there own dresses. Now let me explain myself, I have set a color I want (burgundy) and they must find a dress that they can all agree on, and I get final veto power. I have a few reasons for this, but one is there is a variety of sizes and shapes among my friends and I want everyone to be happy. I know this is "my day", but these are the friends that have put up with me for the past year of engagement/many years before that. I want them to look beautiful, and be comfortable in what they are wearing. I mean I've already found my soul mate, who knows if they could meet theirs that night also :)

I have been a bridesmaid many times,each time buying a dress that I know I will never wear again, a dress I don't even like. I wanted to do it different. I've already posted about the Ann Taylor collection, which I Love, they offer dresses that you CAN wear again, what a concept!

Here are a few dresses that I've come across, that meet my requirements of fashionable enough to wear again,but not insanely expensive! I would love to hear what other brides-to-be have found!




^ This beautiful dress is from Jones New York and is available at Nordstrom for $160


^ This would be the color burgundy of the dress from J-Crew


^Same dress-different color, but a better idea of what it looks like.

Busy, but loving BizBash!

I've got to make this quick because I'm swamped at work, but tonight I'm attending a huge soiree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which I'll obviously be checking out for great ideas. While discussing the event at work today, I heard "BizBash" come up several times and had no clue what it was. I've definitely been missing out.

BizBash is a Website that provides ideas and reviews for parties, and to my delight, they have a whole site dedicated to DC! You can find information on venue news, which is helpful because if your wedding is a year or more away, you can check to see which ones could be renovating or making big changes, and be one of the first brides to host a reception in a new facility. Also, there are sections for trends and ideas and tips and strategies. The vendors section has tons great little tidbits, too.

I wish I had 5 hours to puruse to my heart's content, but let me know if you guys find anything great. I'll update again when I have more time to play on the site and see what it has to offer!

Dolls for our doll-faced flowergirl

I've already taken care of my side of the bridal party and I'm just about done with one of our flower girls - my 2 1/2 year old niece.

My niece collects these dolls called Madame Alexander dolls, carrying on a tradition started by her grandmother and mother. Each Madame A is about 8" tall and has cute little hand-painted face, blinky eyes, and outfits to represent countries, holidays, or storybooks. They range in price from $50 all the way up and over $200. Between her mother, her grandmother, and myself (I worked at FAO Schwarz in college and passed on my small collection to her because I lost interest in it), my niece has about seven dolls already. Since the dolls are so expensive and special, I decided to add to her collection for our bridal party gift to her!

The problem with giving her something like a Madame A, though, is of course that she's certainly not old enough to enjoy or understand the value of something like a Madame A. And rightfully so. How much fun is it to receive something that is this pretty:

... that you can only look at??? I remember what it feels like to have that happen. And I will not do something so cruel and unfair like that to my sweet little niecey.

SO... I needed to come up with something to make a gift like that a little more fun.

Enter McDonalds.

*??????*

I KNOW. What am I talking about?

It just so happens that in the years 2002 and 2003, McDonalds teamed up with Madame Alexander and put play dolls in their happy meals for girls! After some extentsive searching on Ebay, I actually found a bride and a groom (Memories of a Lifetime Bride/Groom) originally released by McD's and still new in their packages!!! I bid on them, one them, and bought them for about $12 with shipping and handling. The plan is to give them (along with two others I found and couldn't resist also getting) to my niece along with the collectible Madame A that can only be looked at. Here are the ones that are play-worthy (picture can be clicked on to see a nice big picture of them in detail):

I'm really excited about this idea. I don't know if my niece will pay any mind to the fact that the collectible version is going to packaged so much nicer than the play dolls - though I'm going to do my very best to package them as closely as possible to how real Madame A's are packaged (tiffany blue boxes with pink tissue paper and white grosgrain ribbon holding the doll in place - I used to be in charge of the doll collection at the store *wink*).

I HIGHLY recommend these McDonald Madame A's instead of the Bride Barbies that they currently have out. Find them on ebay under search terms "McDonald Madame Alexander" or for the bride and groom "Memories of a Lifetime Bride" (or groom).

Can the mother of the bride wear black?

I love how chic the below outfit from Ann Taylor looks. I think it would make a great bridesmaid outfit or even a Mother of the Bride outfit. Although black bridesmaid dresses are pretty common now and guests wearing black is no big deal anymore I think a black MOB dress might be the final frontier that no one would be willing to cross into because supposedly wearing black to a wedding means you disapprove of the marriage. I think the only exception is for extremely formal weddings and then black in acceptable. Now, my mom is plus size and Ann Taylor doesn't make plus size (booo! wake up Ann Taylor!) so she couldn't wear this anyway but I have the feeling if I suggested black to her she'd say no-way.

Time to Go to BootCamp--

This was the original Reason I posted, but I thought I would share the un-conventional method first (the Wii) which is the method my Fiance prefers. Once you get thru the initial cost of purchase ( I admit it's not cheap) it is free, and you can use it whenever you want.



However, I need something strong to jump kick me. I went in for my routine yearly physical the other day and my doctor recommended boot camp. Since I am already healthy and in semi-good shape, she thinks this would be perfect to help get rid of those extra few pounds and shape up.

There are two boot-camps I have been researching. The first one Active Duty is a woman's only boot camp, they have locations all over Northern Virginia.






It offers Classes 4 days a week, with a monthly rate. If you would like to do a one week trial ( to make sure its right for you) it will cost $49. The next trial is starting next Monday ( the 29th)

Fitness Image Results is another boot camp that appealed to me







They are located in Virginia, Maryland and the DC area. The next session starts October 29th.



The only drawback of these sessions is that they do run from 6-7am. However, this is a great way to jump start your day, get a great work out in, and to motivate yourself!

Getting in shap part one..

I'm not sure if this is a problem for any of you other brides out there, but personally I want to lose a few pounds before my wedding. Nothing too major, between 15-20 pounds, but in 11 months that is not bad! However, I want to lose a majority of it before I go dress shopping ( alterations are expensive, and dresses are expensive enough)! I know its cheaper to go smaller than bigger, but I still would rather not have to make extensive alterations! I've been playing with an idea of getting a Wii and I have a feeling that Momma Alexandria is going to be getting me that for Christmas ( if you're reading this hint hint :) ) A main reason why this interests me is the Wii Fit , a video game that helps you get in shape go figure. I also figured this is something my fiance and I can enjoy together! One of My fiances groomsman is one of my best friends, he is quite the video game dork and has informed me that the Wii Fit is coming out around Christmas time, perfect to put on your Christmas list!

The sound of music

We've started planning the ceremony. We still have to sit down with the Pastor to really discuss details but for now we're starting with the music.

Over the weekend we stumbled upon this $5 disc of wedding music at Wal-mart. It's called "The Best Traditional Wedding Music." It's just a compilation of typical wedding type music but I thought it would be good to listen so that we could get a better idea of what we will use for the processional and stuff like that. Turns out this might be the best $5 we'll probably spend for the wedding!

If you click on the link above to CDUniverse.com where you can buy the disc (for $7 plus shipping) you can hear samplings of two songs that we are now planning to use in our ceremony.

For the processional we will be using track 3 - Chopin's Etude Op. 10. I've always loved Chopin (I took piano lessons in my childhood) and I've actually never heard of this Chopin piece before. It's very sweet and (I think) a great alternative to Air or Canon that I've heard way too often at what seems to be any given wedding. We will also be using Amazing Grace for the processional (for the guys) but the version we are using is something done completely with bagpipes from husband2Be's private collection.

For the bridal/wedding march we're using the traditional "Here comes the bride..." but not just the instrumental version. The disc that we got actually has one that is sung by a chorus and in GERMAN. It's SO COOL!!! We listened to it in the car immediately after getting it and we both looked at each other and it was a complete no-brainer to use it instead of something just instrumental or of our church organist. I actually even got chills and a little teary eyed listening to it and imagining myself walking down the aisle on The Big Day. I completely didn't expect this of myself. It's very powerful though so listen to the clip of it.

I don't know how "tacky" it might be to use a soundtrack of sorts for the ceremony but our church has a really outstanding sound system and there's just no way that we could get a German choir in there to sing the Wedding March as we heard it. *shrug* Since we are also planning some contemporary Christian music (I don't listen to a lot but my faves are Bethany Dillon, Nichole Nordeman, Bebo Norman, Natalie Grant) prior to the ceremony when people are being seated, I figure that it can all go pretty seamlessly by putting on the CD and just going with it all. This will also help us to stay on the time schedule that we will need to keep.

Anyway, that's what we have so far. I'll keep you posted on the rest as we figure it out. And until then, I'm going to go listen to that version of the Wedding March again. *wink*

So I don't mean to be a copy cat, but....

Meow! I saw this post on Weddingbee a few days ago and, given my recent journey into the world of wedding photography, I had to find out more.

So like Ms. Tulip, also a DC bride, says, Punam Bean is amazing. Now, you can see from the photos that she is everything a girl could dream of in a photographer.

AND, as I was happy to tell her on the phone this evening, it's unbelievable that for an artist whose results are of such a high caliber, she charges a starting fee of only $2000. I've seen less amazing work for 6 G's, and I'm sure once she continues to gain notoriety, she will deservedly be able to charge much more. And for fun, she throws in a free engagement photo session, a DVD of all your photos and a few other little perks that make her even more enticing.

Punam is based in New York but will travel to DC for around $300, which again, is extremely economical. Her style is fresh and romantic. But what's best about her, ladies, is that she doesn't just offer incredible results, she provides an incredible process. She conveyed tons of flexibility in scheduling and a real inquisitiveness about who we are. Even just in an informational phone conversation you can immediately tell that she's knowledgeable, easy to work with and very focused on finding the right balance of your style and hers, which I love. Because what drew me to Punam is her style, so I would feel completely comfortable letting her dictate what the best photographic translation for our wedding would be.

I'm really excited to move forward with getting to know her and hopefully bringing my photographer search to a beautiful close.!

Be our guest!

Our guest list has been finalized!!! We will be officially inviting about 175 people but expecting just barely 150 - to go along with that whole rule that 20% will not show up. I have to even wonder if we will be more like 30% declining since our wedding is actually going to be an out-of-town even for just about ever single guest - including our family members!

The wedding invitations that we picked are from a seller on ebay who also has a website called ILoveThisCard.com. I found the seller by searching on ebay for "asian wedding invitation" and I cannot tell you how pleased I am with the design and quality of the work. This is what we will be using for our invites:

All of the cards are hand-made by a lovely lady named Diorbhle McGraw. She has an impeccable sense of style AND sense of composition and her workmanship is very high quality.

