What a wonderful, whirlwind weekend - part 2

I left off my last post getting ready to go to the ceremony.  I so clearly remember putting my dress on in the bedroom and coming into the sitting room to be tied in to my dress - the first person I saw was my friend and bridesmaid Kay - and she burst into tears (happy tears).  It reconfirmed that this was my dress and I was ready.  We got to it, finished getting ready, and took photos.  I was able to take photos with my family, but not with my individual bridesmaids.  We made a note to do that after the ceremony, but never did :-(  

We got into the limo and headed for the church.  My adorable niece and flowergirl Julianne got to ride in the limo with us and was so excited to!  She loved the "big car" and had to sit right next to me.  In fact, all day she kept saying how we were special in our white dresses.  It was precious.  We arrived at the chapel but I had to stay hidden in the limo because there isn't a "bridal room" at the chapel.  I was in the car until it was time for me to meet up with my dad and walk down the aisle.  This is one thing I didn't like - I felt very rushed right from the limo to the end of the aisle - literally.  I would have liked a second to take a deep breath and collect my thoughts.  But away I went down the aisle.  I didn't know where to look - at all the cameras?  At James?  Just straight ahead?  I did my best to smile and didn't even cry - until I got to the front of the chapel and saw every bridesmaid crying.  I quickly looked away and at my dad and James.  My dad gave me away and the rest is a blur.  I do remember at one point Candice, one of the bridesmaid, told me to smile.  While listening to the readings, I didn't even think about my facial expression - I wasn't frowning, but I wasn't smiling either.  Good tip...  Fr. Sean Prince married us and he is awesome and gave a fantastic and moving homily.  I barely got through my vows but I did and we are married!  

We headed off to take pictures (next to The Spa in Colonial Williamsburg and at Colonial Heritage).  Our photographer Gene King of Creative Worth Photography did a spectacular job!  He was patient, thorough, and creative.  He has a lot of experience and it showed.  I can't wait to see his pictures!

The reception was everything I imagined it to be.  We had fun, actually got to eat, and danced.  The only problem - my bustle!  I was so frustrated!  After 4 appointments the bustle was right but wasn't strong enough.  A number of the hooks and eyes popped off and dropped the train.  Before we were even introduced into the reception Laura and Laura bustled my dress 4 times and needed to add 6 safety pins!  I was really crabby about that.  We had such a time trying to get it right and then it didn't hold up - even for 10 minutes!  I had to keep leaving the reception to have them fix the bustle - at least 10 times.  One of our friends even said they saw me out in the lobby messing with my dress more than on the dance floor.  Unacceptable.  I will be calling the bridal salon to let them know - although there is nothing to be done now, they should know that the seamstress didn't do a good job.  

We ended the evening with a few drinks are Pauls and then a stop in the hospitality room.  I highly recommend going to a bar in your wedding dress - free drinks and a lot of attention is so much fun!  James and I spent our first night as husband and wife at The Williamsburg Lodge.  From start to finish the hotel was accommodating, friendly, and professional.  I'd recommend staying there and having a wedding block there to anyone getting married in Williamsburg.

Shout out to Morrison's Floral who did our flowers.  They delivered to three locations and didn't make a single mistake.  The flowers were fresh and gorgeous.  My bouquet was purple and I loved everything about it.  Arlene was really nice and easy to work with.  She took my ideas, which were pretty simple, and ran with them.  She made some suggestions but didn't try to add and make the bouquets or centerpieces more than what I had asked for.

The bridesmaids carried white hydrangeas and I made pins out of Scrabble tiles so the girls knew which bouquet was theirs.

My bouquet - stored in a pickle jar after the wedding day!

 We chose three centerpieces, two had orchids.

So, that was it!  In the blink of an eye James and I are married and the reception is over.  It was seriously everything I imagined.  It was perfect.  

Now, James and I are headed to the beach for a few days and then to Greece for our honeymoon!  When we return, I hope to have the pictures from Gene and our videos!  I will also post a few words of wisdom I've picked up along the way to our big day....

What a wonderful, whirlwind weekend!

Well, that's that - over a year of planning and the day FLEW by!  Our wedding weekend was incredible.  More than I could have imagined.  My family started getting in to town on Tues and we got right to work on the final details - getting the hotel bags together.  We had to put labels on the outside tie a bow on them, and stuff them.  Here's the list of what we included in the bags:
     ~ Water bottles (with college labels)          ~ Virginia is for Lovers bumper sticker
     ~ Shout wipe                                             ~ Williamsburg area guidebook
     ~ Personalized coloring book/crayons       ~ Granola bars
     ~ Homemade sugar cookies (shaped like VA and WI - thanks to Jennifer Pinto!)
    ~ Do Not Disturb door hangers                  ~ Welcome letter from me and James

They turned out great!  And on Wed, we delivered them to the hotels that our guests stayed in.  

