I found a dress!!

I decided on a spur of the moment to go to Betsy Robinson's in Pikesville with my mom. I wasn't really expecting to find anything and just wanted to see what they had. I ended up finding a beautiful dress! It was the first dress that I had tried on that I couldn't find a single thing about it that I didn't like. I'm not giving away anything about it except that it's perfect!

colors

Orange is not a pretty color.  It happens to be my favorite color.  Ever since my dad started coaching the Tigger's Tigers soccer team in 4th grade I have loved the color orange.  Orange socks, orange purses, orange kitchen utensils!  How do I incorporate such an informal color into such a formal event?

Coral is one idea.  While still possessing the brightness I love, it is soft and elegant.  But what do I pair it with? Navy blue? Emerald Green?

Another idea is to stick with the bright color in its truest form that I know and love.  I could hold a bouquet of tiger lilies and bring on a fiery summer theme to my end-of-summer wedding.  I could still pair it with Navy blue...or maybe yellow...

And what do I make my bridesmaids wear?  I don't think they will be happy looking like this:

In all my indecisive-ness, There is one color scheme I've decided I DON'T want---the overdone fall hues theme.  Everyone knows summer is coming to an end and the leaves will soon be turning.  They don't need it shoved in their faces!

note: you can click on the pictures to enlarge.  Please leave feedback/comments/ideas!! Thanks :)

our family girls

My Dad is the oldest of 8 children-- 3 boys and 5 girls.  The family must have had enough of girls by the time grandkids started coming around because somehow our family ended up with 14 boy cousins and only 6 girls.  My mom is always proud that she did her part having 2 of those 6 :)  With such a small number of girls in the family we have to stick together!  Over Thanksgiving I asked two of my girl cousins to be a part of my wedding. 

Kristen and I have been buds since birth.  I was 9 years old when she was born and so excited to have another girl cousin.  We always found each other at family gatherings and played together.  For a long time she couldn't pronounce my name and called me something that sounded a lot like "Gasoline."  We've both grown up a bit since then-- Kristen is now almost 12 and finishing up 7th grade.  She will surely make a beautiful junior bridesmaid!

Caroline is the youngest of the family girls, and an experienced flower girl.  In May she was the flower girl for Jennifer's wedding-- the oldest of the girl cousins.  She had a great time and continued to play "wedding" afterwards (I'm sure brother Jake loved that).  When I asked her at Thanksgiving to be a flower girl again next fall her face lit up as she gasped and screamed "Yes!!"

 

it's officially a party!

Today we finalized our decision to book Rob from Absolute Entertainment as our DJ.  Aaron Couch from Disc Jockeys on Call was the other main competitor.  We met with both Rob and Aaron last weekend.

Aaron was the DJ at my cousin's wedding and I thought he did a great job.  His voice is amazing-- I think one guest called him Barry White.  He offered us a good price, but couldn't guarantee that he would be our DJ.  We weren't okay going on faith in a DJ from his company that we hadn't met.  Aaron told us that my cousin had booked much farther in advance than us and that September 2010 was set to be a busy month, which was why he couldn't guarantee us that he would be the DJ unless we paid more than double the price.

At our meeting with Rob he gave us a demo of his DJ skills and music tastes, and also showed us some recent reviews of his performances.  We were pleased with the meeting.  Thanks to my mom's great bargaining abilities we got quite a deal on Rob for our wedding!

There seems to be something with DJs about being hot and cold with communicating.  The week following our sales meeting with Jason from Absolute Entertainment we heard nothing from anyone.  After meeting with Robby however we got excellent communication from Jason as well as the president of the company.  Aaron seems to be the same way-- my cousin had warned me that he wasn't great with communication, but he called and e-mailed me as soon as I requested information.  Let's hope we stay on the upside of things.  Absolute Entertainment also has an online planning tool, which should make things super easy for us to plan.

Things seem to really be coming together now with all of the big vendors booked.  Football season will be over at the end of this week, so I should have lots of time to go dress shopping then!

engagement photos

This past Sunday we had an engagement photo session with Frank Formica and one of his assistants.  We met at Frank's studio and drove over to the Naval Research Station in Annapolis.  We took some photos under trees with changing leaves, and then moved on to some rustic old buildings.  It was lots of fun and the pictures turned out great!  We are officially going with Frank for our wedding photos.
Here are a few favorites:

Next on our list of things to do is a DJ.  We've had one meeting so far with Absolute Entertainment.  They seem like good DJs and offer reasonable rates, but have been terrible with communicating!  We've been in touch with a few other DJs via e-mail, and are working on setting up some meetings.

