When Wedding plans and Bridal Showers collide!

Today was a whirlwind of a day to say the very least!

This morning we had an appointment at the William Penn Inn to finalize all our reception plans and choices. It was nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time since it made me feel like things were really starting to finally come together. It was a big morning full of a lot of decisions.

one - two - three

We were 100% sure about the flavor, which we are SUPER DUPER excited about! Then there was the little glitch where I spaced out prior to our meeting and completely forgot to chose a cake design... and Lord knows I was going in 100 million directions. When the coordinator asked me, I basically played eenie meenie... and gave him the 3 cakes above.

We have a silver cake stand like the middle picture and I love the whippy (not a word? what!?) icing. I also am semi-obsessed with having the top tier elevated on its own little pedestal.

I actually bought a cake stand similar to this little guy at Homegoods on a whim and it seems to work with the silver base stand. Hopefully it all looks as good in real life as it does in my head.

We picked out the rest of the food with relative ease since we had gone through the package and highlighted our favorite things and the dessert buffet choices were pretty simple too since anything with strawberries were out (my uncle is super allergic so we just removed the risk completely) and we had tried a bunch of really great ones at our tasting and the billion brunches we've been to there since we chose it for our wedding.

The beer selection, of course, was not as easy... you know, because in our family, Bud and Heineken just WILL NOT do. So after a few more adjustments, we were happy with that too.


We left starving because our brunch plans were quashed since I we took so long in the meeting, and we had to get home to get ready to go to my Poppop's 80th birthday party. Who has a party at 1pm on a Sunday.... no one in my family... like ever... THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY FIRST CLUE!

After stopping at Wawa for some coffee and breakfast to go, we ran home, got changed and headed to my parents house. There were a TON of cars parked up and down my street and I thought, "wow, there are a lot of people here for Poppop" but then again, we have a giant family so I didn't really question it... even when I noticed the exact same car as Jay's mother drives parked across the street, I thought "hmm... I haven't seen another one that color"

The last thing that was a dead giveaway was the pink glitter ribbon tied around a pot on my parents' front walk. I laughed and even said to Jay as I pointed at it, "I guess Elisabeth is here." It wasn't until I got to the porch as saw the Vegas style big pink "Welcome to Eileen's Fabulous Shower" that  I realized those sneaky bastards had pulled one over on me.

As I walked inside I looked straight at my very-pregnant-best-friend and told her "you're supposed to be at work!" before I hugged her.

Read part 2 of the shower saga!

100 Days!!!!!

It's officially only 100 more days til the wedding! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by!!!
We are getting super excited for all the upcoming events and can't wait to celebrate with our family and friends!!!
We're going to be seriously busy the next few weeks!! In the next 99 days, we have to:

1) finish our house-remodel (a monstrous undertaking in and of itself)

kitchen sneak peek and new lights in the dining and living room

2) dress fitting


3) SHOWER! :) Yay!


4) Bachelor/Bachelorette parties :) Yay!

5) Hair (Pinterest Inspiration) and make up (Pinterest Inspiration): trial by Kristen at Kouture Beauty

(one, two, three, four)

6) head to Florida for Aubrey's wedding!

7) Elisabeth's 4th Birthday :)

8) Finish all the wedding crafts... favors, table numbers, signs, programs, etc.

9) finalize details for Rehearsal dinner

10) RELAX! and think about Honeymoon plans... ahhhh

Cinque Terre

List-a-mania

So the other day,  I took this picture of my to do list:

Today that list looks like this!

I can only imagine how this legal pad will look once November rolls around. 

I might be having visions of this:

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In an effort to prevent that ^ hot mess, let me regroup here:

The great news is that I did manage to knock a few things off the list.

1. Photographer (videographer?) - in process, we are waiting on info from another videographer before we call to book Steph and Brent for both (packaged deal may mean better discounts, right?)
2. Room block - DONE! 35 rooms reserved at the nearest hotel with an attached bar (that stays open til 2am) and it just so happens it is newly renovated and very nice :)
3. Transportation
1. Limos for home to church and church to reception
2.  Buses for to/from hotel and reception - got quotes, need to finalize guest list before we decide how many buses we'll need, I hope none of you are above riding in big yellow school buses :) if you are, don't tell me! Thanks!!
4. Confirm start times for Ceremony and Reception
5. Confirm date/time for Rehearsal/Dinner
6. Find a Rehearsal Dinner location - some ideas in the works, more posts to follow.
7. Registry - hahaha... I might have started this without Jay's help... we could maybe be registered at Crate & Barrel and Bed Bath & Beyond already.
8. Attendant gifts - ideas are all I've got, and not very good ones.
9. Parent gifts
10. Florist - must remember to call tonight! Fortunately, centerpieces are included by the venue (kaching!) but my Godmother (Aunt Kathy) gave me info for her friend who is going to help us out with bouquets and boutonnieres.
11. Hair/makeup/nails/facial?? preliminary discussions with my personal stylists (mom & Shiela) regarding the veil and headpiece dilemma posted earlier this week, need to schedule a time for them to work their magic on this mane and see what we can come up with, otherwise, I will be salon stalking in the not-so-distant future.
12. Wedding Website - Done, see it here.
13. Finalize Guestlist, send copy to MOH
14. Find/order Invitations
15. Buy a dress - Done! See the post here.
16. Bridesmaids dresses - partially complete... 2 of 6 have dresses. 
17. Speaking of bridesmaids, ask last girl to actually be one! 