The cost of our invitations (without shipping) will be somewhere around $3.75/invitation and RSVP card (WITH envelopes printed with addresses!) and we will be adding our own "info" and map cards to the whole invitation package and sealing it all up together in envelopes that I still have to scout down and find. From what I've priced, the price that we are paying for our invites is WONDERFUL and I am really excited to be able to finally order them with our guest list now taken care of.

Check out Diorbhle's designs at her site! She does all kinds of stationary and I've had a number of exchanges with her via email is she is SO nice! I think my future mother-in-law might even be considering rehearsal dinner invites from her. :)

For the Sports Enthusiast..

In case any of you are wondering why I'm posting this at close to midnight, its because I have been up watching my beloved Bo-Sox win another ticket to the world series ( I hope I am not jinxing them writing this an inning too early!) With that in mind, watching the game I began to think about weddings at baseball stadiums.I thought in honor of the mania going on I would do a post about it! I know this is not an original idea, but while my fiance was trying to show me pictures of Houston's Minute Maid Park ( I guess they have a flagpole on there field?) I saw some pictures of a wedding occurring there. I know its a unique location, and probably not for every bride but I thought some of these Pictures , from talented DW Photography--were beautiful to look at, and captured an unforgettable location for the die hard sports fan.












If you are interested in having your wedding at a sports venue you should check with your local ballpark, many are willing to have special events there, especially if the team is off season.

Pura Lopez at Footlux

I adore these bridal shoes by Pura Lopez. Especially the first pair...they are so classic and elegant. Since the first pair are from her new season you can get 10% off by entering code SEVENDAYSERENADE at checkout. You can find them all at Footlux. Wouldn't you know it they are already out of my size in the first pair?

^Sisi Pump by Pura Lopez.


^Sisi Pump by Pura Lopez detail



^Alis Pump by Pura Lopez

^Inara Slingback by Pura Lopez

Bella!

For the first time last Friday, I pursued finding a photographer for our wedding. Since my photography budget is on the low end of the spectrum, around $2000, I have been searching for someone with talent and style who can give us a REAL photojournalistic look on shoestring funds. Somehow I stumbled across Bella Pictures and signed up on their Website for a consultation. Their packages start right within my budget and include unlimited shots and rights to all digital negatives, which is also important to us.

I met with a fantastic consultant, Melissa, from Bella Pictures. Besides the fact that we have many things in common, she was easy to talk to and very focused on learning what the tone and feeling of our wedding will be. She even had her own wedding pictures to show off, which were taken by Bella seven years ago.

She had me look through several albums of photos and describe which ones I liked and why, and which ones I didn’t and why. She took pages of notes and described the process of how a particular photographer was chosen based on the desires of the couple. Once you put down a deposit, you meet with the photographer that has been assigned for your specific style to make sure it’s the right match and have the open option of switching if you’re not satisfied. Melissa said that she’s only ever had it happen twice out of hundreds of couples.

Bella Pictures is a nationwide company that has photographers all over the country, with a pool of them in each geographic area. The cool part is that they have each been certified by Bella Chief Photographer, Bob Davis, who recently shot Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding in France. What a claim to fame! And it shows!

Since we still have a whole year, we want to check out a few more options before setting anything in stone, but Bella is definitely a contender.

Amphora Bakery...

I am sorry for the lack of posting in the last couple of days, I have been working non stop for the past 72 hours! I am taking a second to relax before bed, so I thought I would catch up here :)

I was trying to think of something to write about, with countless thoughts running through my head ( mainly work related for once!), and Amphora Bakery came to mind. I can't believe I haven't written about them yet, so if I have please forgive me, I am running on 8 hours of sleep for the past 3 days!

With that in mind, if you haven't heard about amphora bakery you need to check them out. This is one resource I actually knew before becoming engaged ( my sweet tooth paid off for something!) Having co-workers who had used them for a corporate event in the past also piqued my interest.

They make lovely cakes, they are also great about if you have a cake you like, you bring in a picture and they will try and re-create what you are looking for. I've also heard that they make great grooms cake.



^ I'm not sure how i feel about the flowers, but the basket weave is done with butter cream frosting, its simple yet a little bit different at the same time.




^ I have always liked round cakes, but I feel the square look here helps a simple cake look a little bit more dramatic.

Edition of One

If you are looking for a really unique and one of a kind wedding or 1st anniversary gift (you're supposed to give paper) you should check out Zoey Wagner's business, Editon of One. Basically Zoey takes your relationship story and turns it into a beautiful hand bound and hand illustrated book.

She starts by talking with you by phone and getting details about you, your personalities, your relationship, etc. and collaborates with you on a story and then you can provide her with pictures or any other details so that she can start doing the sketches.

You can makes books for any occasion...birthdays, retirements, graduations, births, etc. And listen up guys (o.k. I know no guys read this) but this would be the most amazing way in the world to propose with a "will you marry me" page on the last page!

The books can be pricey (remember this is art drawn just for you!) so if you aren't able to commit to a full book you can also get framed art, cards, scrolls, and diptychs or triptychs.

All work below from Zoey Wagner - Edition of One

Changing it up

These days it's seemed to become quite the norm to have not one dress but two! I never would have thought this would be something that I would do except we are having a very East-meets-West wedding and to be able to incorporate both the American culture with the Asian/Vietnamese culture, I'm going to wear a traditional Vietnamese wedding Ao Dai. My pick is the following:


It will be ordered from a website called AoDaiVinh.com. It's based in Vietnam and the outfit will be custom made for me and then shipped over here to the states all for a measly $100 or so. Crazy??? Yeah! It is! And the workmanship is phenomenal too!!! I know because I've ordered from the site before!

I will be wearing a traditional white wedding gown for the ceremony and then changing part way through the reception into the Ao Dai. I'm actually really excited about it because Ao Dais are VERY comfortable to wear (like wearing really nice silk pajamas) and it will be so much easier to dance and groove in.

My shoes? I'll be wearing "ruby red" ballet flats. Think Dorothy's ruby red slippers. I know... it's a little silly but I figured why not have fun with it all and live out a girlish dream of mine and finally have ruby red slippers. :) They are comfy and cheap and I found them at Marshalls in the girls shoe section.

Wanna Wed in New York?

GET MARRIED WITH BRIDES.COM

AT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, VALENTINE’S DAY 2008

Brides.com is taking entries from couples around the world to say, “I do” atop the Empire State Building with the exclusive fashion and beauty help of Brides.com on Valentine’s Day, 2008. To be selected, couples should visit www.brides.com/esb to submit their love stories, photos and reasons for wanting their special day to be held at the Empire State Building.

Winners will be selected based upon the originality and distinctiveness of their submissions and their connection to the building. The call for entry goes until October 31. Couples will be chosen and notified by November 19. Brides.com editors will lend their bridal expertise to the event, styling the “wedding chapel” and helping each of the 14 couples look their best for the big moment. The day will begin at 7 a.m. and conclude in the mid-afternoon with each couple being wed in a unique half-hour ceremony.

Moroccan Vows from Rebecca Bouck - Part III

If you come from an ethnic background consider wearing native dress for some part of your day. It's such a great way to honor your heritage and if you don't feel comfortable wearing it all day then consider doing it for just the reception, part of the reception, or in day after shots. Your guests will probably be more impressed and fascinated by that outfit then they will be by your wedding dress and your parents will be proud.

Be sure to check out Rebbecca Bouck's blog as well. I've added it to my list so I can keep up with the beautiful things she photographs. If you watch reality T.V. you might also recognize this couple. What a happy ending story...you can see their wedding in her portfolio as well.

All photos below by Rebecca Bouck

Moroccan Vows from Rebecca Bouck - Part II

I love the idea of weaving in details either from your own culture or from the cultures of your favorite places. Think of adding in native instruments or singers, common flowers from the country, or traditional decorations. You don't need much to add the right flavor.

Rebecca's prices start at $4,000 which is pretty competitive for our area and considering the caliber of her work I think it is very reasonable. If you look at her portfolio you will see a wedding she did in Maryland so you know she's willing to travel to our neighborhood :) All photos below from Rebbeca Bouck.

Moroccan Vows from Rebecca Bouck - Part I

I ran across this beautiful wedding in the portfolio of talented Arizona based photographer Rebecca Bouck. The wedding was in Morocco and I love how the couple tied in Moroccan themes without being over the top. This is actually something that I think could be very easy to create even on this side of the world with the right accent pieces.

Some Dress Shopping Tips

I thought I'd post about my experience at Hannelore's. It's a popular bridal salon in Old Town Alexandria with a large selection of bridal gowns, bridesmaids dresses and even tuxedos. I went a few weeks ago during their Monique Lhuillier trunk show with my sister--at this point, I'd been to several bridal salons and had a pretty firm idea of what I was looking for.

My saleslady (don't remember her name) asked about some preferences and showed me the general layout of the store. She picked out a couple dresses for me to try on and we went in the dressing room for round one. I didn't really like anything I tried on, so I asked if she'd mind me taking a lap around the store and picking out dresses for myself.

Tip #1: If possible, always go through the dress selection yourself. I totally agree that brides new to the dress-shopping experience should cede to the generally knowledgeable & helpful staff at bridal salons; however, at this point I'd already gone to a few places and had a very good idea of what looked good on me/styles I wanted, etc. I saved myself (and the consultant) a ton of time by just rifling through the racks and picking out the dresses I wanted to try on. Plus things always get lost in translation--I would say that I liked lace and A-lines, but some of the dresses I were brought....yeahh. I still listened to her advice/comments as I browsed the racks.

I found some great dresses to try on and actually narrowed it down to one ML beauty that I'd actually bring my mom back to see.



















Hannelore's has tags on all of their dresses with the designer, style name and price--they are impossible to miss and I would usually look at them as I helped myself in and out of dresses. I didn't get annoyed until I asked the saleslady for the style name of the dress. I had glanced at the tag but couldn't recall the name--I wanted to look it up online and add the picture to my list of possible dresses. She was looking at the tag in her hand--when I asked for the style name, she covered the line with her finger and told me that it didn't have one!!!! I even politely told her that it was below the designer name. Nope. At that point, I took the tag from her and told the style name to my sister. I'm not really sure what she was trying to accomplish, but when coupled with her numerous requests for me to bring in my mom that day (the last day of the trunk show) so that she could log the sale...yeah, no way Jose.

Tip #2: A fellow friend and bride-to-be recently told me that she is scared to go dress-shopping, simply because she is afraid of being bullied into buying something. She's heard various horror stories about pushy and rude salespeople who are eager to make commission off of your once-in-a-lifetime wedding dress. Treat this like any other big purchase. By that I mean that you should do your research and only make a purchase if you are confident it is the right one. Also, don't be afraid to take your business elsewhere. Encountering bad customer service when writing a check for a few thousand dollars? Probably means you'll get bad customer service when you go in for alterations, pick-up, etc.

