Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Hmmm... I haven't been here in a while. Haven't had anything new to report until now.

Tomorrow I'm going up to my mom's and on Thursday, I have a 1:45pm appointment at the Macy's Bridal Salon by Demetrios in Tyson's Galleria to try on dresses. I called them and the lady (and she was extremely nice) said that they had a few plus size dresses so I decided to give them a try. I hope this won't be a waste of time and gas. I'm going to be terribly upset if I go and can't try anything on. I hate that salons act like big girls aren't supposed to try on dresses. Apparently we aren't supposed to be getting married. The more I think about this, the more I think I'm going to call them back again today and inquire a little bit more about their plus size stock. There is no sense in me going if their plus size is a bridal size 14 and I'm sitting here a street/off-the-rack size 22/24.

Anyway, here are some Demetrios gowns that I've seen and liked.









e.t.a @ 12:06pm - Charge the camera, we’re going on a photoshoot!
I just talked to Macy’s and they have dresses in sizes 18, 20, and 24 for trying on.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Venue Thoughts

I've been pondering venue ideas and one of my favorite places that has always stayed at the top of my list has been the Crowne Plaza of Williamsburg Fort Magrudger (http://www.cpwilliamsburghotel.com/weddings/index.html).

Back in the 90s, we (me, my mom, and friends/co-workers of my mom) used to go there for lunch at least once each month because it was such a lovely hotel in an excellent location ... the all-you-can-eat steamed shrimp buffet didn't hurt either! The staff were always very friendly and the food was delish. I've always thought that if I were to get married, I'd like to do it there.

I've made an appointment with them for next Tuesday.

I'm not going to put all my eggs in one basket and just go with them and not visit with any other locations. I'm also going to look at:

The Hospitality House
  • http://www.williamsburghosphouse.com/weddings.shtml
  • They are in a prime location, relatively easy to get to (unless it is a weekend with a home football game) and they have a parking garage.
  • I'm suspecting that they are out of my budget, though.

The Ramada 1776
  • http://www.ramadainn1776.com/banquetscatering/
  • They are in an excellent location and the grounds are very nice.
  • Their website is NOT good but hopefully, that is NOT indicative of their wedding services because they have been a go-to place for weddings in the 'Burg for as long as I can remember.

Legacy Hall in New Town
  • http://www.jccegov.com/legacyhall/
  • Using this location would involve having a caterer.
  • This is an excellent location and a beautiful hall.

Historic Yorktown Freight Shed
  • http://www.yorkcounty.gov/freightshed/index.html
  • Using this location would involve having a caterer.
  • The location is beautiful although not the easiest to get to. Having our day here would enable us to have our day at the beach because they are located at the base of the York River Bridge.

And a thought just occurred to me - suppose W&M had their Homecoming weekend during my wedding weekend?!? That's a potential for disaster!

I'm not going to borrow stress just yet by thinking of various "suppose" scenarios.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Wedding Ideas ~ Unity Ceremonies

There are many ways to personalize and customize your wedding ceremony. Two of the more common and most beautiful elements are the Unity Sand Ceremony and the Unity Candle Ceremony. In both of these ceremonies the couple is symbolically joining themselves together through the use of sand or flame. Once joined, these elements become impossible to separate and in a sense become greater than they were before.

Most often a Unity Ceremony is placed in the wedding immediately after the exchange of rings and is presided over by the Wedding Minister. Sometimes the minister reads a short passage explaining the meaning of the ceremony and sometimes the couple chooses a song to be played so that the beauty of the ceremony can really show through.

Sand Ceremony . . .My personal preference
Groom and Bride have each taken a bit of sand from the beach; this sand represents their individual lives, their hopes, their dreams and their aspirations. They will pour this sand into one container representing their new life together. Just as it would be impossible to separate this sand, their two separate lives have also become one. Grooms and Brides, your individual hopes, dreams, and aspirations are now bound to your partners. Realize that together, you can accomplish much more than you ever could alone.

by Scott Ziegler, Wedding Minister ~ Virginia Beach Wedding Company ~ 757.641.4010 ~ scott@abeachwedding.com

Feeling Smug :c)

And do all October brides have a feeling of smugness because we chose the best time of year to get married? Not too hot, not too cool, and Mother Nature does a lot of decorating for us? Needless to say, I can't wait for this fall. I'll be out in the parks picking up pine cones and acorns and anything else I can find that I think I might be able to use in my decor.


Which reminds me ... I need to get some of those giant plastic storage bins - the clear ones.

Invites

The REAL reason I came to post got lost in my budget rants. I wanted to share some invites I found at www.paperdirect.com.