 (did you notice how the list grew just now?)

What does the Perfect Venue look like?

Let's talk about the Must-Haves for our venue-

1) Capacity for 200+ guests (my huge fam + Jay's friends = giant guest list)
2) Somewhere neither of us have been for a wedding
3) Close proximity to hotels and the church
4) Unique venue - anything that makes it stand out from the standard reception hall/country club
5) Must fit in the Budget (maybe this should be the first consideration, but the other things are so much more important to me)

Some of my Favorites:

PECHE 

Pros: unique and industrial, open space, floor to ceiling windows, blank canvas and has an outdoor space.

John Armich Photography

Susan Stripling Photography

Cons: it's almost too big, holds 600-700 people but might look empty if we're *only* having 200 people. and doesn't meet 3 or 5 so it's out.


 

POMME

Pros: interesting combination of rustic and Mediterranean, has an outdoor space.Separate rooms for Cocktails, dinner, and dancing.

John Armich Photography

John Armich Photography

Cons: the space feels kind of choppy, and it only holds up to 200 people so it doesn't meet #1. Also doesn't fall into #5 so it's out of the running, too.

PHOENIXVILLE FOUNDRY

Pros: unique and industrial, open space, floor to ceiling windows, blank canvas and has an outdoor space.

Wedding Wire

The Knot

Cons: Doesn't meet #3, nothing even remotely close. Also, doesn't meet #5, because we'd be required to use their approved vendors and by the time we get everything we need/want, it puts us over budget.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Pinterest

Part of me loves Pinterest. I'm totally and completely obsessed, pinning beautiful pictures left and right. I adore all the inspirational ideas that can be found in just a quick wedding search. I love love love having a place to store images, and more importantly, the links that go with them. It is terribly convenient being able to share boards with my mom, sisters, and friends and that they can see all the things I am envisioning without the pretty getting lost in translation.

There is something just innately right about Pinterest. It is the most efficient outlet for storing and sharing and it really speaks to my OCD tendencies.

That said, I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. My number ONE biggest issue with this site, or more with the blogger-masses who post on it, is that most pins are seriously devalued. Either by price, or by ease of completion. I love when I see pictures of twinkle-light wrapped trees with beautiful glass lanterns filled with fresh flowers or candles hanging from them. Stunning.... and yes, the supplies are easy and inexpensive enough. What they fail to convey in those perfectly staged photos is 1) who are you getting to decorate those trees, 2) who is going to hang all those pretty lanterns, 3) who is lighting all the candles or filling those hanging vases with water and perfect flowers? Well, maybe your answer is "the wedding planner" and a tip of the hat to you, my friends, and a hand in your pocket maybe too! For us girls on the efficiency-wedding planning end of things (which is still a ridiculously substantial fund, considering it's all for 1 day) sometimes the finds on Pinterest that look budget-friendly are not, AT ALL.

Another disappointment I have faced with Pinterest (and if I'm being honest, Style Me Pretty, is also guilty of this) is the way they glorify "backyard weddings" and establish them as budget-friendly. News Flash fellow brides!!!! That is just not the case. The cost of rentals (tents, tables, chairs, lights, generators, BATHROOMS, etc.) plus the cost of a caterer (who still wants to charge you what you'd be paying at the venue... even though they don't come with bathrooms) is astronomical.  I say this in all seriousness... if you are having more than 100 people to an affair in your backyard or on a farm that hasn't been refurbed into a reception venue, you really need to consider portable toilets, or a bathroom trailer... and these options run from $3000-$5000, so just keep that in mind.

Another huge disadvantage here is that a lot of those pretty outdoor weddings take place in California or other equally-perfect weather places, and for a girl like me, an outdoor wedding in Philadelphia, PA is just sooooo risky! It could be raining, it could be gorgeous! There could be a hurricane, there could be a tornado, there could be drought-like conditions or it could be record-breaking heat. All that, and it doesn't matter what time of year you try... the weather is just terribly unpredictable.

That said, I do love Pinterest. I would even admit that I might be addicted to it. I have deemed the love of my life, my fiance, also the keeper of all things sane. He has been designated as the person to pull me back down to earth when I get carried away by pins.

Venue-stalking

So I failed to mention in my previous posts that Shiela (and Elisabeth) and I did some serious venue-stalking last weekend (12/29).

We had spent that Saturday at the Expo then went shopping for supplies for wedding crafts for Shiela's friend Beth, who is getting married in April. On the way home, we just happened to be driving past the William Penn Inn.