Of course, this is only my personal experience with one salesperson--I've heard of many brides who had a positive experience at Hannelore's. Honestly, the sheer selection can't be beat. The entire bottom floor is devoted to BM dresses and tuxes!

Hannelore's 106 N. Lee Street (703) 549-0387

Our place of promises

Want to see our church?



The name of it is Trinity Lutheran. The top picture is the exterior and the bottom is the interior. Sorry for the quality of them. The top one I pulled off of the website and I don't know who took it and the bottom one I had to take with the camera on my phone. Whenever I can locate my USB cords, I will try and take better pictures with my big camera and post those.

It's a Lutheran church (not ELCA) and we are not just getting married in it. We actually are becoming active members (we've already started premarital services and Sunday school and stuff) and we are even becoming good friends with the Pastor. Because we will be members, it won't cost us anything to get married in the church. If we just came in off the street it would actually be $1200!!! Crazy, eh? It IS a beautiful church though. The pictures just don't justify it's beauty at all.

The things we like so far about our church:

• It's not stodgy in architecture at all and with the A-frame design in the sanctuary, the ceiling is so insanely high.
• See the big cross that hangs at the very front? All the way down either side of it there is stained glass in blue, green, and yellow and when the sun shines, it splashes all of the colors onto the cross and it is one of the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in any church. And it will be illuminated just like that for our service! YAY!!!
  
• Our pastor is so cool! He's actually only 33 and newly married with a child himself but that's not the cool part. The cool part is that he looks and sounds just like Quentin Tarentino. Is that not the craziest thing in the world??? We haven't told him this because we're still not sure how he will take it but it's completely the truth. I mean, he doesn't say and do all of the vulgar or crazy things that Tarentino does but he definitely looks and sounds like him. And WE think it's pretty cool. Also, he's a really good pastor - sermons and stuff.

So that's our church! We will be having a 3:00PM ceremony with a full-service (following the Lutheran values of faith and worship) and then our reception will be a very short drive down the road and will start at 5:30PM. And the other thing is that we are kind of having two different themes - ceremony will be Lily of the valley and reception will be Asian/Vietnamese.

Flowers everywhere..

As I have said in previous posts, I'm not sure about flowers, I know they are important but I haven't been sold . Obviously I want them, but to spend so much money on something that dies in a few days...I wasn't sure I was buying it. That is until last night.

I have done a lot of research, and up until last night i have seriously been leaning towards online flowers, but that all changed after meeting with Barbara Von Elm of Growing Wild Floral Company last night.

As y'all know I have been second guessing some choices, but so far I have been lucky with my vendors. When we booked our photographer I knew we had made the right choice, that is one thing I have been sure of...and I felt that same feeling last night. I have heard wonderful reviews of Barbara and last night I understood why.

I managed to drag my fiance along, he was surprisingly good considering he doesn't know the difference between a dahlia and a peony :). Barbara started out by having me look at tons and tons of pictures, telling me to pull out pictures that interested me . By doing this she managed to tell what kind of flowers I like, turns out i like layers, with different type of flowers, and colors. She also managed to help me figure out my wedding colors--it seems so simple, I knew I wanted Burgundy, but finding a color to accent it has been harder than i thought. With her mixtures of yellow and fire orange , it made for some beautiful bouquets. I have included some of her beautiful arrangements below to enjoy! Oh also on another high note, the prices are very reasonable, she works with you to fit any budget. After sitting with her for an hour and a half I felt she had a very good idea of who I was, what I wanted and how to make that happen, and THAT is a great feeling to have about a vendor!





^ Love the style, colors arent mine, but still think its beautiful






^ Love the bouqet

^ Thes Roses are Beautiful , dark dark red





^ Different, but beautiful

Cake eaters - Part Two

[Continued]

It's a pretty well known fact (or at least I'm making it a little more well known) that services provided by those in the Asian community can be remarkably cheap. This is without even sacrificing the quality of the quality! It happens like this for a myriad of reasons but whatever the case - don't be afraid of taking advantage of the price breaks that you can get from them!!!

Certainly it helps that I'm Asian and so I'm familiar enough with being in the Asian community and understanding how the different businesses work (they are indeed different - I won't lie) but still - the money that can be saved for the quality of the product? It's totally worth it!

Over the weekend when my mom and I tripped it to Eden Center to get catering information, what was kind of an obstacle actually resulted in a MAJOR solution for us. We found a bakery for our wedding cake!!!

Maria's Bakery is locally owned and operated location of I think 4-5 total locations. The main store is their "factory" and it's based in Rockville. They bake, assemble, and decorate ALL of their products there and then deliver them out to their different store locations. We went to the Edent Center location because we thought that they might do regular catering but saw that they were just a bakery. Rather than leaving empty handed I thought, "Why not just grab a sample of each kind of cake they have and do a sampling at home?" This turned out to be one of the BEST ideas I've had in all of our wedding planning.

Each slice of cake was delicious and we got five slices (decorated and everything!) for less than $10. It was just like going through a sampling process at a wedding cake consulting session. :) The five flavors that we sampled were Orange, Vanilla, Coffee, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Each had a whipped cream type icing and filling and was VERY fancy in decorations. The little shop gal working when we bought it said that for a 25 lb cake (the work in lbs, not per person) - we could serve 150 people and we would NOT be charged for decorations and we could even bring in our own picture and it would all cost for $400 plus $50 for delivery. $450 TOTAL for the wedding cake!!! (this was for Vanilla only but still)

After doing the tasting (sorry I don't have pictures!) we decided on doing Vanilla and Coffee layers with the whipped topping filling. I know it sounds odd but the flavor of the coffee is so subtle that it doesn't taste overbearing and the two together are amazing!

I called the factory yesterday and found out that for our change in flavor (vs. just plain vanilla) it will be $500 plus $50 for delivery but that STILL comes out to something like $3.60 per person??? And the cake and quality is AMAZING!!!!

I'm so happy.

Now I will say this - Asian bakery items do differ from American bakery items. They are much more light in flavor and texture. The cakes resemble Angelfood cake texture than rich Death-by-chocolate type items. BUT - I've grown up with this and I'm used to it and also, we like that it won't be too rich or sweet for people to enjoy the other treats that we will be serving like gourmet coffees made-to-order or fortune cookies dipped in gourmet chocolate.

We will need to provide a picture (for decorations) and half the total cost of the cake to officially book but they can actually do the cake with only two weeks notice - though I won't do this because I'm not that much of a risk taker!

Anyway, that's our cake story! Kind of cool how it worked out.

Clifton Inn Tour Part III

Lying parallel to the indoor veranda is the outside porch. We will be using the porch to set up the band and dance floor. Some of the tables you see pictured here and some of the furniture from the inside will also be placed on the porch to create a lounge area (no extra charge!) so that people that don't want to dance can still sit and listen to the music. I love that people will get to dance beneath the stars and if there is a threat of rain the Inn uses a clear plastic tent so people will still be able to dance beneath the stars (the tent is extra so cross your fingers for good weather.)

Some brides that rent the Inn use the porch for a happy hour or they set up tables for the actual reception and move the dance floor to the lawn below.


^View of the porch looking towards the pool/gazebo side of the house.


^This is the side of the Inn that has the gazebo and in the distance you can see the infinity/waterfall pool.


^View of the porch looking towards the garden side of the Inn


^This is the garden on one side of the Inn. Many brides set up chairs here and have their ceremony.

Calling ALL Pet Lovers

Are you incorporating your beloved pet into your wedding? Washingtonian Magazine is looking for the most interesting use of pets in a wedding they can find.

Parrots, Iguanas and Llamas Oh My!!! Thinking of riding horseback on your beloved steed and having him serve as your honor attendant? Will your macaw assist the officiant in the ceremony? We want to hear about it. Kitty Cats and pups are welcome too. Tell us about how you plan to incorporate your pet into your wedding or reception. Leave a comment with an email address so that we can get in contact with you or send them directly to Mrs. Nearlywed at
blogwithus at dcnearlyweds dot com. Do it Now and tell a friend!!

Caterers ...

Tonight I get to go to my first tasting!! I am uber excited! Fiance and I have spent countless hours searching for the perfect caterer for US. I enunciated the for US, because we have some specific requests. As I informed you guys earlier, we want to have Tapas instead of traditional hors d'oeuveres, however then for a first course we decided we wanted to incorporate some of the other side of the families New England heritage, so perhaps a nice lobster bisque or a lobster roll, then a main meal that had traditional yet Cuban undertones..trying to achieve all of this might sound easy, but let me tell you it has been a struggle.

I will tell you about the three caterers we have talked to in another post, today though i want to focus on Basikneads

I am going for the tasting tonight so I will definitely do another post tomorrow, but so far they have been wonderful to work with. They were doing a reception at the Galleria ( where my reception is going to be) two weeks ago, they let me come and look at it as they were preparing. It was amazing to see the space transformed like that!

The people at Basikneads really listen to you, they are the first caterers who didn't try and incorporate Mexican into our proposal--I know its part of the Latin family but there is a HUGE difference between Spanish/Cuban food and Mexican food, although I do love Mexican food it was not what we were looking for. I found that to be a bad sign when other caters seemed to ignore what i had carefully told them and go with a proposal of there own. Basikneads was also the first caterer who knew what ropa vieja was, and even suggest it on his own!



There is a great article about Basikneads in Modern Bride . I will defiantly have more to say tonight once I have been to the tasting, but so far they have been amazing to work with, and I could definitely see them as being our caterer!

Second Guessing....