Friday included a few hours getting our nails done, setting up for the rehearsal dinner, checking in to the Williamsburg Lodge for the weekend, and getting to the rehearsal.  The rehearsal went really well and everyone got along great.  Here are a few pics from the evening:

James and I gave our parents gifts at the rehearsal for being so supportive to us throughout our lives but especially as we prepared for the wedding.  My sister, Laura, cuts vinyl to make personalized items and she helped me make photo frames and coffee mugs for our parents.  They turned out great! 

Suddenly, it was Saturday morning and we had to get ready for hair and make up.  Katie from Style by Design was awesome and came to do all our hair at the hotel.  This allowed us to relax, eat, and chat while we had our hair done.  If possible, I definitely recommend getting ready this way - so convenient!  Laura (pictured above, in the middle) did my make up and did an amazing job.  Before I knew it, the flowers arrived and so did the photographer.  We got things together and in the blink of an eye I had to get my dress on.  I wasn't nervous or anxious.  I was excited!  We took pictures, got our things together, and headed to the limo.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Details and pictures of the ceremony and reception will be posted soon...!

Final Days...

We're in the final days before the wedding and I have so many emotions - I am excited, anxious, nervous...  Things are falling into place nicely.  We've received all the items we've ordered - garters, guest books, decor - so now it's just getting things together and actually doing what we've been planning for so long!  I have various appointments throughout the week and I'm excited to get to them! My family starts coming in tomorrow (Tues) and we're going to get the hotel welcome bags together, drop them off, drop off items for the reception, get pampered, and try to relax before Sat!

Yesterday, I spent some time working on items for the welcome bags - I removed water bottle labels and replaced them with collegiate duct tape to represent James and I - VT for him and UW for me!  It is a lot of water but I think it's really cute and makes it more personal!

As I mentioned in my last post, I was anxious about receiving the guest book - it came on Sat and it really cute!  The seller wasn't great, but the product is nice!

Finally, I am really, really nervous about my dress.  I LOVE the dress, from Williamsburg Bridal and Formal, but the alterations have been nerve-wracking!  I didn't even need much done!  I literally needed only the bustle and some embellishment added - no taking in or letting out, not even a hem!  At first, I was confident and things were going well.  I had it fitted and was told the bustle would be done and, if I wanted to, could just pick up the dress in the days before the wedding.  I wasn't too comfortable with that and ended up deciding that I wanted to change the embellishment some, so I met with the seamstress again.  The bustle was supposed to be finished, but it wasn't right - too long on one side and too short in another.  It was to be fixed and again I was told I could just pick it up right before.  That was NOT going to happen - so the next day it was "fixed" and I went to try it back on.  Same problems as the day before.  It was almost as if nothing was done!  We repinned and re-planned.  ...and then the seamstress went out of town (which is fine, of course her life doesn't revolve around me!)  She got back into town and is here for one day before she leaves again.  I am waiting to hear if we'll meet today to try it on before she leaves again.  We better.  It HAS to be right today!  I get married on SATURDAY!  My dress has to be right....

So...here we go!  It's wedding week!  

The Details...

We are officially 2 weeks from the wedding and I am feeling really good - I feel like I have most things done or planned.  This week I've been working on the stationary/printed items.  After we made the seating charts I started the place cards.  I printed them all on cardstock and then just had to cut them out - which required a paper cutter, corner rounder, and scissors.  Talk about TEDIOUS!  Our RSVP is at 165 - doing anything 165 times gets tedious!  I really like how they are turning out though so that's good.  One road bump in completing the place cards - we had no power when I was doing them so I had to stop when it got dark.  I was on a roll and haven't picked them up to finish since....!  

Yesterday I had our programs printed.  I decided to get them printed at Office Max because I needed them divided into thirds and didn't want to have to do it myself - the thirds is hard to get exact and I would have been too perfectionist about it.  Office Max was awesome - took 15 minutes and they were printed and cut.  BEST decision I could have made - so worth the money and avoided frustration.  Now, I just need to round the corners.  I really think rounding the corners makes them look more finished, so away I go - 1,440 corners.  I finished 960 yesterday.  Oh, and I have to bind them with a fastener - not sure how to do that so I will wait until Laura gets here and we'll figure it out together.  (Pics of both the placecards and the programs to come soon...)

Finally, I am nervous about receiving all of the items I've ordered.  I ordered our guest book on May 8th (7 weeks before our wedding).  The seller on Etsy, Envelope Guest Books, listed 2 weeks for production time.  A follow up email listed 4 - 6 weeks.  I still haven't received the guest book (June 15) and the seller now says it will be sent next week.  I hope I get it!  And I hope it's in good condition.  Reading the shop reviews, this is a trend.  LESSON LEARNED - read Etsy shop reviews!!!  (I always do on Ebay but haven't on Etsy...)  I am also waiting on the garter, but that wasn't ordered until June 1.

So I will be working some today and then off to the wedding of our good friends Matt and Emily!  CONGRATULATIONS to them!  I can't believe we're to this point - time has flown by!  Before I know it, people will be in town and we'll be days before, not weeks!

Seating Chart!