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Back story - I've driven past this place thousands of times in my life. I have never once, not ever, stepped foot inside the building. It is absolutely beautiful all year round, but especially at Christmas when they have extra light outside on all the bushes and in greens and in wreaths.

{via}

The place is just magnificent! I love it so much. Which is crazy to say since I've never been inside, let alone eaten the food.

So needless to say on Saturday night while we were on our way home, my sister pulled into the banquet entrance and told me to go inside to take a peek. She wanted me to see it in all it's Christmas-decorated-glory. I am soooooooo glad I did because when I walked in, I saw the banquet room swagged with beautiful greens glittering with gold and ivory accents.  I am not exaggerating when I say that it took my breath away. The woman who was working in the coat check, and so graciously let me go in and look around found me staring at the decorations like a small child.

I could tell by the way she vividly explained the layout of the room and how things would look different for a wedding that she too was in love with this place. That speaks volumes to me as I was a coat-check girl, a hostess, a waitress, and a bartender at one time or another in my life and I know how easy it is to lose the awe factor when you work somewhere.

I was pretty-much sold on a Christmas wedding right then and there.

The Philly Bridal Expo

Even though I've been sick as a dog this week, today I was feeling slightly better... or drugged up enough not to waste the day in bed. I also got tickets to the Philly Bridal Expo and as my first official outing with Bridesmaids, I did not intend to miss it!

Alyssa, Shiela, and I trudged out in the not-too-freezing cold and took the train into the city. The expo had lots of vendors- florists, caterers giving out food, bakeries giving out cake, salons giving out make up and updos, and even a mobile spray-tan or teeth-whitening option! Who knew!?

We got tons and tons of very helpful information and then we made our way over to the Downtown Marriott, which is actually attached to the convention center, so that was very nice! The Marriott did not disappoint, they had a great photobooth where we got our pictures taken and a complementary bookmark to hold the strip. We got some more delicious food samples, including mimosas, amazing pumpkin cake from Anne's Cake Pan (it seriously was to die for!) and even a Starbucks Hot Cocoa/Coffee bar.

All in all, it was a terrific day and we got tons of info to continue the hunt for the perfect venue/vendors.

Visions of an outdoor affair

If I said I've been dreaming of my Wedding Day since I was little, that wouldn't be a lie. If I said I've been planning my wedding since I was 15, that would also not be a lie. If I said that Jay and I have been talking about our wedding for almost the same amount of time that we've been together, that, again, is not a lie.

We have discussed, at length, the vision we both have for our Wedding Day and it looks a little like this:

My Vision

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 Jay's Vision

 

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(found on pinterest, source deleted)

Fortunately, we have been able to tie in games, twinkle lights, whiskey, outdoors, beer, candlelight, and cigars to something really great! At least how we're seeing it in our heads... We share a love of yard games and craft brews, so in the end we may not be having a flip-cup tournament, but we do have ideas of a cocktail hour playing bocci or cornhole.

Jay doesn't love twinkle lights as much as I do, but he sure is good at letting me have my way ;) Our plan is to set up a tent on my Grandparent's property (they live on a lovely 16-acre farm with a pond). The cocktail hour would be held on the flagstone patio under lighted Maple trees and then transition to the tent for the reception.

Backwards vendors

So MAYBE the vendor isn't backwards, but I might be...

In the spirit of putting the cart before the horse, I have totally started looking at vendors without actually booking a venue, or a church. We are shooting for Fall wedding this year and I just can't sit around and wait for red tape to get cut while all the good vendors get snatched up. I'm an instant gratification kind of girl and I just had to start doing something wedding-planning related. So even though it's making everyone else crazy (they would like me to wait until after Christmas to kick off planning), I just can't wait!! That and I paid a visit to Bucci's to get my ring sized and Joe might have said that it was "engagement season" which almost put me in a tailspin because since Jay and I got engaged, we know at least 3 or 4 other couples that have as well!

So I took to one of the most important vendors, Photographers, because after all is said and done, you want great pictures... that's all you get to keep from the day. So I hit the books (or google) to find some local photographers and check out pricing.

I have been blog-stalking Hoffer Photography for at least 6 years. If I'm being honest, I've wanted them to photograph my wedding since the first time I laid eyes on their work. I am fairly certain that I would have made a deposit to them 3 years ago if I would have known that we would be getting engaged and that they were going be booked through forever.

That said, there are A LOT of photographers out there, and it was easy for me to fall in love with another artist's work once I knew that the Hoffer's weren't available.

I'm kind of obsessed with Ashley Bartoletti's images. Her pictures are much softer and way more my style. I found her through Style Me Pretty and she was super sweet, and her work is just fabulous!

I'm also currently drooling over Saltwater Studios. Steph's work is also beautiful and soft and natural and I totally love her as a person! She's probably the friendliest wedding vendor, ever, OF ALL TIME.