This post isn't about a great idea, or an awesome find...it is actually a question to my fellow brides out there. Do you ever find yourself second guessing decisions? Obviously not the important ones, as in I have never second guessed the fact that I am marrying my wonderful fiance, that is one thing I am sure is perfect. However, all the lesser choices, have suddenly seemed too rash, to quick, what if they are not perfect? I even found myself staring at my lovely, solitaire princess cut Tiffany engagement ring, the ring I have wanted since I was a Little girl, wondering if I should have gotten a circular cut, perhaps 3 stone? It was at that moment that I knew I was over analyzing everything. How do you stop though? I have so much figured out the church, the reception site, the DJ, the photographer...then the doubt starts fading in. Is the reception site not intimate enough? is it to big? Should I really be spending this much on a wedding, should I just elope, what about a destination wedding? Seriously, these are the thoughts that have been running through my mind the last few days. Although I would love a destination wedding, with the grandparents we know this isn't possible, and the fact is I know i want to have my Friends and family there with me on my day, so I usually can talk myself out of that rut, but the other Little questions won't seem to go away. I think a main reason is I have this tendency of buying every bridal magazine I see, its true, my house is starting to look like a bridal shop, we have about 20 magazines laying around..no joke. Every time I read a new article, see a new idea, I want to incorporate it, I MUST have it. its like sensory overload. I worry that this is my only wedding, I don't want to mess it up, I don't want to regret anything. Last night, surrounded by wedding magazines, books and planners , about to have a nervous breakdown when my fiance told me, that as long as I was there the wedding would be perfect. That sweet sentiment calmed me for a little bit, but now I'm back in overload. Do you ever feel that there is just so much information? so many choices, do you worry you are making the right ones? I haven't even started the dress search yet, that's starting in November/December I'm sure that will bring a lot more questions! Anyways, Like I said at the beginning this post isn't a great idea, I just wondered if other brides out there were having trouble being decisive, or second guessing decisions they had made. I know the important part is the marriage, but I feel that there is just a bombardment of information out there and its hard not to get swept up in the fairytale!

Cake eaters - Part One

Originally we weren't going to get a wedding cake and we wanted to do a dessert bar instead. The only kind of cake that husband2Be actually like is Angelfood cake and if you know anything about wedding cakes, you can't make them out of Angefood. *shrug* We also don't like fondant and we don't like the $4.50/person price tag of wedding cakes.

So we started researching dessert bars. We wanted to do baby cream puffs, mini key lime pies, fairy lemon pies (kind of like lemon meringue), eclairs, and strawberry shortcakes, and a chocolate fountain. As it turned out though, a dessert bar is much more than even a wedding cake. Who knew?

After extensive round-a-bout discussions, we returned to the idea of doing a wedding cake for the sake of tradition. To cut the costs we came up with the idea of doing a small cutting cake and then a sheet cake for the guests. I contacted a baker near the school where we teach and found out we could get both for just over $250 - serving 150 people. Not bad, eh? It would have to be unadorned though as the decorations would cost us more. The bakery is called The Cakery and it's located in Bowie.

Well, yesterday my parents came up to pitch in and help us with stuff of late (moving, wedding things, etc.) My dad and husband2Be stayed at the apartment to do the "guy stuff" and my mother and I skipped off to Eden Center at Seven Corners in Falls Church, VA. Our goal was to get catering information (it's still not taken care of!) but we ended up figuring out what to do for a wedding cake!

Do you trust Asian bakeries??? WE do. And we found a great one to buy from (one of actually four locations in the NoVA area) that will serve all our 150 guests and be somewhere around $450 (just vanilla) - including any decorations & we can even bring in our own picture! Yay!

[To be continued...]

Clifton Inn The Tour Continues

Following on from my last post on my venue. If you keep on walking straight as you enter the front door you will walk onto the covered veranda. This was the room that sold me...I don't think you could find a more perfect space for one long table. The tables will be pushed together with openings so that people can get up to go to the restroom and the servers can serve people.

I like that all the chairs, linens, and china were all included in the price of the rental. They told me we could rent different chairs, linens, and china if I wanted but I love these chairs! I also know I'd have to pay out the nose to have something as cool as these if I were to rent them myself. And since I hadn't picked any wedding colors or themes when I first saw pictures of the place I decided to work with what my venue already had instead of coming up with colors that didn't work with my venue. White linens fit perfectly with my green/white colors and the sea glass colored china will also be complementary although I do have a choice to go with all white china as well.

Lesson learned: Save money by picking a venue that fits your theme/colors or build your theme/colors around your venue so that you don't spend a ton of money renting fuchsia linens and silver chairs to try to "transform" your venue.


^The view of the veranda from the far right. The veranda will seat about 60 people.


^View of the veranda from the far left.


^Connected to the veranda is another dining room which we will use for the extra 25 guests. They will be at one long table in this room. The room connects to the veranda in an L shape.


^Fiance and I will sit right where you see that man sitting so that we can see all our guests sitting down the one long table on the veranda and all our guests at one long table in the dining room.

All dressed up with some place pretty important to go

This is what I'll be wearing on my wedding day.
[picture courtesy of my dad]

I got it from David's Bridal and it's nothing like what I thought I wanted - that being something more form fitting and less princess-y. Honestly though? I love the dress. I really do. When I put it on with the veil and looked in the mirror, it was an amazing moment. Both my mother and my grandmother couldn't help but well up with tears when they saw me. :) And I know that my husband2Be is going to love it as well based on the reactions from my dad and both of my older brothers (who usually never have anything good to say unless it's snarky and silly).

I still need to get it fitted and won't be doing that until February but there's not too much that needs to be done to it other than getting it shortened, bustled (it will be an under bustle), and fitted in through the bodice.

The veil I am wearing is also from David's Bridal and has matching lace detailing of the same design as the dress. Total cost for everything (including the merrywidow and skirt slip) without alterations was just about $1000. Pretty good and it exactly met our budget! I WILL be getting another dress for the reception (a traditional Vietnamese wedding Ao Dai - I'll show a picture of that another time) but that will only be another $100 or so.

Additionally, I know that there is a lot of divided opinion about David's Bridal but I can honestly say that despite all of the bad things I've heard, I had a great experience. Surely a lot of that had to do with the consultant that I managed to be paired up with but I don't feel like my experience was any less wonderful without all of the extras that upscale bridal salons would have provided. I had a great time and so did my mom and grandmother. I definitely recommend going to David's Bridal. Just be sure (as with any place) to make an appointment before you go. :)

My Reception Venue - The Clifton Inn

While we were in Charlottesville fiance and I also visited our reception venue...for the first time. Yep, that's right, fiance and I chose our venue and signed a contract without ever having visited it. That was about 9 months ago and we haven't seen it in person until now. I know that sounds crazy, but as I said before, fiance and I often have to live overseas for our jobs so we weren't in the country at the time we were doing a lot of our wedding planning. If I had waited until I returned to the U.S. I would have only had about 9 months until the wedding and I didn't want to wait that long and risk missing out on same great venues.

So how did we chose our venue? Very Carefully. We looked at a ton of pictures and read all the reviews of our site on TripAdvisor. I had a few requirements....it had to be small and intimate, no ballrooms, and it had to be able to accommodate one long table for all the guests. When we first looked at the Clifton Inn online I counted it out because it seemed to be beyond our budget. With the help of a planner, though, we were able to make it work. The main requirements for renting the Inn are that you have to rent all 18 of the rooms on the grounds for the weekend. This was too pricey for us, but since we are having a Sunday wedding we only had to rent all the rooms for one night instead of two. We also have a lower food/beverage minimum to meet then a normal Saturday wedding has. The lesson here is ALWAYS inquire...don't just assume you can't have something...a lot of places are willing to negotiate. That's not to say miracles can happen but if a place is a little bit more then your budget will allow then you should at least inquire to see what they are willing to do for you.

After negotiating the price of the rooms with the Inn we were able to rent the Inn for an equal price as you would pay for some of the nicer venues in D.C. The only difference is that instead of paying to rent a nice place in D.C. for 5 hours we get rooms for a large number of our guests and get the Inn for 24 hours. Oh, and did I mention that afternoon tea and breakfast is included in the cost of rental? We are splitting the costs of the rooms with the guests who will be staying there (the bridal party and close family members) but you could pay for it all yourself or have your guests pay for the rooms since they would be paying for accommodation normally anyway.


^Driving up to the Clifton Inn


^The front of the Inn


^Looking at the lawn from the front porch. Brides with large guest lists often set up a tent on this lawn.


^View right after you walk through the front door.

Over the next couple days I'll take you on a tour of the Clifton Inn. Fiance and I were very relieved at how great the Inn was...we feel like we really lucked out.

Schwag for my ladies

I don't have bridesmaids. Why? Because all of my girlfriends have more than earned the titles of Maid of Honors. And so it is that I have four of Maidens of Honor. :)

I've been in my fair share of weddings and I've gotten some pretty nice schwag. Honestly though? The one sterling silver bangle with my initials engraved was only worn at the wedding I was in (certainly it helps that my initials spell out ARM and so I HATED wearing the bracelet like it was labeling my arm) and the one crystal mikasa dish for potpourri? I think it was sold in a yard sale a couple of years back.

Now, it's not that I didn't like the gifts I received. It's just that none of them were particularly useful to me. I know it's brutal but I'm also trying to be completely honest.

So when I was thinking about my ladies I really tried to think of things that would be 1) useful, 2) classic, 3) fun, 4) personal. After a lot of brainstorming, I came up with the idea to give them all 1) something matching and 2) something personalized/individualized.

The matching something is a Coach Signature hobo-style mini pouch (4.5"x7.5") in Leaf Green:

I picked four of these up at the Coach outlet in Reading, PA near the family vacation home for a measly $59 each!!! One of our theme colors is green (like bamboo) and I feel like this size is reasonable for any of my ladies. Granted it's not a purse of the current coach collection and it was bought at the Coach outlet BUT - it's still authentic Coach, of a classic design, and versatile enough to be used casually or for going out for a "date-night." Also as a bonuse, the Coach outlet wrapped each of these in the signature tissue paper, sealed them with the Coach stickers and provided me with Coach boxing/packaging. Not too shabby for "outlet" quality, eh?

For the personalized/individualized items, I'm planning on doing stationary from DesignHerGals.com - featured on Oprah and allows you to design little cartoon characters of each ladies' likeness WITH outfits and accessories and everything OR small bottles of their personal scents/perfumes.

All together, the total package for each lady should not exceed $100 and will completely fit within our budget! :)

Shout Outs !!

We don't do Shout Outs but if we did, we would be sure to mention the absolutely fantastic blogs in blogsphere. Take a moment to show some love and subscribe to their feeds. I am sure they will show you as much love as we do (you are subscribing here right? Do it NOW:)

Social Design - Philly's Finest, jaw dropping!
Ross Oscar Knight Fantastic Atlanta Photographer
Borrowed Blue Equally fantastic Baltimore Photographer
Weddingbee Who doesn't know about the bees, flowers and fruits over at Weddingbee?
Faye and Greer Style possessed Mother/Daughter team
Style Me Pretty I am obsessed with Abby's Invitations, her blog is equally incredible.
Design Sponge Not specifically weddings, but Divine Design Inspiration
Brooklyn Bride Uber Organized site, looking for resources head over here.
Black Eiffel I love when people are comfortable in their creativity. It shows.
Oh Joy! Oh Boy!! No words just head over here and start scrolling, Heaven in a blog.
Toast and Tables If it's worth buying, you'll find it here.
Bridal Bar Another great find for all things wedding worthy
Weddings by Socialites I want to go with Kelli to Wedding Salon - Miami , seriously!
Bridalwave UK's best, you know I love all things European.