I have to admit, working on the seating chart was a part of wedding planning that I was dreading.  I've heard comments from relatives (who shall remain nameless...) at previous family weddings regarding seating, and James and I had already received requests for some people to NOT be seated by others.  So many moving parts and you want to be considerate to everyone.  I just thought this was going to be a complicated, tedious, terrible task.  It wasn't!  James and I tackled it tonight and finished in 30 - 40 minutes, at most.  James was awesome and helped - he even came up with our system.  Our tables are going to be round, so we used coffee filters as tables and I printed our guest list and cut the names apart to arrange on the "tables".  We laid the filters out in the table arrangement and away we went.  We started up front with family and moved out and back from there.  We could easily move the names from table to table and see what we had and where we had room.  Our biggest speed bump was seating numbers.  We can have 8 - 10 people per table and while trying to keep people with other guests they know, we ended up with some tables of 10 (max) and others of 6 (below "min")  Trying to balance and keep things coordinated was a bit challenging at times, but in the end we figured it our pretty easily and finished without major incident.  :-)  Here are some pics of the process:

Of course, we aren't going to keep 19 coffee filters on our floor for the next week, so I wrote out each table name and guests at the table in my master notebook.  I also added a column to the RSVP spreadsheet so all of the reception information is together.  Now to make all of the place cards...

DIY Frustration

I spent 4 - 5 hours tonight working on a DIY project for the wedding - it involved printing, cutting, and corner fancy-ing (not rounding but a more detailed design).  I printed on cardstock - which required feeding individually in the printer - time consuming but not a huge deal.  I printed at my friend Laura's so we chatted.  I got home and cut them all - and noticed that some were not exactly centered.  I decided, it's a small thing for the reception, looks good enough.  I then set out to fancy the corners.  I've used the tool before and it's actually tricky to get it perfectly in the corner - so this was the most frustrating part and a number of them weren't quite in the corner.  Some were thrown out, some were put in the "only if we run out" pile, and some were in the to-be-used pile.  I took the pile I had deemed acceptable to show James and ask about the corners, which weren't all perfect - his comment "what I really notice is that they aren't centered".  The man couldn't care less about half of the stuff I am doing, including if we use these, and he makes this comment.  So I get upset - having wasted my entire night working on them and being a bit frustrated by the corner tool - and throw them all away.  The cardstock wasn't too expensive so we didn't loose a ton of money but I literally wasted my entire Sunday night.  And I was excited about this little added touch that now I won't do.  I am not doing it all over again.  Of course I wanted them to look good but this whole time people have told me not to worry if everything isn't perfect, people won't notice/care.  The first time I go with that and leave something imperfect, I'm told it's not good enough.  Frustrating.

Bachelorette Party and DIYing

I am one lucky girl - 10 of the best girls I know got together in Charlottesville over the weekend to send me into married life in style.  My sister planned the event and did not leave out a single detail.  She booked rooms at the Omni - perfect location for walking to restaurants, stores, and bars at the walking mall - booked a limo bus for winery tour, and made reservations for dinner - Zocalo = delicious!  She had adorable favors for everyone and did it all from WI!  

Our winery tour started at Barboursville which was beautiful.  We did a tour and tasting here and our guide, Bill, was quite the history buff.  He told us about Thomas Jefferson (TJ), Mr. Barbour, Patrick Henry - the whole lot!  Here we wanted to know about wine but got a history lesson first.  It was amusing.  We tasted their wines - 19 of them! - and they were delicious.  Our second stop was at Horton Vineyard - a gorgeous outside view but the inside didn't go...the wines were good but the atmosphere and the staff weren't quite up to par with Barboursville.  Our final stop was at Keswick Winery where we got to do our tasting outdoors - the staff brought us our wines while we took in some sun.  The picture below was from outside Horton.

Coming back from dinner we made drinks, got ready for dinner, and I was spoiled with gifts!  We headed out to dinner at Zocalo...we were dressed for our night out and got a few looks as we headed to dinner at 6:30 - oh well!  Zocalo was DELICIOUS!  Moderately priced and a great atmosphere, it was an excellent pick.  I had the chicken and it came with a sauce that was so good.  

From there we went to Skybar where our bartender Mike was amazing - we kept giving him "I want something sweet and don't like...gin" and he'd come back with something delicious!  He was awesome!  He took great care of us.  From there we bar hopped a bit, I met a new grad ATC who I thought was the coolest, and danced the night away.  I paid for it the day after, but we had an amazing time - I'd recommend all of the places we went.  My girls spoiled me - but I'm ready to trade in the single life for marriage to my man...can't wait!

After we got home, and I slept a lot, Laura and I DIY'd some gifts and other things for the wedding and   we doubled checked all the things I've already gotten or have planned.  I think the details are coming together and the big day will be here before we know it!  I'm getting more ready for it - for awhile I was kind of scared/nervous for it.  All the planning and ideas, preconceived notions of how things will be and poof - all done so quickly.  It was also hard for me to actually picture myself in the day - but I'm getting there and see myself in that dress walking down the aisle!

