Less than 2 months to go!

It seems like everything is actually falling into place! There have been some changes as we've gone along, but almost everything is done. We just need to sit down and discuss our ceremony wording and what songs we'd like to have played.

Yesterday, I went for my alterations appointment. I actually didn't end up needing anything done to the gown; I just needed a size change (down from an 18W to a 14, wow!). The only thing they're doing to the dress is the bustle. They didn't have the ivory color in stock, so I decided to go with white. I don't think it'll be too much of a problem. It's still a gorgeous dress!

I picked out this cute dress for the flower girls:

The men will be wearing these suits from Men's Wearhouse. John (pictured) will be wearing gold bow-ties and vest, while the groomsmen will be wearing sangria bow-ties/vest. It's a charcoal Vera Wang tux. John said it was very comfortable.

I have enlisted my very talented cousin to do hair and make up for the bridal party! She works at an upscale salon in Boston, on Newbury St. Here's what she came up with (it's exactly what I wanted!)

Flowers! I originally was going to go with real flowers, with the arrangement done by a florist. However, John and I found these gorgeous wooden flowers at the Raynham Flea Market of all places. John's aunt will be making the bouquets for us. I selected white, purples, pinks, silver and gold.

The centerpieces are still the same, despite the fact that I keep seeing cool ideas. I just don't think I'll be able to do them.

And finally, all our vendors have been chosen. We had a brief scare that we wouldn't have a photographer, but we recently found a new (and much better) one!

All food will be done by the host, the Wayside Inn. The menu includes:

Moo: Sliced London Broil with Sherry Mushroom Sauce

Gobble: Roast Turkey with Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing and Giblet Gravy

Vegetable: Grilled Portobello Mushroom stacked with Eggplant, Roasted Red Pepper and Melted Mozzarella Cheese. (No cheese if vegan)

All the kids are getting chicken fingers and french fries.

We will also have a gluten free cake, which is being made by one of John's mom's friends.

Our other vendors:

Photographer: Allison Eddy

Ceremony/cocktail hour music: Donald Zook

Justice of the Peace: Michael Backer

DJ: Rob Guilmette

Hair & Makeup: Kayleigh Nantel

So, the to-do list?

• Finalize ceremony wording
• Finalize reception music
• Finalize and purchase bridal party gifts
• Assemble centerpieces
• Make place cards/seating arrangements
• Pick out something to wear for rehearsal dinner and decide if I want a reception dress (or get an after party dress!)

Words of advice for future brides: use connections to get your vendors! John and I have personal connections to almost all of vendors, minus the JP and host. 

Well.. it's been a while!

And not much has changed!

Things we still need to do?

• Find a JP
• Find a photographer (John's job)
• Find a DJ (John's job)

I'm having dreams that we won't get it done on time :(

I think we have our centerpieces down. We went to Dollar Tree and came up with a prototype for our centerpieces

I'm not sure which one I like more :/ We're going to scatter some flower petals on the tables too so it'll look pretty :)

For flowers, we're only going to have the florist do bouquets, corsages and boutonniere. 

Other than that.. I got nothing. However, I think I'm making progress with my weight loss? Yay!

July 2012 (pre-diet)

Oct 2012

I kind of want to do this with my wedding dress. However I have no one near by to help me into my dress and take pics (other then John)! According to their size fitter online, I should be fitting into a 14W now. The dress I tried on was an 18W and I ordered a 16W.

Shoes and accessories!

So... I decided after all that I kind of really don't like the silver shoes I got for the reception. We went to DSW in Boston and had 0 luck today. However, when we got home, I found these lovelies on Amazon! I actually like them even more then the ones I saw in DSW! We're going to go return the other ones tomorrow.

I like! 

Also today, we went to H&M in Boston. I found awesome barrettes for the bridesmaids and I got 6 packs of them ($5.95 each).

I'm thinking something like this for the hair:

These are both really cute! I think something like this will look really nice.

Anyway, that's what I've been up too... Check for updates later!

Silly me, I forgot to mention the important stuff

....Like I got my beautiful, shiny, sparkly ring that I absolutely love!!

I wish the picture would actually capture how pretty it is in person....

Progress today

To my surprise, my dress was available today! Also to my surprise, it's kind of big, especially in the chest area.

Also today, Amanda got fitted for her dress and bought it. It looks really cute and I'm happy with my choice of dresses.

Other things I got accomplished today:
*Got the bridesmaids' flip flops (which I don't have a picture of, sorry)
*Picked out bridesmaid shoes. Amanda and I decided on the ones for her, and found another similar pair in case the one's she picked out are unavailable or whatever. I like them!

The shoes Amanda picked out

Other shoes that were cute too! I'm letting my bridesmaids pick between these two, or shoes they can find that are similar.

*I also got my shoes. I got a pair for the ceremony and a pair for the reception.