Dress shopping is still in the works as well.  I went the week before last to the Bridal Boutique in Columbia with Mom, my sister and Grandma and tried on another 10 or so dresses.  I think I at least have the style narrowed down now, but don't think I've quite found the right one yet!

photographers

We've had a couple photography appointments over the past week or so.  Last Friday we met with Frank Formica.  He seems great!  He has lots of experience (30+ years) doing weddings, and isn't burnt out!  He is also experienced with our ceremony and reception venues.  He showed us lots of examples of his work and albums.  He showed us how he creates lighting and retouches pictures.  He also did the wedding photography for a family friend who gave a good recommendation.  Pretty much there wasn't anything to not like about him.  He was also great about following up with us. 

Monday we met with D. Bryant, who seemed totally exhausted from the past weekend's weddings.  He had nice photos, but just didn't seem quite as good as Frank!  He also mentioned that he had been mentored by Frank Formica.  Don said that his ability to direct people sets him apart from other photographers.  I asked him to see a sunset photo (since we will be seeing the sunset from our reception) and he didn't come up with anything.  Also didn't follow up with us afterward.

Frank offered to do a free engagement session for us, so if we like those photos that will pretty much seal the deal!  I don't think we have the time to look at as many photographers as we did reception sites, especially since I would like to do engagement photos before it's FREEZING outside.  As much as I would like to look at EVERY option to find the perfect photographer, I'm not sure it's worth the time.  Frank seems perfect and I think he will be great for our wedding!



I also went dress shopping on Friday afternoon with Mom, Grandma and Helen at I Do I Do in Gaithersburg.  They have a combination of consignment dresses, designer closeouts and new designer dresses.  Joanna, the girl that helped me was great-- not pushy at all, honest, and willing to make suggestions.  I also liked that they were willing to tell me the designers (unlike at Bridal Images in Rockville).  I tried on maybe 10 dresses and found 3 that I liked!  All of them were completely different from each other, and from the one I liked at Bridal Images.  I have no idea what I want!

My bridesmaids

Disclaimer: with the exception of my maid of honor (who is of course better than everyone else) my bridesmaids are listed alphabetically by first name.  I had to come up with an order somehow!! I love all of you!

Sarah is my one and only sister and maid of honor.  We have gone to all the same schools, but being 3 years apart haven't always been there at the same time.  She was a freshman in high school when I was a senior.  During that year we played on the lacrosse team together at school.  Now she is a freshman at Maryland where I'm a senior.  I'm very excited for the next year that we get to go to school together!  She's always there for me when I need someone to talk to, and I couldn't ask for a better little sister!

I met Brittany at Maryland where we have lots of kinesiology classes together and both work as student athletics trainers for the football team.  We quickly became good friends (spending all waking hours together will do that to you!).  We have had lots of fun trips traveling with the football team, and always enjoy each other's company when cramming for exams.  We have similar goals and aspirations of becoming doctors, and relate very well to each other.  Brittany has always been there for me and is a great friend!!

Helen and I met playing soccer in our freshman year of high school.  We had lots of classes together in school, and became good friends by the end of high school.  Helen's fiancé is another one of our past sponsor mids, and we can always relate to each other about Navy stuff.  We are both seniors at Maryland now and have remained great friends throughout.  Helen always makes sure that we have regular dinners to catch up on everything.  Helen has always been there when I need her and I know she will continue to be there for me for years to come!

 Jordan is my future sister-in-law.  Unfortunately our first meeting was in Illinois going to her grandmother's funeral.  That was a hard time, but every time after that seeing her has been much more fun.  I always look forward to trips visiting with the family in Las Vegas and hanging out with Jordan.  Jordan is very supportive of our relationship, and I can't wait for her to be my sister-in-law!

It's Official!!

Our wedding date is officially down for September 2010! This past Friday marked our minus one year wedding anniversary.

Sunday we went to a bridal show at the Sheraton in Towson. It was smaller than the one I went to with Sarah at the Inner Harbor a few weeks ago. It also had much more food and drink to sample! We spoke with a few vendors about photography and music for the wedding. We also picked up some honeymoon info to look at. We're thinking about the Carribbean or Central America. They had some door prizes at the end of the show, but bridezilla had enough of the crowd and wedding vendors so we left before the drawings. (Most of them were small gift certificates to places with big prices anyways!)