I got a "B" in my relationship.

Haha! It doesn't really work like that though.

Husband2be and I are starting premarital counseling. I don't know if others are doing this as well but for us it's necessary for us to be married in our church. Months ago I was deadset on not having to "go to classes" in order to get married but now that we've started this process, I'm understanding it much differently.

The process of counseling is actually not to talk about issues that you actively have but more to be preventative about issues that might arise in the future because they were never brought up or discussed before you become married.

Our pastor happens to be a very forward thinking type (who also looks and sounds like Quentin Tarentino - but that's really another blog posting) and directed us to a website called Zoe Score in order to assess the "issues" that we need to look at before legally binding ourselves to one another.

The system creates a 300 or so questionnaire that presents situations and asks a number of types of questions in different ways so as to get an accurate answer of how you feel about one thing specifically. Both people are supposed to take it separately and then you compare answers with the help of your moderator.

He has told us repeatedly not to equate our score to our success in our relationship but we got a solid 80% and it's so much funnier for me to think of it like a grade since we are both teachers.

Not sure how much it costs to take the test since the cost was subsidized for us by some church members who really believe in premarital counseling but I will say that after seeing the results, I think it was well worth the time and the money that I would have paid anyway. I think even if you don't have someone leading your through premarital discussions it could be a really good thing to go through and discuss amongst yourselves.

Otherwise engaged

Though our engagement story is kind of private (as decided with husband2Be), I will share the story of our engagement ring.

I'm not a fan of diamonds at all. Perhaps it's because I prefer colorful things or maybe it's because I have issues with how much conflict they have caused in the rest of the world. Whatever the case, we decided not to do a traditional diamond engagement ring. So began the search for what we would use instead...

We'd heard of people designing their own rings and we really liked that idea. During the time of our courting I was living in the heart of Georgetown so we took a trip to Christian Bernard Jewelers in Georgetown Park Mall. It turned out to be The Place where we got The Ring. :)

We had discussed and decided to go with an aquamarine stone (husband2Be's birthstone) in a setting of vintage styling and possibly with a filligree design. We pored through books of settings to gather ideas and couldn't find anything that worked for us. We ended up turning to Google and Ebay for ideas. After weeks and months of gathering ideas, we printed them all out and took them back to Christian Bernard. They consulted with their jeweler and a week later confirmed with us that we could have a custom made (completely UNIQUE ring even with a custom cut stone!) for under $1000!!!

I know what you're thinking. A custom made engagement ring under $1K? IMPOSSIBLE.

Well, here are a few things about what we decided to do that helped the cost:

• The kind of stone we chose was significantly less expensive NOT being a diamond. We got a one carat Aquamarine and it was even imported all the way from Thailand and it is of incredible quality. Price? $400-something.
• We used sterling silver instead of white gold or platinum because I do a lot of work with my hands and am very hard on my jewelry.

Granted, not everyone is like us and would be okay with the choices that we made but they work for us well and make the ring even more "us" the way we wanted it to be.

It took a good few months for it to be made (stone to be imported, sent away for cutting, setting to be hand cut, and then both put together) but it was finally ready Labor Day weekend of this year.

Here is a picture of it next to the ring that shall be my wedding band.

Pictures DO NOT do my engagement ring justice but it's just as well since husband2Be prefers that it not be shown too well since he wants to preserve it's unique setting and cut of the stone. The cut of the stone doesn't really have a name but a better picture of it would show it as a modified Asscher cut.

I completely love my ring and we really lucked out finding the band. It's actually a right-hand ring (that I will wear on my left hand and my engagement ring will be switched to my right hand and worn "European" style). We found my band at Helzberg Diamonds and it was on sale for only $100!

So that's the story of my rings. Hope this wasn't too long for you!

Wedding Invitations...

I don't know what made me all of a sudden become obsessed with invitations. In fact its the one thing on my list that I have down towards the bottom, I mean I do have over 11 months to go! Somehow though, today I found myself searching site after site, looking at countless invitations.
I don't know what got into me! However, I did stumble across an invitation that I love. My fiance politely reminded me that we don't need to be worried about this yet, and I am likely to change my mind, but considering our Spanish/Cuban theme, I thought the following invitations were PERFECT and I had to share them with you :)

The collection is by KenzieKate which I recommend checking out anyways

The pattern is entitled Seville:

^ I just love love LOVE the look, it just emits a Spanish vibe...I feel that this will end up being our pattern, but we will see :)

Introductions are in order!

Hello! And how are you?

I'm Miss Bowie (as in Maryland - pronounced like Buoy, not as in David Bowie). :) I'm delighted to be joining this blog and a little over six months away from my wedding date - April 26, 2008.

I'm 28, a seasoned photographer (portraits, events, freelance, and, yes - weddings) and a new teacher of middle school Reading and Language Arts. I've been unofficially engaged since April/May 2007 and officially engaged since this most recent Labor Day weekend. (The distinction is because we started designing the ring but it wasn't finished until then.)

So far the wedding planning process has been... indescribable. Literally. Things that I never thought would be an issue have been INCREDIBLY stressful and things that I completely expected to be the worst in the world to deal with have been truly enjoyable. Example? Shopping for a wedding dress (but I'll save the details of that for another posting)! I didn't expect to enjoy it at all. So far it's been one of the best things of everything I've had to do.

Anyway, I hope that what I have to share can help you out! I've never been a girl who expected to or wanted to get married. For this reason I never had any kind of ideals picked out for myself and I've kind of had to make things up along the way. It's worked out but I can definitely say that it would have been a little easier if I had established some better direction initially. Oh well! I'm learning AND developing a good vision NOW.

Thanks so much for having me here! See ya next time!

Caspari Inspiration

When I was in Charlottesville I made sure to stop by the Caspari store located right on the historic downtown pedestrian mall. Since their only other retail store is in Paris, France, I knew this would be my one chance to browse their entertaining, gift, and lifestyle wares. You can get everything you need for any type of party...invitations, china, great paper products, decorations, hostess gifts etc. They regularly change their displays so every time you go in there there is something new and fabulous. You should check out their store is you are in the area


^The store is huge and they have a number of tablescapes to get inspiration from


^If you are looking for a unique china set that isn't your grandmother's china then this is the place to come.


^I love this Chinoiserie style display


^Not your typical autumn colors (who would have thought pastel blue?) but it's gorgeous! And this one is all paper!

Blog Post Round Up

I read way too many blogs from incredibly talented folks across the world in addition to tons of press releases, email alerts, bulletin boards, distro lists and word of mouth. I find myself with tons of info that interests me and would probably interest you too but I have not had a chance to post it (what with running three companies and writing for a national magazine:) so i figured it would be great to just give you the links a few finds and you can pop over yourself. Look for these weekly.
I feel better!!! Get to clickin!!!

Autumn wedding invitations at Black Eiffel
Eventful Production Company at Bridal Bar
Cynthia Peithman Cakes at Bridal Wishlist
Karen Smallbone Lollipop favors at Bridalwave
Valerie Confections Toffee from Martha Stewart
Amy and Scott's Invitation Ensemble at Brooklyn Bride
Free Photography for a Green Wedding at DIY Bride
Paris Flea Market at eco-chic weddings
Erin Hession The ENTIRE Site
White Wedding Cakes at Faye and Greer
Jayne Personal Wedding Story at Here Comes the Blog
Cupcake Flags at Hostess with the Mostess
The Dogwood Dog at Preston Bailey's Inspirations and Transformations

1 800-GOOG-411

This is fantastic! Thanks Jordan over at Oh Happy Day

Everyone's favorite search engine now has free 411. You just call 1 800 GOOG 411.

Additionally, I learned that if you text Google with the name and zip code of the listing you are looking for, they will text you back with the address and telephone number. Just send the text to 46645 (GOOGL)

Mega Bachelorette Party Contest

Saw this over at Cocktails by Jenn and had to share. I think ALL of the Nearlys should enter.

WHO: The bride and seven of her closest friends.

WHAT: A celebration of friendship and weekend to remember: The Ultimate Bachelorette Party!

WHEN: This exclusive weekend trip must be completed by April 30, 2008.
(See complete rules and regulations for blackout dates.)

WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada – There's never a dull moment in this 24/7 entertainment capital!

The Grand Prize winner will receive one free trip for herself and seven guests to bachelorette mecca, Las Vegas. The Grand Prize includes round-trip airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations for two nights, a catered private party, spa services, VIP nights on the town and one-of-a-kind gift bags. Approximate retail price of the Grand Prize is $20,000!

WHY: Why not? Get together with your girlfriends, grab some Cocktails by Jenn and experience the Ultimate Bachelorette Party. Celebrate the bride's past and her future.

All you have to do is click here to apply!

Going to the Chapel...

Fiance and I spent the weekend in Charlottesville doing wedding related stuff. When we first got engaged we both knew we wanted something small and intimate and for us that meant we had to be married in a chapel. I knew I'd rather have people overflowing out of a little chapel then to get married in a giant cathedral where the guests only fill up the first few pews.

So the hunt began for a chapel that was cute and that didn't have any restrictions on marrying non-parishioners. Fiance and I have to move frequently because of our jobs and haven't really been able to establish roots in any churches where we have been. Finding a church that would marry us was probably the hardest part and honestly some of the churches were downright un-Christian with their responses. Finally, we found South Plains Presbyterian. From the second we drove up I just had a feeling that this chapel was right. Then we met the Pastor, Dr. David Garth, and he was so kind, warm, and welcoming that there really was no question after that.

Considering the age of the church there are very few restrictions about what is allowed (yes you can still throw rose petals inside). The fees are inexpensive compared to other churches we looked at and the chapel seats 85 comfortably so it was a perfect size for us. The only requirements on Fiance and I were that we meet with Dr. Garth 3 times before our wedding so that he could get to know us better.

We had our first counseling session this weekend and at first I was worried that maybe things weren't as good as I remembered. What if I didn't like the pastor as much as I had on our first meeting? I worried for nothing as our session went wonderfully. I love that Dr. Garth is going to marry us. He is very intelligent and has such an easy manor. I love that he really wants to know us as people and I love that the church really embraces the values that they profess. Can you tell I'm excited?


^Here it is! Isn't it adorable?


^I love the old wooden pews, the beautiful windows, and the oil lamps next to them


^Check out the old pipe organ


^ And this is what we get to see on the way out of the church! Joy!

Want to be a Planner?

