Our Wedding by the Sea

So finding a caterer is proving to be a headache.  Whenever vendor hunting gets hard like this, I find myself withing that weddings just came pre-planned with vendors, and you could just make a bunch of cute things and have a wedding.  I guess I could have had that, had I used a traditional venue.   should have started trying to find a caterer sooner.  I found a great one with awesome prices, but they are already double-booked on my wedding day, so they were a no-go.  Now I'm back to the drawing board.  Everyone I've contacted other than that place has been over-budget or booked.

I found one who is $21something pp for a buffet, but he didn't give me many more details than that.  He didn't seem too personable/excited for business and hasn't replied to my follow-up email.  I also emailed a few more places today based on the recommendations of other people, and there is one place that I'm really excited about and crossing my fingers for.  Hopefully I can check the caterer off ASAP since I have NO interest in this aspect of my wedding.  I just want there to be good food.  It doesn't have to be the best food ever or even better than most.  Just average or better.  I'm not really a food person haha.  If it's delicious, that's just a bonus.  Hopefully I'll have something to report shortly!

Chris and I are hoping to find a place or 2 to have a tasting at in February.  We'll be in Stone Harbor anyway for my first race on February 11.  So it would be great if we could set up a tasting that weekend.

Okay moving along...

I just got an email from our photographer.  She's won the "Bride's Choice Awards" for 2012 from WeddingWire.  Super exciting- for both she and I!  I am so excited for her.  I knew she was amazing, and now it's great to see that others are seeing it too & she's being acknowledged for her fabulosity.  Yay Inna!

Also, Chris finally asked his last groomsmen!  So now we officially have our bridal party: Morgan (MOH), Britta, Jen, Kyle (BM), Andy, & Duck!  Yay!!

And finally, onto wedding nightmares.

I guess my planning hiatus took a toll on my subconscious, because the other night I dreamed that the day before my wedding I realized I was getting married the next day and just forgot to plan the rest of the event.  I showed up and wore my dress too long (I never got it altered) and my veil was wrinkled.  I got dressed in front of strangers in a back room of the venue where we got married.  We got married in a church, not at the beach.  I also never made/sent wedding invites, so I made a FB event and hoped some people would show up....  We also asked for baby name recommendations at the wedding (??) and my dad suggested we name our first daughter Hickory Pine.  Really!?  And so now I'm all ready to get back on board and plan this thing so I don't end up with a train wreck wedding like that one...

We have a photographer!!

We went to meet Inna and her husband, Manny, last night.  They were amazing.  Inna has so much energy and passion, as well as a really big heart!  I loved them instantly- and their miniature poodle, Izzy!  Actually, we knocked on the door and the dog started barking and I mentioned it was a good sign that they had a dog (we're MAJOR dog people).

So yes- very very excited.  We got a great deal.  We got the package we wanted for $300 less than the going rate AND they added a second shooter.  We get them from 8 or 9am (whichever we decide) until midnight.  She touches up every single image and we get them all- she creates an online gallery and hosts it for a year and a half, and we get a CD of low-res images as well as a DVD of high-res images.  And the rights.  This photographer is basically a dream come true.  Not to mention her photos are stunning and she comes with excellent reviews.  We basically hit the jackpot.

This is technically our first official check, since the venue STILL hasn't sent us a contract to sign (but they have been in touch- it's still being written up with our specific needs).

I am beyond excited and thrilled with our choice.  Also glad we rushed in and swept her up- I've been in contact with her for a few weeks now and she has shot a wedding every. single. weekend that I have been talking to her.  She took out her calendar for next year to write us in, and ours was one of two weekends left for September 2012.  Thank God we acted fast!

Anyway, I'm super excited and just needed to share.  I'm finally starting to feel like a bride!

Next stops: DJ, catering, and dress shopping!

I guess I don't have THAT much to do, but it's so nice to finally have some wedding things to focus on that aren't vendors and stressing out about how I'm going to pay for said vendors.

1- I am almost finished with my planning binder.  20 tabs later, I am nearly organized.  I just need to type up my lists of questions to bring to vendor interviews so everything is together.  Also, I need to print out our budget sheet.

2- I bought plastic tupperware things for our day-of emergency kits.  Mine is green (they didn't have white) and Chris' is black.  I love them and wish it wasn't way too early to start filling them!

3- We haven't booked our e-pics yet, but we're getting closer!  Nicole (my brother's girlfriend) has officially agreed to do them and doesn't need to do a trial- so we can just go to NYC and get them done!  I've figured out both outfits.

For the Central Park pictures, I'll be wearing this:

And for our metro pics, I'll be wearing the following:

4- Finally, we officially have a rescheduled appointment to meet with our probable photographer this Sunday night!  She has sent me 5 different albums of full weddings she has shot so I can get a taste for her style and I LOVE them.  I feel like she'll likely be "the one" and hope we decide to book her so I can stop worrying about this craziness!

Hurricane Irene has come and gone.  We got a lot of rain and some wind, but no serious damage was done to our house or property, so that's a plus.  It's now sunny and mild outside- the birds are chirping.  We spent most of the day with no power, but it's back on now and you'd never guess a hurricane rolled through.

Unfortunately, our meeting with our potential photographer tonite was canceled because NJ was in a state of emergency this weekend.  We canceled on Friday because all the exits were closed and there was no way we'd make it.  So, we're rescheduling for September 4 and hopefully this time there are no problems.

On other news, I got in touch with Nicole about our e-pics.  Nicole is my brother's girlfriend (maybe soon-to-be fiancee- I have the feeling he's gonna pop the question soon!).  She majored in film and minored in photography and takes awesome photos.  She's never done an e-session, so she wants to do a test-run at Valley Forge or Green Lane before heading up to NYC for the actual shots because she wants to make sure we'll be happy with her work.  I'm sure we will be, but if it will make her more comfortable, I'm happy to do a preliminary shoot.