RSVPs

I have been informed (by my father!) that I haven't updated my blog lately, so here goes:

We are 40 days from the wedding and my to-do list keeps getting longer.  James and I have looked at our wedding ceremony readings and music, kept spreadsheets of RSVPs as they come in, and ordered last minute items and gifts.

Before I sent the RSVP cards in the invitations, I saw a number of posts online that suggested numbering them on the back so that if someone forgets to write their name, we know who it's from.  One even suggested doing it in ink only visible under a black light!  I decided against doing this thinking it might not be necessary - and it has not been a problem at all!  People have been writing their names and making dinner choices.  The bigger problem has been initialing next to the entree option people want.  We are having a seated dinner and I need to make place cards for our guests that include their dinner choice, and allergies if applicable.  We have had to contact a number of family and friends to clarify - read instructions, people!  You are as bad as my middle schoolers!  (Ok, scolding over...)

The other big thing I have learned in the past few weeks is to read vendor reviews on Etsy!  I do this routinely on Ebay but didn't really think about it on Etsy.  We ordered out guest book from Etsy with minor customization and the product information said 2 weeks for custom orders: plenty of time.  The confirmation email said 4 - 6 weeks: cutting it close.  I sent an email inquiring about the difference without a response for a week!  I got worried so I looked at the reviews - repeated comments about the poor communication and extended wait time.  NOT OPTIMISTIC.  The comments do say that the books are nice, so I am hoping that it comes on time and is as we envision.  BLEH....lesson learned - read reviews!

So, I keep adding to my to-do list, little things, and I'm getting things done...  I'll try to be better about updating.  Bachelorette party this weekend, so I'll share what's appropriate next week!

Catching Up - Dress Fitting, RSVPs, Hair Trial, and Bridal Shower

I went to my first dress fitting and it went really well!  (Once we got to see the seamstress - long story...)  My dress actually fits - and I mean it fits.  It doesn't need to be altered for size at all - not taken in or even a hem!  Unbelievable, right?!  I am taking off and adding embellishment, but that's it.  And of course the bustle.  The seamstress thinks she will need 9 hook and eyes - that seems like a lot to me so I hope Laura can figure it out!  Fortunately, both of my Lauras will be with me for my second fitting so they should be able to get it under control.  We also took the opportunity to narrow down jewelry selection and confirm that I like my shoes.  So, wedding day appearance seems to be coming together and I love it!

Invitations went out and we have steadily been receiving RSVPs the past few days.  It is SO MUCH FUN to check the mail now!  I love seeing who is coming, and unfortunately who is going to miss our big day.  I don't want to think about the disappointment I'll feel on the days we don't get any back!  This will inevitably happen, but right now it's so much fun.

I had my hair trial today.  We decided to do it today so I could wear my hair up to my bridal shower and see what people thought.  My fabulous stylist Katie did exactly what I asked for and I loved the back...but honestly, I wasn't so sure about the front at first.  I have straight hair but I thought that I wanted something with texture and shape, not just my hair straight back then put into a fancy bun.  Problem was, I'm not used to seeing myself that way so I wasn't sure about it.  The look definitely grew on me and looking at pictures, I love it.  I think it will look really beautiful with my veil and dress on our wedding day.  Here's what it looked like (forgive the glasses/no makeup look):

Finally, I spent the afternoon being spoiled by friends and (soon-to-be) family in Virginia.  My VA bridesmaids - Kay, Sarah, and Catherine - planned a wonderful bridal shower: fun games, delicious food, and great people.  I couldn't have felt more special and loved.  Thank you too everyone who attended.  I can't wait to get married!  

Check out pictures of the event at Wedding Snap!  Use event code:  VAShowerApr27.  Have pictures from the event?  PLEASE add them to the album!

Up next - the tough stuff: seating chart (dreading it...) and place cards, programs, and a million other little details that I need to iron out.  I started making a list to be sure I don't forget anything...  I can't believe we're two months away!

Truth Time

As I look at most of my blog posts, I realize that I have been pretty positive about the whole process - and it truly has been going really well.  But recently, I have been stressed and a bit tired.  I have been frustrated by having to find a new hotel for the guests - it was a process the first time (meeting with sales staff, touring hotels, reading contracts, etc) and even more of one the second time - hotels are more booked for the weekend now and less willing to hold 30+ rooms for us - we live in a tourist town and are getting married in the summer.  We did find our hotels - The Woodlands and The Williamsburg Lodge - and I am really happy with them, so yay.  Next is the invitations - what a tedious and repetitive process!  Address the RSVP envelopes, stamp the RSVP envelopes, address the invitation envelopes, return address the invitation envelopes (YES I know I should have had this done when I ordered the envelopes, but I didn't...lesson learned), stamp the invitation envelopes, stuff the envelopes....BLAHHHH!  Oh, and then seal all the envelopes...  It's now done, and all that's left is to MAIL the invitations.  I have to admit - I'm a bit anxious about that part.  I was even anxious to seal them...I was sure I forgot something or that I would want to add something or change something.  