#SEV300C #SEV1141BE #SEV3047

#SEV4296 #SEV9122

#SEV553

#SEV1143G

#SEV1148

Budgets - Worksheets

Budgets - Worksheets

I found a couple of worksheets at http://weddings.about.com/library/blbudgetworksheet.htm and http://hrweddingplanner.com/calculator.htm.

I'm going to monkey around with them when I get home this evening.


Ok, I just cut and pasted the chart from HR planner into a spreadsheet.
On a whim, I added up the %-column ... Now why did that total come up to 101%??

Working on the Budget

It's difficult figuring out what the breakdown of the budget is going to be when I'm having trouble figuring out what stuff is going to cost.

What I know fo'sho: the budget is about $5k, the ceremony/reception location will be about $2,600 and I have about $2,400 to monkey around with.

Technically, I have a dress I can wear that will do just fine and thankfully, it was only $20 and I'd probably be happy with it if we were having a beach wedding (that's what I snagged it for), but we're going to be in a totally different setting and I'd like something a little less casual, you know? But I don't want that special dress to cost me more than $400. And I've been keeping my eyes on eBay, trust. I think I may table the SERIOUS dress hunt for November/December/January.

And just how much does a tux run? JR has already stated (quite emphatically I might add) that he will NOT wear a rental. Can he get a nice looking ivory tux for about $300 including shirt, vest, tie, and shoes?

And that bouquet - just how much can I anticipate it costing? I've been seeing prices range from $20 to $120 ... and that's for silk flowers!! I don't even want to know what real flowers would run
.

Then there's photography.
And printing.
And decorations.
And the cake. Just how much should that thing run anyway? Surely it shouldn't be 1/5 of my budget should it??

Ludamercy. I'mma need a job and a therapist.


Note to self . . .

Note to self . . .

Avery business cards would make nice little table numbering things.
Pitiful, I don't even know the terminology yet.

e.t.a. PLACE CARDS!!!

Budgeting for an Affordable Wedding

Budgeting for an Affordable Wedding

Perspective
* When all is said and done, what will you have to show for your wedding day? The rings, the bridal gown, the photo albums, and the videos. The bridal gown will probably be packed away, but you and everybody else will be looking at it in photographs for years.
* The rings will be worn for the rest of your married life and the photos and videos will be shared untold times over the decades. Don't skimp on these items. Buy or rent a wedding gown that you like and that looks good on you. Get a professional photographer. Buy good quality rings that you like.

Set Up a Budget
* A budget is absolutely essential in planning your wedding. Costs can easily spiral out of control, and if you don't document them, you may end up paying far more for your wedding than you planned.
* Remember that what determines your costs more than anything is the number of guests you invite. Why not keep the list down to people you really care to share the biggest day of your life with?

One of the most overlooked costs, which can be significant, is tipping. Plan on tipping caterers, limo drivers, photographers, and others 15 to 20% of their total bill if their services are satisfactory.

Averages
* The average bride spends approximately 40% of her total wedding budget on the caterer (food, cake, and alcohol), 3% on the facilities for the reception, 8% on flowers, 10% on entertainment, 14% on clothing, 7% on a photographer, 4% on invitations and other printed supplies, 4% on gifts, 2% on transportation, and 8% on miscellaneous items.

Reduce Costs
* Some of the biggest ways to save money are:
- Reduce the number of guests
- Have a buffet or hors d'oeuvres instead of a sit-down dinner
- Have a cash bar, or close the bar during dinner, or have an alcohol-free reception
- Consider an off-season wedding (November through April) to reduce costs for the reception site
- Consider having your wedding on any day other than Saturday to reduce costs for the reception site
- Have a smaller wedding party (number of attendants)


Fall Flowers

Fall Flowers

Allium, Anemone, Baby's Breath, Carnations, Chrysanthemums, Cockscomb, Freesia, Gladiolus, Iris, Gloriosa Lily, Orchids, Queen Ann's Lace, Statice, Star of Bethlehem, Sunflowers, Zinnias.

Some examples of my favorites from the list above:
Mums

Cockscomb

White Freesia

Gladiolus

Iris (in various shades of reds and oragnes)

Orchids (just certain varieties)

Queen Anne's Lace

Statice

Zinnia

The Date Is Set!!!

We have a date!!

It's official - we're getting married on
October 18, 2009!!!