Finally, I was offered a job at my internship!  My job now is at a water ice store and we're closing on the 18th.  So, after the 18th I'll be paid part time (because my internship hours can't be paid).  Any hours I do after the 24 required weekly by my internship will be paid, and then when my internship ends (December 6) they want me on full-time.  I am so excited/relieved.  I was so stressed out about finding another job when Rita's closes, and now I'm not anymore.  AND I don't even have to worry about the post-graduation job search because I already got one!

Anyway, that's all I have for now :)

I feel like I've gotten so much done this last week.  I haven't, but it feels like I have.

NWR: I started my internship as a preschool teacher.  I LOVE it.  My kids are amazing and I can't wait to see what every single week for the next 15 weeks is going to bring.  I love their little faces and their little voices and all the little things they do.  Ahh- I'm SO in the right job for me.

Now, back to the wedding...

I have been researching photographers like crazy.  My top three priorities for this wedding are:
1. Has to be at the beach (check!)
2. Need to have amazing, photojournalistic photography (working on)
3. Want to dance ALL NIGHT LONG and want my guests dancing, too! (next on my list!)

So now that we have our venue and I know we'll be saying "we do" with our toes in the sand, I have started seriously researching photographers.  My heart was broken when the photographer I was dead set on sent me her updated price list.  Her new price for the package we wanted was $2,400.  When your wedding budget is only $10,000, $2,400 for photography is ridiculous.  So I started the search again and I think I've found the one!

The package is super cheap and includes photography from 9am to 11pm, a CD of images for the Internet, a DVD of images for printing (and all rights to print), photo retouching, online gallery for one year, one 11x14 print, one 8x10 print, and 100 4x6 prints.  We are going to go meet with her sometime within the next month and I cannot WAIT to book her if she's right for us.  I talked to her on the phone last night and she was super friendly- I feel like we'll "click" well.

So yes, there's my big update!  I'm so excited.

Operation: Hot Bride is well under way.  Today is day 4 of level 1 and I feel great.  I haven't lost any weight yet, but I can do more and more of the workout without needing to stop so I know I'm progressing.  I didn't work out on Wednesday because I had my internship in the morning and then went to work right away and closed there.  So I didn't really have any time :(  But that's okay- you need to give your muscles time to rest, so that was it for this week.

Yesterday my mum came upstairs to do laundry.  I was researching flowers when she came in, but wanted to show her this dress site I found that has designer dresses at a fraction of the price (goweddingdress.com, if you're interested).  I was so excited when I found it because my dress budget is pretty low, but I haven't been able to find a lot in my price point.  As we're looking at some of the gowns I have bookmarked (some that I've been eying for the past 7 months and am totally excited I can actually have now that they're so affordable), she mentions that she wants to pay for my gown.  I was floored.  She already said she's buying our cake.  But the dress!?  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am beyond thrilled and there are no words for how thankful I am.  She wants to go dress shopping to try some dresses on, and then order from that website.  Her cousin does dress alterations, so that will be free/nearly free.  Also, on the website is that shipping is free and returns are honoured if done so within 7 days.  So basically, if I don't like the dress when it comes, I send it back and it's like the whole thing never happened.  It's virtually risk-free, and I get the designer dress I've been dreaming about.  Now.. if only they carried Maggie...

Here are some of the dresses I'm considering.  Obviously I'll try them on first (or at least ones that are similar):

Allure 8764
My front-runner :)

Demetrios 3140
I've had my eye on her for awhile.  She's completely different than all the other dresses I like.

Allure 8755

Demetrios 1356

A stunning gown, but it needs straps.  I think adding them might take away from it though.

    

Believe it or not, I love lace gowns.  I know that assortment doesn't really reflect that, but I was always taught to try things outside of what you were positive you wanted, because you can be surprised.  So those are some dresses I want to try on to see what I might like.

The day's excitement doesn't end there.  After talking with my mum, I had to get ready for dinner with Chris' parents.  They invited us over to "talk about the wedding."  I was SO nervous.  Last time they wanted to talk about the wedding, I ended up crying for three hours because they told us they thought it was a bad idea for us to get married in Mexico.

It turns out that I had no reason to be nervous.  They wanted to go over our plans: ceremony on the beach, cocktail hour outside in the space between the beach & the reception building, reception inside, etc.  We pulled up pictures, got excited, etc.  Then they told us that they want to help pay for it.  !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were NOT expecting that at all.  I think the wedding gods were smiling on us yesterday.  They want to contribute a good amount of money and also host the rehearsal dinner.  A huge weight off my chest.  I feel like we can actually do this now, without having to live with no electricity and keep ourselves warm under a blanket all winter.

Other things we learned yesterday and weren't expecting at all:

• When contacting DJ's and finding price points, we learned that the cheapest one for what we wanted will cost us $200... an HOUR.  Maybe it's time to lower my standards.  My friend who got married 2 weeks ago had an amazing DJ, and I just found out they paid $4,000 for them... Um.  Time to win the lottery???
• My close friend's stepfather is a wedding photographer who said he'll give us the family rate if we decide to use his services.  I'm going to check out his portfolio and probably call him later this week.  That, paired with the free e-pics my brother's girlfriend is doing for us, takes a load off of our photography budget (and maybe makes more room for the DJ hahaha)
• I might have fresh flowers in my wedding after-all.  It looks like nice fake arrangements are just as expensive.  My neighbor does flowers, but she's not a professional or anything.  But I have a friend whose aunt is a florist and I might be able to call in a favor and have those done inexpensively as well.

I love when things start to turn in your favor.  It's true when they say that all you need to do is find your venue and things will naturally fall into place.  Keep falling, wedding things!