Reception Booked

We signed the contract with Silver Swan today!! One more week and we can officially book the USNA chapel:)

reception sites

1. The Westin, Annapolis- What's not to like? They have a beautiful ballroom and include everything under the sun. Food, drinks, cake and a bridal suite were all included in the Westin's comprehensive package. The wedding coordinator was delightful. The reception would be less than 5 minutes from the ceremony and guests wouldn't even have to leave the building after the reception! So my hesitation here? --No water! With a wedding taking place in beautiful Annapolis it just doesn't seem right to have a view of 4 solid walls.

2. The Loews Hotel, Annapolis- Located right next to the Westin on West Street, The Loews was another hotel, but not quite as good. The coordinator was late for our meeting and told us that the Westin ballroom was an overwhelmingly large space. They had 2 options for receptions at the hotel. One was a hideous ballroom with red carpeting. The second was a cozy and visually appealing space next door, but it was multiple levels. Cocktail hour would be on the first floor, followed by dinner on the second floor, then cake and dancing on the third floor. It just didn't make sense logistically to me.

3. Carol's Creek Waterfront- This place is located on the water, at a marina. It is very close to the chapel and has a great view. It is, however a restaurant. Our guests would have to be split up among different rooms and the restaurant would have to be closed to the public. They also wanted a ridiculous amount of money to close the restaurant! I would recommend for dinner, but not for a reception.

4. Historic Inns of Annapolis- They have reasonably priced packages that include all sorts of things like chocolate covered strawberries and a bridal suite. Again, guests would not have to drive anywhere after the reception, and it is very close to USNA. Guests would also get 20% off rooms. They have a very pretty ballroom and atrium area. Dinner and dancing would be in separate rooms though. Historic Inns was definitely a major contender, but they were just missing that water piece!

5. Paul's on the South River- Located on the water, about 15 minutes from downtown Annapolis, Paul's is another Restaurant. They looked to specialize in weddings a little bit more than Carol's, but a restaurant nonetheless. The coordinator, Loveta seemed to know what she was doing, as she had been doing it for a long time, however she was very set in her ways. She knew what was best for you and that's how it was going to happen. They wouldn't do a plated dinner, but instead had food stations set up. They also didn't have crab cakes, but rather "crab puffs," --crab meat dipped in tempura and deep fried. Maybe interesting, but not what we were looking for. The coordinator did give us some good money saving tips, but didn't quite win us over! (Oh, and they had ugly chairs...)

6. Kent Manor- Once I started to get the idea that I liked waterfront venues, I looked into Kent Island. This was the first place that we visited on Kent Island, and it was beautiful! There was an Inn with about 24 rooms, and out back was the Garden room where the reception would be held. It is sort of a glass enclosed, fancy, air-conditioned gazebo. It's very pretty and a good size. They have a raised dance floor in the center of the room, with the bar behind it. Outside of the Garden room is a large lawn area that could be used for cocktail hour. They also had a dock and gazebo down by the water. It wasn't the bay, but some intercoastal water facing east (no sunset!!). Biggest problem here? They were already booked on the date we wanted!

7. Chesapeake Bay Beach Club- The second place we visited on Kent Island was beautiful as well. We didn't have an appointment, but the General Manager took time to show us around. They have 3 ballrooms available, all of which have a waterfront view. The sunset ballroom was the prettiest in my opinion, but I was told my party was too small. Each of the rooms had minimum numbers of guests for certain days of the week. The smallest ballroom had a 120 guest minimum for a Saturday night. The smallest ballroom was also the ugliest. It was converted from a restaurant, and that was certainly evident. Each ballroom also had a huge sign that read "Cheseapeake Bay Beach Club." A little tacky, IMHO. 3 ballrooms also means 3 weddings. This could be interesting coming from a small parking lot with one main entrance. Between the multiple weddings, guest minimums and tacky ballrooms, this one was out.

8. Silver Swan Bayside- We actually weren't even planning on visiting this third venue on Kent Island. We finished up so quickly with Kent Manor and CBBC that we decided to see if there were any more places to look while we were on the island. I figured this was just another restaurant attached to a marina like Carol's, but why not stop by while we were there. We loved it! We had no appointment, but John dropped what he was doing to show us around and answer our questions. The space was much cozier than other venues that we had looked at, and the view was amazing. CBBC had a water view, but it also had the bridge and docks in sight. Here was just water. The Naval Academy is also visible across the Bay. They have a dock and beach, as well as a large lawn that can be used for cocktail hour. After our second visit we asked if we could have a taste of their food before putting down a deposit, and they were very accommodating. Normally tastings aren't done until after a contract is signed. Both John and the Chef were on hand at the tasting to answer any questions we had. Mom, Dad, MOH and the fiancé were all there to try the delicious hors d'oeuvres, salad, crabcakes and steak.