Let's face it once you get engaged and see all the possibilities that are available for your wedding and you can really get into creating an "experience' for your guests you kinda start digging the whole art of planning parties. (Yes, that can all change the minute your mom gets involved or you get to the seating chart whichever comes first...) There is a cool new site up called Best Party Ever.com and you can plan your own parties (start small and work your way up.) Any type of party Graduation, Engagement, Shower, Dinner Party, Birthday Barbeque you name it.

But wait, it's more than just a list of vendors it's an idea bank as well. Yup, browse through some of the party ideas that other crafty, thrifty, creative folks have come up with and use them as inspiration for your own extravaganza.

Search around the site, you could start at Ideas and move on to Vendors then onto some neat resource tools for keeping track of everything. You just drop everything into your basket and it's saved for future reference. Neat huh?

Well that's not all, never party in isolation! The site allows you to blog about your events and share with other member on your ups (and downs...) and even share some of your own coveted ideas and suggestions that will end up in someone else's basket and be the genesis for their next fab soiree. Just create a profile and you are up and running.

Party Planning has never been so organized. The site is still in its ALPHA stage and I am excited about it. There is a proposed list of additions that are in the works which excites me even more. Bookmark it and come back as the modifications are added or do as I did and set up an account and start playing around with it. Reading some of the ideas that others had really did spark ideas in my head for my own events. I would like to see some additional navigation tools to get you right to the resource tools, but I still think this is a fabulous idea and a really useful avenue for all the folks who are quietly relishing their time in the event planning field, even if it is only for their wedding. I say make the most of it and use this little tool to plan 7 or 8 more events leading up to your wedding!! Check it out!

Why You Should Choose Target

Let's be totally honest, shall we? Choosing where to register is a lot like choosing what pack of white, cotton underwear to buy. Sure there are going to be a few variations in style or cut, but in the end, no matter what pack you select, your underwear will be white and it will be cotton; there aren't a lot of differences to be had. Whether you go to Macy's or Bloomingdale's, Pier 1 or Target, a large skillet, is a large skillet, is a large skillet. You're sure to find plates. You're sure to find bowls. Cups. Mugs. Wine glasses. Pots and pans and blenders. Each store is going to have all of these things in at least a few different styles and several different price ranges. So how does one ultimately decide between Hanes Her Way or Danskin? Macy's or Target?

There are a few things to consider:

1. Availability. You should try to pick stores that are available throughout the country, especially if you are planning to have a lot of out-of-town wedding guests. While it is easier than ever to hop online and just send a wedding gift via mail, you want to be sure and give your guests the option of going to the store and picking out your gift in person. It may make the whole experience more meaningful for them, and will give them the chance to add on extra gift items that may not have been on your registry, should they so choose. This does not, in my opinion, mean that you should talk yourself out of registering at your favorite local boutique. Just make sure that you have a back up store as well, one within driving distance of at least the majority of your guests.
2. Personal Preference. While it is, of course, important to keep the best interest of your guests in mind, it is still your wedding, and you should register for the items that you like the most. If you feel particular disdain for any one store (say the head cashier at Kohl's is your fiance's ex-girlfriend) don't feel pressured to register there for your guests' convenience alone. Additionally, if you really want to register at a particular store or company because you want to support local merchants, or because you appreciate their socially conscious aims, go for it! Your registry, like all other aspects of your wedding, should reflect your personality and the causes you like to support. Two great websites that I highly recommend for the more socially-conscious bride, who still really needs some basic home goods are: Global Exchange Fair Trade Online Store, a great site where you can get handmade African bowls, beautiful coasters and even bamboo sushi sets. Every product comes with a story and all of the profits go right back to the local artisans who crafted each incredible item. Also check out Branch Home, where you can find environmentally-conscious merchandise like colorful organic-bamboo bowls or pillows made from 100% reclaimed nylon webbing.

Beautiful Sushi Plates From Global Exchange


3. Perks. Yes, it is true: registering is all about picking out things that will be given to you. So why should you be selfish enough to choose where you register based on what the store gives you? Because it is free, that's why. And being a little bit selfish isn't really going to hurt anyone. I recommend weighing your options. What are the advantages of choosing one store over another? What kinds of special services do they offer? Do you get free checklists to help you select registry items? Can your guests view your registry online? Can you update it online? Add or remove items whenever you see fit? These are all important considerations that will make your life easier in the end. Yeah, registering seems like loads of fun at first, but it can also be really stressful and tiring, so you might as well aim to make it as simple as possible.

Which brings me to the main point of my post: Register at Target. I did, and along with a whole bag full of helpful registry suggestions and guides, I received a gift card for 5 free, preselected wedding songs from the iTunes Music Store. Given that my fiance and I are putting together all the music for our wedding, I really couldn't have asked for a better bonus. And the songs I got were really good--5 great Motown hits to help our wedding guests boogie down.

So, I highly recommend heading on over to Target to set up a wedding registry. It is a big national chain, available in lots of different areas across the country. You get great wedding planning advice, their website is easy to use, and they give you a bunch of free music. Plus, if you need it, they also sell white cotton underwear.

Registry...

Registering for gifts...a fun yet tiring task. Fiance and I are having an engagement party in my home town in December, so my mother has been pestering me to register. Last Saturday we trekked it to Macy's to start the process.

The Macy's we went to was at Pentagon City Mall, I recommend making a reservation before going. Although the lady was very nice we had to wait an hour and a half until she was free. This gave us PLENTY of time to browse.

We decided on a Kate Spade china pattern; to be honest I have always loved Kate Spade, We decided on the Cypress Point Dinnerware Collection.

^ I love the simplicity and the elegance, yet if you look closely there is a pattern on the outer rim that makes it unique.

For Stemware, we knew we wanted Waterford since it is what both our parents have and we both grew up with it, however we knew we wanted a style of our own. We decided on Giselle








We made many other choices, but I don't want to bore you, however you should know that Macy's has some really great deals for wedding registries. An example of one is if people purchase 10 of your china settings you will get a free serving bowl in Your pattern FREE. There are other great deals too, so I recommend checking it out!

And Eating It Too...

Ever since I was a little girl my Dad has had only one request in regards to my wedding: "Please do not smash cake into each other's faces." At every wedding we ever went to where this was done he made it a point to say how much he disliked it. I don't know why he feels so strongly about it...maybe he thinks it's tacky or maybe he doesn't like the symbolism. Supposedly feeding each other cake is supposed to represent unity and caring for one another. Originally it also had ties to promoting fertility. I don't know about all that but the smashers certainly get better pictures. Personally, I don't want to ruin my dress or makeup so I don't mind respecting my father's wishes, plus I kind of like the loving act of feeding each other. I think I'm probably in the minority now as most of the weddings I go to there is some sort of playful smashing. So will you be a feeder or a smasher?


^Look at that cake fly! Photo from the amazing husband and wife team The Wiebners.

^This one kind of scares me. Black icing and a white dress..eek! Photo from Kimberly Brooke Photography.

^Oh man I think her face is going to be sticky for the rest of the night. Photo from Chenin Boutwell.

Conde Nast Presents ... Dream House

CONDÉ NAST BRIDAL MEDIA ANNOUNCES “DREAM HOUSE”

A New York City Showcase Designed for Pre-Engaged, Engaged and Newlywed’s New Life Together

NEW YORK, NY – Condé Nast Bridal Media is proud to announce DREAM HOUSE— the first-ever, tour-able show house for pre-engaged, engaged and newlywed couples designed to provide inspiration for their entry into this new lifestage. The house will display the best-in-bridal, beauty, fashion, fitness, registry and home, plus host events with the editors of Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Brides.com, and Brides local magazines.

DREAM HOUSE will be open to the public for tours, classes, parties and spa treatments for four full weeks from October 18th – November 15th, 2007. A percentage of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit The I Do Foundation, an organization dedicated to linking engaged couples with charitable giving options for their wedding.

Tours of DREAM HOUSE will feature rooms designed for couples by top designers including Richard Mishaan of Homer, Cathy Hobbs of Apheria and Franck Hodelin, seen on The View. The house will feature the hottest home accessories from JCPenney, Noritake, Bloomingdales, Cuisinart, Pampered Chef, McGuire & Baker and more.

Couples will also have the opportunity to attend special seminars and one-time only events such as cocktail parties with industry insiders and home planning pros including the “Leonardo da Vinci of cakes,” Sylvia Weinstock, top celebrity lifestyle expert David Tutera, NY1’s Valarie D’Elia, celebrity wedding planning Sasha Souza, star hair stylist Mark Garrison and Mark Montano and Cat Wei, designers from the hit WE TV series “She's Moving In”.

“We have created an exciting month-long schedule of events at the Dream House for the bride, her fiancé and her family,” said CNBM Publisher Katherine Rizzuto. “We are thrilled to be able to showcase the best that CNBM and our advertisers have to offer for this lifestage, so come join us for manicures, makeovers, fashion advice, workouts, classes for the couple….and more!”

More information, tickets, calendar of events and a virtual online tour (available 10/18) of DREAM HOUSE are available at www.brides.com/dreamhouse. The exclusive Manhattan residence of 112 East 73rd Street will be home to the following events on a weekly basis:

Meet the Editors of Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Brides.com: Tuesdays, 6:30–8:00PM, guests will get wedding tips and trend reports from the authorities at Condé Nast Bridal Media—Brides Editor in Chief Millie Martini Bratten, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride Editor in Chief Antonia van der Meer and Brides.com Editor in Chief Theresa DiMasi.

Editors Tea with Brides New York: Fridays, 12:30 - 2PM, guests can join Brides New York Editor in Chief Julie Raimondi and her staff of editors for a light lunch to get practical wedding advice and to help narrow down the mountain of options into a manageable hill that’s NYC specific.

Wed Worthy Workouts: Saturdays, 10:00 AM, brides-to-be are invited to an exclusive fitness class designed to get them in shape for the big day and beyond. Sue Fleming, the author of “Buff Brides,” will teach and lead the class on Oct. 20, 27 and Nov. 10, and the Saturday, Nov.10 class will feature a special guest.

Cocktails & Dreams: Thursdays, 7:00-8:30PM in New York City—and at the DREAM HOUSE—are for fun with friends. Before you hit the town, stop by for hors d’oeuvres, drinks and to dish about weddings during cocktail hours that will showcase everything from fashion to travel to beauty.

Couples Classes: Wednesdays, 6:30–8:00PM, are for couples planning their new lives and homes together! Don’t miss this series of fun, interactive classes about designing your new home, entertaining and more!

Meet the Experts: Saturdays, Noon–4:00PM, guests will have the opportunity to start their new lives with advice from wedding planning and home design experts including celebrity wedding planner Sasha Souza, star hair stylist Mark Garrison and interior Designers Mark Montano & Cat Wei from WE TV’s “She’s Moving In.”