Finally, while I am madly in love with James and so excited to spend the rest of my life with him, I feel like he hasn't been much help during the whole planning process.  He has offered, with the added statement "...but I probably won't do it the way you want it done or how you'd do it."  Well, what help is that?!  Why would I want you to do something that I will have to go back and redo later?  I'll just do it myself!  Grrr....  Part of me feels like he thinks it will all just get done and fall into place - of course it will, because I'M DOING IT!  He has been supportive though, and participating where he can.  (He went and ordered the groomsmen attire and did a wonderful job!)  :-)  

***I do have to acknowledge that many people have offered to help and do things for us but I just don't like to ask for help...!  I also decide to work on things at random times.  Invites are a great example.  I just sat down and worked on them when I felt like it and I took breaks when I needed to.  So THANK YOU to all of those people, although I don't always take you up on it, I appreciate the offers!

So, up next - dress fitting (next weekend!), another bridal shower, BACHELORETTE PARTY and confirming all of our vendors and plans.  Finally, what I am dreading the most, organizing the RSVPs, creating the dinner seating chart (I've already had requests for who people what to sit next to - and who they DON'T!), and finishing the place cards.  We're 76 days away!  AHHH!  

Home and Wedding Shower

I've been home for the past few days to take care of a few wedding items, visit my family, and celebrate with a bridal shower.  It's been wonderful - I was overwhelmed with the love and support of my family and friends.  My aunts threw me a fabulous shower at Baker Street, in Kenosha.  We had delicious food and spent great time together catching up.  Some of my friends who attended I hadn't seen in years!  I got to chat with people and also meet some of their new babies!  Of course, I opened a lot of gifts that were so generously given to James and me to start our married life.  Our kitchen and bathrooms are really shaping up!  It was a fabulous day and I appreciate all that people put into it - planning, decorating, driving hours to be there.  I couldn't have imagined it going any better.  THANK YOU!  Now to pack these things and try to get them back to VA - some are going to be checked in my luggage (if TSA searches my bag they better re-wrap everything!) and some will be driven out with people when they come for the wedding - in 2 1/2 months!  (AHHH!)  Now for a few pictures from the day:

See more photos on Wedding Snap - Login (upper right corner) and enter Album code WIShowerApr6.  If you were there and want to add photos, you can do that too!

Hotel Block - Close to Set...Again

We are very close to having our hotel block confirmed for the wedding - again.  We have had a great experience working the people at Colonial Williamsburg to secure the hotel rooms for our wedding guests.  It's been a bit of a challenge at this point - 3 months out in a tourist town, it's not easy to find one location willing to block 30+ rooms for the wedding.  We've had a few turn us down and others split us between locations.  None are as convenient as the Hospitality House was, but we can't dwell on that - too good to be true.  In the past two weeks we've weighed cost vs proximity to our events vs proximity to local tourist attractions.  It's hard - some of our guests have never been to Williamsburg so proximity to the tourist locations would be nice.  Others of our guests visit regularly, so that isn't as much of a draw.  Regardless, cost has been a consideration.  We think we are in a best of both worlds place now - these are some of the best rates we've found, at least for the standard rooms; the best locations for events and tourist locations; nice/clean rooms.  In the next day or so, we will have the group booking codes for our guests - so stay tuned and check the wedding website:  www.barrthompson.ourwedding.com  

Honeymoon Booked!

It was James's job to book the honeymoon and I was starting to get a bit antsy that it hadn't been done yet...BUT today was the day!  James booked the trip!  He found a trip that is beyond my dreams and expectations.  We are going on a cruise in the Adriatic Sea - starting in Venice and island hopping around the Greek island and to a few stops in Turkey - even Dubrovnik, Croatia!  We'll be traveling for 12 days and I couldn't be more excited...what a great celebration and kick off of our marriage!  The itinerary is:

Seriously - he done good.  Now we just need that new camera we registered for...  ;-)

Hotel Issues!

I found out today that the hotel we booked our wedding black at has been sold - to the College of William and Mary to be turned into dorms - opening fall 2013.  Apparently, the deal will close at the end of May and the hotel will cease operations on June 1.  This means our block for the weekend of the 29th will not exist...  The 9 couples/families who have already booked their accommodations will have to re-book at a new hotel (not a huge deal but annoying...)  SO with 3 months and a few days before the wedding, I am now re-shopping for hotels for our guests.  I hope we can find a hotel with block availability at that time (summer in a tourist town) and affordable rates.  I do NOT want our guests to pay an arm and a leg to travel in for our wedding...well, no more than absolutely necessary!  Not only that, the location of the Hospitality House was incredibly convenient - literally across the street from the chapel where our wedding will take place and from the site of the rehearsal dinner.  Do we now need to figure out guest transportation for these events as well?  Oh - and I was planning on getting ready at the hotel with the bridesmaids...now that we won't be right across the street, we'll need transportation to the chapel before the ceremony, there isn't a bridal room there.  UGH!  An issue that I thought we had resolved months ago is again at the top of our to-do list.  Update on this HOPEFULLY very soon... 