Ideas for Fall Theme Wedding

A list of things that seem to go well with a fall wedding theme:
  • leaves
  • red, orange, burnt orange, yellow, brown, metallics, rich earth tones
  • baskets
  • barrels
  • tin buckets
  • terra cotta pots
  • gerbera daisies (these seem more of a summer thing to me because of their colors)
  • calla lilies
  • pumpkins
  • wheat
  • harvest veggies (corn on the cob, squash etc)
  • acorns/nuts
  • chocolate (definitely an all year thing!)
  • berry sprigs
  • sunflowers
  • gingham prints
  • candy corn (favors, vase filler for centerpieces, confetti,etc)
  • candles
  • fruit
  • corn stalks
  • rustic settings and props, antiques
  • fruit- apples, oranges, lemons, grapes
  • branches

Fall Wedding Flowers
Generally you can find Mums, roses, daisies, yarrow, fall leaves, tallow berries and both natural and dried wheat for inexpensive prices during the fall. A spray of wheat or a mum accented with a pheasant feather makes an elegant boutonnière.

Planning the Menu
The most traditional fall dinner is a roasted turkey with pumpkin pie for dessert, but there are so many other options for a fall wedding menu. From roasted quail to standing rib roast, choose a hearty meat that will pair well with heavier side dishes such as squash and mashed potatoes. A mushroom ragout evokes the season and provides a nice entrée for your vegetarian guests. You might start the meal with a hearty soup served in a hollowed out pumpkin, accompanied by whole grain rolls. Serve warm apple cider in glass mugs with a cinnamon stick stirrer, and offer an alternative to wedding cake with a baked apple dessert.


Couples that have autumn weddings typically enjoy the outdoors ... and food. You'll often find indulgence and elegance paired with unpretentious yet compelling places and things: rustic barns and milk jugs, spice cakes and pumpkin bisque, [maple leaves and grapevines, corn stalks and twinkle lights.

Florabundance
Plenty of brides prefer casual blooms for their autumn weddings, like brightly-colored gerber daisies or sunflowers.

But you'll also see elegant bouquets that concentrate on more urban arrangements, like flame or burgundy-colored mini calla lilies with black magic roses and hypericum berries: and even surprising glam touches, like rooster-feather collars.

Dressing the Part
The most popular colors for fall-theme bridesmaids are a deep chocolate brown, or a darker (scarlet) red. And it's not unusual to find a bride with red in her gown, often sewn into the train, or as a sash or splash of color across her bodice.

Decking the Tables
Autumn is a wonderful chance to focus on fruit first, flowers second.

Pile heaps of royal-looking pears, grapes or apples on footed bowls (try sugaring the fruit; it's an easy DIY project), and combine with long, trailing satin ribbons in cinnamon, gold or scarlet. Tuck in a few roses, for romance.

Autumn-scented pillar candles can be a good choice too, as long as you don't overwhelm the food or use too many scents.

Big Bank, Little Buck
Twinkle lights and rafters, spice cake and silver cutlery, garlands and fruit ... the fall wedding's often cheap to decorate as well as a joy to look at.

If you're lucky enough to have a farmer's market nearby, you can pick up pounds of materials to deck the halls for next to nothing. Look for corn stalks (perfect for entryways and arches), wheat bundles, dried Chinese lantern branches, mini-gourds and full sized pumpkins. And don't forget hay bales, barrels of woody fruit, like apples and pears, pots full of mums, and nuts in the shell or loose acorns.

Groups of simple votive candles in mason jars look perfect grouped together in arrangements, too. Loop wire around the rims and fashion a handle, and you can dangle these rustic lanterns from tree branches and rafters.


Fall weddings create a warm, cozy atmosphere that no guest will fail to remember.

The Fall Reception
For a fall wedding reception, consider roasted turkey, cooked squash, pumpkin soup, and a variety of fall vegetables and fruits such as cabbage, carrots, winter squash, corn, and apples) Fresh bread with melted cheddar cheese and tomatoes provide a satisfying appetizer. Hot apple cider can be jazzed up with a bit of rum or left plain for those not drinking.

Fall Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations are easy to tie into a fall theme. Many options abound from those with trails of falling leaves to beige backgrounds with chocolate brown ribbons. Many companies offer invitations that revolve around a fall theme or you can create your own. It’s easy to do.


The right bridal bouquet for an autumn wedding is all about warm tones. Choose a design that pays tribute to this beautiful season by incorporating rich hues and vibrant textures. [Look for] spice roses, mango calla lilies and gold cymbidium orchids.

A warm amber color, perfect consistency and complex flavors make maple syrup a favorite comfort food and the perfect condiment for a country breakfast. Why not give it out as the perfect favor for your autumn wedding? Personalize bottles with a hanging tag, or tie customized ribbons around the necks to make the favors your own. (this might be a good way to hint at our IHOP beginnings)