9. Herrington's on the Bay- Just to make sure Silver Swan was the right place, we decided to look at a couple more waterfront venues. Herrington's is located in Rose Haven, which is about 40 minutes south of Annapolis. They had very pretty pictures online, so I thought it would be worth looking at. Our meeting there was a little strange. They hold an open house on Sundays so we went ahead then. We met with a consultant who talked with us all about food, size and all the other details. Then we waited while she created a proposal for us. We did find a picture while we were waiting of Aunt Pam in one of their albums, so it wasn't too bad! This was different than other places, who usually show off the place first, and then if you're interested, might e-mail you a proposal. She also didn't listen when we said we were having the ceremony elsewhere, and proceeded to include a fee for that in the proposal. After our meeting we got a tour of the place. They had 2 sites, one of which was a building, and the other was a tent. The building was nice, but the guests would have to climb stairs to go from cocktail hour to the reception. The reception area was also a bit small, especially the dance floor. The tent area was not so great. They had some air coolers, but it was far from being climate controlled. Bathrooms were across a gravel parking lot from the tent. Way too much risk for me! They did have very nice landscaping all around, especially on their "bridal lawns." The water view couldn't compare with Silver Swan. It was mainly a marina filled with boats, and faced East, so no sunset!

10. Celebrations at the Bay- We met with Lanna at Celebrations last Monday. She was an excellent salesperson and convinced us that my wedding would be perfect! They have 2 reception areas-- one is a large tented ballroom and the other is a smaller indoor ballroom. The tented area was already booked for our date, so we focused on the indoor ballroom, which was a better size anyways. They have a great view of the Bay, though also facing East. (I just can't shake that sunset view with USNA from Silver Swan!) We went to a tasting on Wednesday night at the Villa, which is also part of Uptown catering who owns Celebrations. All of the food was excellent, and we met one of the owners, who was also an excellent salesperson. She definitely sold on emotion and pretty much had us convinced that our wedding just wouldn't be as good anywhere else! One of the biggest issues with Celebrations was the price tag. They offer a big package with 6 hors d'oeuvres, salads, paired entrees, chocolate fountain, cake, open bar, etc. etc. The package pretty much stays the way it is. We tried to amend parts of it, but they just explained why each part was a necessity and that nothing we wanted to change would make a difference in the price. I also am not crazy about the 2 weddings at once. They do stagger the starting times, but there are still going to be 2 parties going on, right next door to one another. So between the multiple weddings, huge price tag, and the not-quite-as-good view... Celebrations is out of the running!

Other places we considered: Renditions Golf Course, The Officers' Club, Waterview Grille, Windows on the Bay, Kurtz Beach, Crofton Country Club, Newton White Mansion, William Paca House, Annapolis Yacht Club, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Beach Resort, Quiet Waters Park, London Town Publik House, N Star Room, Chartwell Golf and Country Club, Mike's, The Inn at Brookville Farms. Port Annapolis Marina, Chart House, History Quest, St. John's College, Sly Horse Tavern, Eastport Yacht Club, The Golf Club at South River & Maryland Sunrise Farms. Many of these places were too small, too far, or seemed similar to other places so for one reason or another we didn't take the time to visit. A couple of these we did stop by just to look, but didn't inquire any more.

So, it's pretty evident that a lot of research has been done! We are likely done searching around for a place at this point, and I think it was all worth it!!

I made a blog!

For bridesmaids, friends, family or anyone else who might be interested in my wedding plans, I've decided to start a blog about them! We got engaged in July. This blog will be more focused on the planning aspect.

Right now we're mostly at the stage of figuring out the ceremony and reception. I have looked at probably 10-15 reception sites, and I think we've found a winner! (I may post later about each site and what I/we thought of it). Silver Swan bayside is located across the Bay from Annapolis, on Kent Island. It's a perfect size for our small wedding, and will have a great view of the sunset on the Chesapeake and USNA! The wedding coordinator and chef have been great to work with so far.

I also started looking for dresses yesterday! My mom, Sarah and Brittany came with me to Bridal Images in Rockville yesterday, where I tried on 7 or 8 dresses. The very first one I tried on was my favorite! The lady who helped me told me that 9 out of 10 brides end up buying the first dress that they try on! I was very surprised as it wasn't the same cut I had imagined I would like. Most bridal salons remove the tags from dresses so that you don't know the designer, and this one was no exception. Certainly understandable, as they don't want you to go find the dress cheaper online. Fortunately my mom is great at finding things like this, and found the dress online!