Invite Update and Wedding Bands

As I mentioned, I have been frustrated by invitation shopping.  My sister and I had been toying with designing our own invite based on what I like, finding paper that is what I want, and DIYing the invites.  So Laura, who is a whiz with designing and photo editing, started at the project.  She did a great job - and then we realized that some printing websites allow you to upload your own image and they'll print them on whatever paper you choose - a perfect solution!  We are almost finished with invites...RSVP wording left but that's about it!  I am really hoping that this ends up working...

Wedding bands - James and I went back to the jeweler that he got my engagement ring from to buy our wedding bands.  The store is in Falls Church, right outside of DC - so it's not very close to Williamsburg.  Because James worked with the jeweler to custom design my ring I couldn't find any bands in store that really worked with my ring.  I want the rings to fit together like a set.  So after trying on a number of options, we decided to have the wedding band custom made as well.  We ordered the ring about a month ago and James went to pick up the finished rings yesterday.  (They had to keep my engagement ring to match it, so I've been without it that whole time - it sucked!)  He went to DC himself and brought them back today.  I was SO EXCITED to see the set together...  When he got home we checked out both his and my bands...and mine is wrong.  The design and idea of it are right - it matches the band of my engagement ring perfectly, but the prongs of my engagement ring are on the outside of the band so there are supposed to be notches in the wedding band for it to sit flush with the engagement ring.  There aren't.  The rings don't sit flush on my finger.  It may seem minor, but that was part of the reason I wanted to have the wedding band custom made - so it looked like a set.  We paid way too much money for it to be wrong.  I don't like to feel like I am complaining, but I feel that this should be right, what they said they'd make.  I may be being picky right now but the feeling of disappointment in my stomach and the feeling like I am going to cry is enough to tell me that they need to fix this.  I will wear these for the rest of my life, so I should get what we paid for.  They aren't open today, so I wil call tomorrow and see what they say - stay tuned for an update. 

 

Invites - I Want to Give Up

I've officially become frustrated and can't make a decision about the wedding invitations.  I can't find one that I like.  I suppose I am being picky because I want a certain look AND feel for the invitations.  I can't find the one that has both qualities as I want them.  Then I start playing with the wording and font - forget it!  I can't win.  There are too many choices and I am too much of a perfectionist.  **sigh**

Parents Visited to Get Some Things Done!

My parents came to visit James and I last weekend to help finalize/plan a few wedding related items.  On my list of things to complete - invitations, food tasting, and dress fitting.  2 out of 3 ain't bad, I guess.  Here's how it went:

• Invitations - we were able to narrow down about 7 options to two.  My parents like one of them, James likes the other, and, of course, I like them both.  I haven't made a final decision - and I just ordered two more samples, so I may be confusing things were more!  I like the design of one but the paper/feel of the other...trying to find "the one" that also fits into the budget...
• Food tasting - James and I met with both sets of parents to taste food for the reception.  It went surprisingly well!  We agreed on what entrees we wanted and only had slight disagreements on the sides.  Colonial Heritage was amazing to work with and very flexible - the answer to most of our questions was "we can do whatever you want".  Definite plus:  the food was delicious!  I don't think people will be disappointed at all.
• Dress fitting - my dress hadn't arrived while my parents were here, so we couldn't do the first fitting.  It was supposed to have shipped from CA on the 15th, but it wasn't here when they were.  In fact, I haven't received word that the dress has arrived, even now.  I am hoping it comes in soon, I am anxious to try it on again!

Other items I am working on - guest bags for the hotel guests and jazzing up my shoes.  What to include in the guest bags?!  I have a few items and a few on the list to include but I want to get a few creative and fun items in there too.  My latest idea: cookies shaped like VA and WI with a heart candy over our home cities.  Regarding the shoes, I had to return my ideal shoes and so I got a great back up but they're just not what I had my heart set on.  I am working to get them closer.

I am also starting to read through readings for the ceremony.  We don't meet with Fr. Prince again until early April, so I have time to read and see what really speaks to us.  We also need to choose another reader or two.  So far, my sister-in-law Tracey is the only person lined up to read.

I'm sure I'm working on more, I just can't think of them all at the moment.  I really don't feel stressed or pressured - yet.  There are a number of things I can't do until we get closer - place cards, seating chart (AHHH!) and programs, re-confirming with vendors - but I am feeling pretty good right now!  (Knock on wood!)

Busy, busy!

I realized this morning that I haven't blogged in awhile - I've been busy planning!  Here's an update and some thoughts:

• Cake - we finalized our cake choices.  We went with a grocery store bakery - Ukrop's Bakery - because their designs are just as pretty, they are just as creative, flexible, and customizable, and they are literally half the cost as a stand alone bakery.  Their cakes are tasty - as tasty as some of the "bakery-bakeries", no but certainly good cake.  Neither James nor I have a sweet tooth, so the cake was not a high priority item.  I want it to taste good and to look gorgeous - this will be both. We're happy.
• Bridesmaids Dresses - We've chosen and ordered our bridesmaids dresses!  We went with the favorite of most everyone in the wedding party, if not everyone, and my favorite.  We were able to find the dress at a great price through Victoria's Bridal Couture.  This is the same store my sister got her bridesmaids dresses from and we had no problems.  Knock on wood, the same will hold true for our dresses.  Although I don't want to post a picture of the actual dress, so there's some excitement on the day of the wedding, here's a hint:  they are After Six dresses, knee length, and African Violet (of course I chose purple!)
• Tuxes - James went with Bert, one of his groomsmen, to pick out the guys' attire.  At first, I was surprised by a few of James's choices but I went to have a look for myself and I think he did an awesome job!  I love the tux jacket he picked and he chose the best option for the groomsmen vests and ties.  All in all - job well done James!
• Transportation - I have been looking for a limo service to take the wedding party from the chapel, around for pictures, and then to the reception.  I am looking for 2 hours of service.  Wouldn't you know every quote I got for awhile was over $900 - for 2 hours!  Needless to say (I think) this was waaayyy more than I was anticipating.  I mean really, over $400 an hour for a limo and chauffer?  There had to be another option.  I looked into trolleys - same cost for weekend service.  Finally I had an idea - most of the places I looked at were on the peninsula or from VA Beach.  Maybe Richmond would have more affordable prices.  They seem to.  I am still working on it, but I think we'll find something within budget out of the Richmond area.  Whew.  I was really starting to get discouraged.  
• Invitations - still a work in progress.  I have a little time, but I think I am heading in a good direction.  At least today I think that....tomorrow I may have a complete change of heart.  
• PARTIES! - I have been working with numerous different people (I am extremely blessed) to plan a shower in WI, a shower in Williamsburg, and my bachelorette party!  I am so excited to celebrate with my family and friends as we approach the wedding.  Everyone is really excited for us, so it's so much fun.  And my friends and family have great ideas and great taste when it comes to these things - so much fun!  THANK YOU so much for everything already!
• Registering - James and I went back to Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday to finish our registries.  He's been such a trooper and has really been involved in this aspect of our wedding.  While at Macy's we noticed that a few items had already been purchased - YAY!  So cool!  BTW - Macy's is having a great sale right now - our dinnerware is BOGO and our stemware is buy three get one free...Macy's is great for sales!

So, I think that's about it...  Sounds like a lot, doesn't it.  It feels good to check some things off the list but I know there are still a ton of things still on there.  So far so good, though.  I have been enjoying most things and the other things are fine - just things that need to get done.  For the most part, I haven't felt stressed or overwhelmed.  :-D  Just looking forward to getting married and being a Mrs.!

"The honor of your presence is requested..."

I've been looking at invitations a lot lately and have decided that I don't like choosing the wedding stationary!  I feel like the wedding invitation sets the tone for the wedding in a way.  It's definitely the only impression your guests have for the month leading up to the event.  There are so many options - not only colors and design - but paper and printing process.  I LOVE the feeling of textured paper and embossed or imprinted lettering.  That feeling comes with a price tag.  All these trade offs!  I don't know what to do - order online (probably a digital invitation = flat invite and lettering), order through a stationary store (invitations run the gammet) or work on DIY invites and create what I want, as much as possible (price is better but way more work).  Honestly, some of the work of the DIY invites is really overwhelming to me - cutting paper to size, printing, adhering, etc.  It all seems like SO MUCH to get just right.  I'm pretty much a perfectionist, so this may just put me over the edge.  Of couse, purple will be included in the invitation.  Here are a few designs I've come across lately:

Shoes - 4in Heels = Too High

I received the shoes that I ordered today!  I was SO excited!  I immediately opened the box and put them on...and was sad.  I knew they were too high.  I am about the height of James and my feet would be killing me by the end of the ceremony.  I am going to return them.  So sad.  I LOVE THESE SHOES!  And the thing is, there aren't many cute, "special" shoes, in purple, at a lower heel.  I have looked online and will continue to.  I must have amazing shoes for the wedding... 

Sad girl today.

For the record, these are what they look like:

In other news, I've been contacting transportation companies to arrange for travel of the bridal party between the ceremony and the reception - with photo stops in between.  Seating for 20 in one vehicle has proven challenging.  Right now, the most promising form or transportation seems to be a trolley - could be really cute!  I'll keep you all in the look as I learn more.

Let Them Eat Cake!

James and I went for our first cake tasting on Thursday evening.  Before we went, we talked about our budget and what our expectations are.  Neither of us are huge cake people, so neither of us had particular flavors in mind.  I had plenty of ideas for the design...but we decided that the cake is an area what we would like to come in under budget if possible.  My thought: if someone walks away from our reception saying their favorite thing was our cake, we've missed the boat somewhere.  Don't get me wrong - I want a cake that tastes good, and definitely one that photographs well and is gorgeous, but it's not a main priority.  So off I went, into Google to find bakeries and cake prices.  Finding a bakery that is affordable is difficult.  Most bakeries here advertise pricing that starts around $3 - $3.50 per person.  We're expecting around 200 guests - so that's $600 before we even start talking decorations, delivery, and other price increases...  All of these are OUT - more than we'd like to spend.  Where else can we try?  We thought of either grocery store bakeries or part time bakers - perhaps people who create their cakes out of their homes instead of as a store front business.  We're having more success going down this route.