Matri-Manicure: Tuesdays-Fridays, Noon–6PM, guests can get wedding band-worthy nails with Sally Hansen. Customized manicures are available via DREAM HOUSE sign-up. Sign up for your own manicure and nail analysis on brides.com/dreamhouse.

About The I Do Foundation: created in 2002 by a group of nonprofit leaders dedicated to developing new avenues of support for charitable organizations. A public foundation based in Washington, D.C., the I Do Foundation works closely with some of the most effective and renowned nonprofit organizations in the country. Together with our corporate and nonprofit partners, the I Do Foundation links engaged couples with a host of charitable giving options at their wedding. For more information, please visit www.idofoundation.org.

Flowers...

Flowers, a very important part of the wedding, I agree. It is flowers that set the mood, theme and decoration aspect of most spaces. Flowers in the church, in the bouquets, there are flowers everywhere, and just ask my fiance I love flowers. There were dozens of flowers in our apartment when he proposed, flowers sent for no reason always bring a smile to my face, however with planning the wedding, its hard for me to swallow the cost of flowers.

I am meeting with a couple of florists next week, and I will let you know how that goes, however, in the meantime I have been looking online. One website that I have looked at Proflowers , seems to have great deals and an amazing back up plan in case something happens to the flowers. If you are not 100% satisfied with your flowers that you receive they will order you new flowers from a local vendor at no cost to you. Now that's what I call a back up plan. I have included some pictures of the flowers. Its something to think of if you still want to have beautiful flowers, but need to trim the budget a little!









The Website has a lot of other great flowers, and shows the costs. All the flowers come prepared, bouquets even come tied with ribbons! Since the website is in adobe it was hard for me to copy the pictures, but make sure to go there and check it out! Other websites such as 1800 Flowers; Flowerbud; or Ftd have great deals also!

Montel Williams Marries

Talk show host Montel Williams and his fiancée, Tara Fowler, wed before an intimate gathering of friends and family over the weekend in Bermuda. A small band sang love songs as the couple walked up to the reception and the dog was the ring bearer.

Put Your Foot In It.

Many thanks to Toasts and Tables for this juicy little tidbit of information. What a great site.

If you're a soon-to-be bride like myself, I'm sure you're on the search for shoes that will offer comfort and style on your wedding day. I've got just the solution... In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during the 14th Annual Shoes on Sale® event, QVC will offer more than 100,000 pairs of designer and brand-name shoes — all at half the suggested retail price. Shoes in the previous "Designer Salon" have included brands like Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Michael Kors, Cole Haan, Lulu Guinness, Stuart Weitzman and Marc Jacobs.

It started as a simple shoe sale.

Twelve years later, Shoes on Sale has become a critical part of the massive fight against breast cancer. This years events promises to be the biggest and best Shoes on Sale to date. When this year's event ends, it is expected that the total contribution from Shoes on Sale to the fight against breast cancer will top $25 million. As large as that figure is, it is impossible to put a value on the amount of awareness raised or guess the number of people that have become more informed about the disease because of Shoes on Sale.

Tune in to QVC on Wednesday, October 17, 2007.

I LOVE THIS DRESS

What's the occasion???? Hmmm.... Rehearsal??? Civil ceremony??? Cocktails?? I don't know but I think I must have this dress. It's over at Nordstrom, I almost didn't want to tell you for fear you will all go out and purchase it. Isn't it cute?? You have got to spend some time over there, I think they have the best selection of dressy dresses available anywhere.

To Mix or Not to Mix

Cognac for mixing? I recently planned a wedding where the groom, at the reception, came up to me and aksed that I inform the bartender to stop cutting the cognac. I indicated that he was only following the request of each guest. His reply was, I would rather remove the cognac from the bar than to see it watered down, it's defeating the purpose.
It's an interested point in that many couples would like to raise the level of their affair and you can only raise the bar as much as the guests can accommodate. having said that, there is a fantastic new cognac on the market. The new Courvoisier Exclusif a new version of Courvoisier that is designed to be mixed in a cocktail. It is a blend of six to 12-year-old cognacs. The Exclusif will not dilute when served in a cocktail and recommended cocktails include a new version of the cosmopolitan and a champagne cocktail. The Courvoisier Exclusif sells for around $50.
Courtesy of luxist

06-07-08

while 8/8/08 is obvious after the all out Wedathon on 7/7/07. I a looking forward to -6-7-08.
The numbers are really neat and yes, it's a Saturday. It will be interesting to see how popular the date will be.

One for Your Bridesmaids

Modern Bride is hosting a contest and this one is just for the bridesmaids. What's great... Or Not about being a Bridesmaid? The winner receives the red carpet treatment and a trip to the premiere (NYC or LA) of Kathrine Heigl's new movie 27 Dresses.

Tea With Harriet Kassman

A few of the Nearlys have taken a visit to Harriet Kassman. Thunbs up from Miss Capital Hill. Well, here's a great reason for the rest of you to venture out to lovely Mazza Gallery in Chevy Chase.

Badgley Mischka is having their trunk sale on October 12 an 13 with appointments starting at 10am and going until 6pm. Informal fashions shows from 12 - 4pm and 10% off gowns purchased at the sale.

As an additional feature you can have tea with Harriet from 2pm -4pm which sounds like fun. Occasions Caterers are providing the delicacies. One80 Salon will be offering hair consultations to boot.

I think it's a great way to get some couture pampering to help frame your planning ideas. Make an appointment and try on some exquisite gowns.

Spanx That Booty

Many thanks to All About The Pretty for this little tidbit.

Head over to Spanx from October 1-31, 2007, and use the code WASHINGTON, and find yourself in receipt of a big fat 25% off discount. Additionally, Spanx is donating $5 back to the Junior League of Washington and its literacy focused programs.

If you've only heard about Spanx, then you need to get out there and actually give them a try. They will assist in the management of "most situations" if you know what I mean :)

Yes!!

Since I haven't shared it yet, this is the story of our engagement.

A few days before, my dad asked me to have lunch with him on Tuesday. He laid out his schedule for the week and said that he really wanted to spend some time together before my move to DC and that it was his only chance for the week. I happily agreed. Fast forward to the big day, dad and I decided to meet near the High Museum of Art on Peachtree Street because it was close to his office and there were many restaurants within walking distance. I arrived early and he was late, so we decided that I would just wait in front of the museum until he arrived. Unfortunately for me, it began to rain, so after a few minutes I called him and he casually asked if the restaurant inside was open and said I should go try to get a table so he could just park and come straight in.

I made my way inside, found a table, and he met me inside. Being that it was Mr. Shirlington's and my anniversary, I once even joked with dad, asking if he was going to appear somewhere and propose. He shut down my meddling by pointing it out that I should be happy to be there with him. What was he? Chopped liver? So we ate our lunches and as we did, he mentioned that he had called ahead about the 1:00 highlights tour of the museum and that he thought it would be something cool for us to do, as the current exhibit features numerous pieces from the Louvre.

Already a few minutes late, we walked to the building where the tour was meeting, and since we were members, quickly joined the waiting group. Glenda, our lovely English docent, lead us into the main building and began telling us about the architecture. We made our way through some Chinese and Dutch porcelain pieces from the 1500's and into a room where a huge map showed all of the Dutch trading routes, a huge interest of Mr Shirlington's. I began to think about him and how much he would have loved to see this map, how I wished we was there with me and how I would just have to find something similar to buy him.

We followed Glenda into the next room where she began telling us about a painting by Charles-Joseph Natoire from 1774, one she had just added to the tour. It depicted the Biblical story of Jacob falling in love with Rachel at first sight, working seven years for her father Laban to win her hand in marriage, and another seven years when Laban offered her sister Leah, instead. Glenda then said that love at first sight and overcoming youth and hard times to gain the love of your life...that all of of those things still happened today in modern times, especially with couples like Mr. Shirlington and Miss Shirlington. At first I didn't believe my ears. Within a half a second, I thought to myself, "Did she just say Mr. Shirlington and Miss Shirlington?" I looked to my dad on my left to see if the same question might be puzzling him, too, but he stood there observing the painting, stone-faced and listening as if she had said nothing out of the ordinary.

Then she continued. "Mr. Shirlington fell in love with Miss Shirlington at first sight but knew that she was young and wasn't ready for the love he could offer." I began turning circles and searching the room for him, realizing that she was talking about us! "He stood by her through the years as a friend, waiting patiently, knowing that the day would come in which she would fall in love with him. As friends, Miss Shirlington worried that she wasn't ready...."

Then, Mr. Shirlington came around the corner with a long-stemmed white rose and said, "But love had a different plan. We fell in love and over the past year, both realized we wanted to spend our lives together." He got down on one knee and said, "Miss Shirlington, you are the love of my life. Will you marry me?"

I immediately began crying and shaking and said yes!! He put the ring on my finger, stood up and kissed me while the other 20 tour patrons clapped. We left the tour at that point and went down to the administrative office where Mr. Shirlington had made all the plans. The whole morning I thought he was in DC working as usual,when in reality, he had arrived in Atlanta at 6:30 am and had been materializing the plan since! We went back to the museum restaurant for champagne and took a few pictures.

That night, we went to dinner at the Sundial, which is a revolving restaurant on the 79th floor of the Westin Hotel. We also checked into a suite, which his parents had decorated with pictures of us and more than 120 roses!!!! It was beautiful. The next day, Josh took me on a helicopter ride around the city for an aerial view of all of our favorite and most memorable places. The most wonderful part of his whole plan, however, was that he proposed on exactly the day he promised my mom he would. :)
**Aerial view of The High Museum from our helicopter ride.

Grace Part II

So I realized the photos of Grace Kelly's wedding I posted earlier didn't come through. Time for a re-post! All photos from Howell Conant and Life Magazine.


^The classic bride. Love her lace veil. Real princesses always wear sleeves so why do we all go for strapless? Photo from Howell Conant.


^As is true in most European countries Grace had to be wed in a civil ceremony before the religious one. The day before the big day she sported this elegant wedding suit. Photo from Howell Conant.


^Grace and her bridal party. If she can narrow it down to seven bridesmaids so can you. Photo from Howell Conant.


^The giant bridal cake. I love how it's decorated with plastic cherub babies. Guess that was the hot style then. Photo from Howell Conant.

Let Them Eat Something Other Than Cake

It seems to be inevitable that, in wedding planning, not everything is going to work out the way you want it to. The woman that I thought might make my wedding cake, is not; and now I'm left to consider other options. I can either pay someone else more than I would like to spend and can realistically afford to make a cake, or I can explore other alternatives. As of right now, I'm heading down the other alternatives path. In the interest of being an informed planner and consumer, I have begun to research the many alternatives to serving a traditional wedding cake, and must say that I am finding them to be quite pleasing.