Ceremony shoes

Reception shoes (except in grey, I want the ivory, so I'm going to hunt around at DSWs until I find Ivory in my color!)

Also today, we got our venue contract! Once we sign it, April 13, 2013 is our day at the Wayside Inn! I also got in contact with Frugal Flowers for a consult for our flowers. Hopefully we'll be able to meet August 21 (I forgot that we were meeting Catie and Andrew on the 20th (which is when she originally wanted to meet) to go to the aquarium)

I'm considering having my cousin do either the bridal makeup or bridesmaid's hair (I'm going to have my regular stylist do my hair, maybe the maid of honors as well). I've asked and am currently waiting for a reply!

Otherwise, no big updates. Thinking about jewelry and going to Frugal Fannies to see what they have. 

Centerpieces

I have found an idea that I absolutely love for my centerpieces!

http://www.bronzebudgetbride.com/magazine/read/diy---purple-orchid-centerpiece_269.html 

(The link to remind myself where I found it!)

I'm thinking incorporating LEDs at the bottom to illuminate it, since the venue doesn't want open flame.. which I think will look cool! Only problem is trying to figure out how to get them to turn on. Hm...

Bonus...

Beautiful card box idea my bridesmaid Amy is going to attempt! I absolutely love it, even if it doesn't have orchids! Also, it kind of matches the sashes I'm thinking of having the girls wear with the dresses.

See, kind of similar! So, if she can get the sangria color and a flower to match the sash, it'll look nice and put together!

Fun with wedding math!

So... wedding venue math. Fun.
All venue information is from here: http://www.wayside.org/files/2012%20Wedding%20Package.pdf

Venue Costs

Since we will be having an afternoon wedding in April, that gives us a charge of $1500 for the main dining room.

Wee will be doing the Mary Martha Dinner which is $59.95/person. So if we have 100 people (which is my goal) the total would be $5995. Plus we need to add a the 18% gratuity... which is $1079.10, making the meal for 100 people $7074.10.

Add the venue, we're looking at $8574.10. Plus apparently there is a $200 bartender fee. Now we're at $8774.10.

If we were to have the wedding at the chapel, that's an extra $750; $9524.10.
If we were to have the wedding in the garden instead, it's an extra $250; $9024.10.

So.. we're looking at somewhere between $9000-$9500, just for the wedding+reception!

Flowers
http://www.frugalflower.com/weddings

I like roses. Of course, they are very expensive. I also like orchids, which I think I might go with since they are less expensive. Plus, it's kind of different.

I have broken down what I need for flowers.

• 1 bridal bouquet
• 2 maid of honor bouquets
• 4 bridesmaid bouquets
• 2 corsages
• 9 boutonnieres 
• 2 flower girl bouquets
• 0 centerpieces because I plan on doing those myself
• 1 place card bouquet

Mistine Orchid corsage. Really pretty, right?

And the bridal bouquet, really pretty! Ok, I think I'm sold on these orchids! So... how much do they cost?

Frugal flowers has four different packages and an a la carte menu to add whatever you need.

Dendrobium Orchids (A la carte)
Bridal Bouquet $80
Maid of Honor Bouquet $60
Bridesmaid Bouquet $40
Flower Girl (petite) Bouquet $20
Corsages $30
Boutonnieres $10
Centerpieces $40
Altar Piece (place card table) $90

So... this is the cheapest:

Let's Tie the Knot $295.00                    From A la Carte
1 Bridal Bouquet                        (1)          +$0
1 Maid of Honor Bouquet          (2)          +$60
2 Corsages                                (2)          +$0
4 Boutonnieres                          (9)           +$10*5=$50
1 Altar Piece (place card table)  (1)          +0

0 Bridesmaids                            (4)          +$40*5=$200

0 Flower girls                             (2)          +$20*2=$40

So, for my bouquet, I'm thinking of having the Sonia color since it'll pop out and will coordinate with the bridesmaids. For the bridesmaids, I'm thinking of the Mistine color so it doesn't blend in too much with their dresses. Flower girls... I'm going to go with the Sonia color. Corsages and boutinnieres? Either one. Doesn't matter. Though, I might end up going all mistine if they don't let me change around the colors for the package.

So... the total for this + a la carte is.... $645 ($295+$60+$50+$200+$40)

All the other packages include centerpieces which I don't need since I'm making my own.

On to photography... John's brother is friends with a photographer... he's given us a quote between $500-$800, which I think is pretty damn good. 

John's putting us at a budget of $15,000, so if we add the total of the most expensive venue, flowers, and most expensive photography.. we're at $10,696.10, giving us $4030.90 for the DJ and any other expenses that may come up. We also need to think about invitations, which I think we'll do ourselves, instead of getting them professionally done.

Any other expenses I'm forgetting about?