So back to Thursday evening - we headed up to Richmond and were pretty excited - food tasting of any kind is one of the few wedding planning areas that James is excited about being involved in!  We met with Ukrop's Bakery.  (Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of us at the tasting!  Next time...) They were good.  Was it the best cake I've ever tasted?  No.  But was it really tasty?  Yes.  The consultant was great.  She was very knowledgable (did you know you should estimate for fewer cake eaters if you're serving alcohol than if you're not?) and sketched a cake exactly like what I've been thinking of.  Price is definitely in budget.  Ukrops is a contender.  If we go with them, I'm confident we'll be happy.  I have a few other places in mind to check out - Farm Fresh and a few of the independent, part-timers (I am working on getting those names as we "speak" - Thanks Tiffany and Mrs. Barr!!).  I'll update when we know more or make a decision!

On another note, I ordered my shoes today.  I had picked out what I want awhile ago but have been slow to pull the trigger and purchase.  I've checked back for months and they're still there - even going on sale more and more...  And then today I checked and they were gone!  No longer available!  HEART ATTACK!  Immediately I googled to find another vendor who has them available.  I did and ordered them - they were even 50% off!  This website doesn't have as good of a return policy but that just means I will have to try them on and decide quite quickly if they're really the ones.  **whew** Crisis averted!  :-)

Registry!

James and I started registering for gifts this weekend.  Yesterday we went to Macy's and today to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  One thing we realized - it's not as easy as you think!  There are so many options for everything (we really only got through kitchen items) and there are minute details that you need to know about because they make a BIG difference.  Luckily for me, my brother and sister are both pretty knowledgable about this stuff because they like cooking and did this themselves recently (Laura more recently than Matt, but still...) so they helped.  Before you go registering for things I recommend you consider:

• Knives - Apparently you want German Steel knives because it's the most sturdy.  You also want the steel to be one piece through the handle.  To be sure this is the case, and that it's not soddered somewhere in the handle, look for three rivets, not two.  We were also told that sets without steak knives are ok because steak knives are relatively inexpensive add-ons, whereas the other cooking knives are not.  It's better value to purchase the set with more cooking knives and register separately for steak knives.  Our research showed J.A. Henckels and Wusthofs are two reliable bands.  We ended up deciding on an 8 piece set by J.A. Henckels.
• Flatware - Not all flatware is created equal!  This we did not know...  There are two number you should look for when choosing flatware - 18 and 10 or 8 (avoid 0!).  The 18 refers to the percent of chromium in the item - chromium gives the piece strength.  The 10 or 8 refers to the amount of nickel in the piece - the nickel prevents rust and gives the piece shine.  Most everything will have the 18 part; it's the 10, 8, or 0 that varies.  From what we've been told and read, there isn't much difference in quality between the 10 and 8 - 10 is a bit better but 8 isn't bad.  0 is bad - your flatware will rust and will not last.  So, we looked for 18/10 and 18/8 - it really narrowed our choices quite a bit!
• Pots and Pans - there are so many different metals out there - stainless steel, aluminum, copper, non-stick... Which are best for skillets?  Pots?  Pans?  Some heat evenly, some heat quickly, others cannot be heated above a certain temp...  What to choose?!  We went with a really cool combo - Tri-ply by Calphalon.  It's stainless steel on the outside, a layer of aluminum in the core, and a stainless steel surface.  The aluminum is great for keeping an even heat but the stainless is good for browning and cooking control.  It's kind of a best of both worlds option.  We did register for a separate set of non-stick skillets for cooking eggs and such.
• For all items look at the company guarantee - many companies offer lifetime guarantees for their products!

James and I disagreed about a few things - what we want in flatware and dinnerware specifically - which I was surprised about.  He said he really didn't care about many things (he wanted specific towels) but then didn't like a number of things I picked out.  We are working through it - we've agreed on flatware but not on dinnerware yet.  Also, do we want Fine China, or no?  That's my call - James says we don't need it (of course we don't NEED it...) but I think if we don't get it now, we'll never get it for ourselves.  I'm sure there will be more to debate through as we tackle the other registry areas, but we'll manage.

Regarding the stores we chose:  Macy's carries the towels that James wanted, so we went with them.  They also offer a great rewards program for registrants that I recommend brides and grooms check out. If the couple joins the rewards program (need a Macy's card) then any purchase made off the registry qualifies for 5% credit.  After the wedding date, Macy's sends a gift card with the balance accumulated while family and friends shopped - no increased price or additional procedure for customers.  Pretty cool!  Bed, Bath, and Beyond is great because of the quantity of items they carry, their great prices (most are a bit below other stores regular prices - those stores may run sales but BBB does not...they do send a ton of coupons though!), and their return policy.

I will say, it was fun to be in the store, pass something cool, and say "let's scan that!" and just do it!  If we get it, great!  If not, we can look into purchasing it ourselves or just let it go.  So far, so good!