There is a quiz you can take on Brides.com that tells you what "style" of bride you are. It is not particularly imaginative, but certainly fun. Once it determines your wedding style, it provides a variety of suggestions for exploring this style in your wedding, from decorations to invitations...to cakes. And, luckily for me, they even give a list of cake alternatives.

For a glamorous affair, consider single serving creme brulee.

For the romantic bride, they suggest chocolate covered strawberries
Classic weddings should feature croquembouche (French pastries).

For a more modern affair, try light and refreshing sorbets.
A bohemian-inspired fête could opt for a wide array of colorful cupcakes.
While the most casual of brides may offer guests mini fruit tarts.


In addition to any of these delicious alternatives (cupcakes being my front runner at the moment) I am definitely planning to serve a plentiful selection of fruit. Given that fruit is mostly just fluid, it is such a light and refreshing way for overstuffed guests to clear their palettes and get a little taste of something sweet after their meal, without feeling as though they might pop! In my opinion, fruit provides a necessary antithesis to thicker and heavier wedding cake options. So, even if you decide to stay traditional and let your guests eat cake, be sure to let them eat fruit too. I guarantee they'll thank you for it!

A Free Night At The Ritz

The DC Nearlyweds (and everyone reading this...) are invited to a FREE Dockers Fall 2007 Style Session! Ritz Carlton at Tysons Corner, Thurs. October 25, 2007 4pm to 8pm

• View the Fall Collection
• Get Free Advice from Style Experts
• Get a free mini-makeover from Sephora!

Send the following contact information to Shani Blount of WIN PR (a FANTASTIC local boutique PR firm!) so she can get you registered for this FREE exclusive event.

• Name
• Phone Number
• Address
• Email Address

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE! MAKE SURE YOU DON’T MISS OUT!

Wedding Hair...

I know the last post was boring with no pictures, so I thought I would post one more thing of interest :)

I have been looking at hairstyles, I have medium length hair, but I really want to have my hair down, or just part of it pulled back from my face.

This website has great pictures and ideas, it's also just fun to look at all the different styles :)

^ I like the relaxed curls, something youthful and fresh.

^This is a great classic hair style,very elegant.

^ Straight and sleek, simple yet elegant.

08/08/08

I'm kinda at a stall in wedding planning right now, I do have over 11 months (352 days to be exact:) ). We already have a lot of the "big thing" covered. We have the location of the wedding, the reception, we have our DJ and Photographers and are currently in the process of caterers and florists ( I will share all that information with you later :) ). We are also currently addressing our Save the Dates and figuring out our guest list, so we aren't feeling any urgency.

With that in mind this is just more a post of an interesting article I read about 08/08/08. There were thousands of weddings that took place on 07/07/07 due to the"lucky" day, and experts are saying the same is going to happen with 08/08/08, it falls on Friday! So if that is something that interests you book ahead of time!

It is a Friday so maybe you can get a deal with a Friday date :)

Remembrance

This will be our wedding theme for several reasons. The first, obviously, is that Mr. Shirlington and I have experienced so many amazing things together, from traveling abroad to buying our first place together. We also want to remember some of the challenges we've been through and how our love has become so strong. One of those hard times was in April of this year when my mom passed away. I know it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and though my mom didn't suffer from breast cancer, it was bladder cancer that took her life.

I always dreamed of planning my wedding with my mom and fulfilling her dream of becoming a grandmother. So in remembrance of her, we have chosen purple as the main color in our palette because it was her absolute favorite. My heightened awareness for the color makes me notice it always, and reminds me that she is always near. For example, I lamented over my problems finding the dress of my dreams in a previous post, and it just so happened that when I arrived at the ONE place that could get me the dress, the door was bright lavender. Most women don't go to try on wedding dresses alone, much less purchase one without the opinion of someone else, but that's exactly what I did because that door made me feel like I was in the right place for the right dress. It made me feel like I wasn't alone and that she was there with me, telling me it was the one. Superstitious, I know, but it's comforting.

Well now to the purple palette issues. I've chosen aubergine lamour table cloths from The Cloth Connection, which I saw in Bride & Bloom Magazine. I originally wanted to compliment the color with ivories, golds and champagne/tan. That was until I walked into Z Gallerie on Saturday and saw a table decked out in silver, black and purple. It's not what I originally would have envisioned but when I saw it I immediately fell in love with the overall design, clean lines and contemporary elements. It's so different from the traditional weddings I've been to and makes such a bold statement. However, I'm a traditional kind of girl. So now I'm torn.

I just put together this mood board to show my original palette. I did this one in Microsoft Publisher. I had to take several steps to change it from a mdi to a tif to a JPEG file, but that was only so I could post it here. Other than that, it was extremely easy. You just need a blank publisher document, then you insert your photos, resize them, and arrange! I scanned tons of pictures from magazines, so here's what I've come up with. Click for a larger view.

Timeless Inspiration

So yesterday I was in the grocery store magazine aisle looking in vein at wedding mags hoping to find some hair inspiration for short hair brides. No luck...apparently bridal mags think all brides with short hair want a spunky look. Don't short hair girls want soft and elegant too? But suddenly a truly striking cover caught my eye...and no it wasn't from a bridal mag. Life magazine has a special on Remembering Grace Kelly 25 years later. I really can't think of a better person to emulate. I'm taking the cover to my make-up person to see if I can look even remotely as elegant.

Remember you can click to enlarge!

^ The cover image that caught my eye. Loving the earrings too. Photo by Howell Conant.


^ A looser more casual look. Photo by Howell Conant


^Tighter curls then the couch pic but not as sleek as the cover. Photo by Howell Conant


^Maybe I could look this good by the end of the night? Photo by Howell Conant

Get that moolah

Lately, more and more couples are breaking away from tradition and footing the bill for the wedding festivities. This certainly has to do with the higher average age of newlyweds--couples are generally also on a more equal financial level. (I am making sweeping generalities, but this is just what I've noticed.) FI and I are contributing a major chunk of the budget, with the parents & in-laws helping generously. Now, everyone knows that throwing a wedding in the D.C. area (or any other major city) is no small change and regardless of your financial position, extra $$ is always appreciated. So I've taken measures to sock away any bonuses, raises & extra cash for the wedding account. I've also looked to my closet to generate more money. Yes, that's right! Instead of spending ridiculous amounts of money on my wardrobe like I usually do, I'm making money from it! I'd like to introduce my new friend to you...








I'd ebay-stalked in the past and even bought a few things (like FI's beloved Nintendo Wii), but I hadn't sold anything. I took the plunge and unloaded a brand new Anthropologie dress & a new designer handbag that had been just sitting in my closet for months. Now, I KNOW that every girl has clothes/bags/accessories/whatever that have just been sitting unused, probably with the tags still on. ebay is a great way to clean out your closet (helpful before moving) and make some extra cash. I made a little over $500 and it's been so long since I bought the items, I just count it all as profit :) Just a thought!

Some tips:

-Take decent pictures that show the detail that you would personally look for as a buyer.
-Before posting, take a look at similar or identical items that are up for auction. This will help you set a competitive starting price and "marketing" lingo.
-ebay and Paypal will take nominal fees from your sale. You need to upgrade your Paypal to Premier (free) in order to accept credit card payments.

Pink is Powerful..

Pink IS powerful, and I think its great that the woman on this sight are promoting this wonderful month. Breast cancer is something that many people have been affected by , and I think its great that we are all working together to try and find the cure. Below I have listed some beauty products, that can not only help makes us more beautiful for our big day, but support the research and hopefully finding the cure for breast cancer.

----Essie, one of my favorite nail polish suppliers has come out with a shade for this month, entiteld Pink is Powerful. Thirty percent of the proceeds from polish sales will go to the Libby Ross Foundation.



---- Buy Pink Ribbon Hand Relief and $4 goes towards The Breast Cancer Research Foundation




---- This Pomegranate Sugar Scrub not only feels and smells great, but by purchasing it you can do something great, 20% of the proceeds go to American Breast Cancer Research.






^ Estee Lauder has a whole collection I reccomend checking out, everything purchased in this collection goes towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

SAVE BOOBIES

It's October and bloggers all over are pledging their support to The Cure and blogging in Pink.
I have scoured around to find some great items for you that will support the effort of finding a cure and in addition to saving our boobies, we'll save our lives.

Shower for the Cure at Philosophy 16 ounce shower gel for $20 at philosophy


Sprinkles cupcakes - October 1-14 strawberry is the flavor. There isn't a location in DC yet, but there's one in the works. Head over to the site and place your vote so that DC is next on the list.







Hint Mints go pink as well donating 100% of their profits to cancer research. 12 10ounce tins for $21.60 at amazon.com







The Vinum Rosé/Riesling Glass 15% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. If you're getting married next October, opt out of toasting flutes
and toast a Rose in honor of The Cure. The glasses are by Riedel so they are terrific and only $39.95

Think Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 1st is the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honor and remembrance of this month a number of blogs are blogging pink today. So remember to continue to do your self breast exams this month or to schedule that mammogram you've been avoiding and to remind all the women you know to do the same.

I'm not a huge fan of the color pink at weddings because sometimes it can be too...well...pink. But I love pink in small doses and I know that pink is arguably the most popular color for weddings. If pink is your color consider adding some fun to your wardrobe with a cute pink shoe. It adds just the right touch without being overwhelming. If pink isn't one of your colors but your mother or some other loved one has struggled with or passed away from breast cancer consider wearing a pink shoe in remembrance.


^Jessica Bennett Fergie

^Guess Cypriena

^BC Footwear Babycakes


^Miss Sixty Christanne

Wedding Favors...

So the future in-laws and my parents met for the first time this weekend! It went really well, we all had a great time! Everyone got to look at the galleria, and see where we are having the wedding. I am in the process of looking at caterers and a potential caterer called us on Saturday, and let us know they were hosting an wedding at the galleria on sat night if we wanted to see what it looked liked set up for a wedding. Of course the mothers and I jumped at this opportunity, and it was great to finally see what it would look like, up close and personal, set up for a wedding, it gave me chills!

However, being there as an observer I was also observing the favors, table set up, color scheme, everything! It got me thinking of favors and Little touches we can add to our special day to make it "ours". One website I stumbled across was Wedding Favorites.

^ Monogrammed truffles, classy and edible!

^ Cake cookies, personalized, edible and you can even make them in your wedding colors!




^ I believe we have discussed on here, a favor being a couples favorite songs on a CD, this is a precious way to distribute them!

In general this website has a ton of fun stuff, its fun to just look around and see what you uncover!