I have not managed to actually purchase my gown, as of yet, but I have narrowed it down to one, I think, and I'm planning to go back to the store next weekend, try it on again, and decide for sure. Hope it's as pretty as I think it was!
But, we did manage to pick out some pretty snazzy bridesmaid dresses this past Saturday, which was grand. They are going to be cobalt with a platinum ribbon. I'm happy to see our color scheme coming together!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
three down, only 57 million to go!
On Monday I met with our newly hired wedding photographers, Jason and Megan Dittmer. They are a young couple who have only been doing weddings for about a year and a half, but their photos are spectacular! They will probably have a better idea of what all is actually going on at the wedding than I will, so I am really excited to see how everything will turn out when I finally get to see the results.
Andy's sister Joanna has also agreed to do our engagement photos about which (like all things wedding-related) I am thrilled. I am hoping she has some fun ideas for us, since my brain is a little scattered at the moment and Andy is completely clueless when it comes to photography. As a matter of fact, he didn't believe me when I said engagement photos were pretty standard these days, and had to call his friend Ryan for confirmation. Unfortunately for me, Ryan had never heard of engagement photos either, so I did lose a little ground on that discussion. (You'll note that I won overall, though. :) Finding something suitable to dress him in will be the next challenge.
Last week we also reserved our church, the St. Andrews Wedding Chapel, which I mentioned in my last post, and our reception hall, which will be the Liberty Theatre. Both places are absolutely gorgeous, which will make decorating a snap, thereby making me very very happy.
I have narrowed down my wedding gown choices to two, and I am hoping to decide between them this weekend. My bridesmaids will also all be going to pick out their dresses, so it should be a fun time, as long as there isn't any hair-pulling, biting or scratching, with all that estrogen in one place at the same time. Just kidding, of course, my friends, sisters, myself, and my mom get along like a charm...in public anyway.
Next up, Andy and I will be tackling a caterer. Hopefully this will turn out to be an effective negotiating technique. I'll let you know how it goes!
Andy's sister Joanna has also agreed to do our engagement photos about which (like all things wedding-related) I am thrilled. I am hoping she has some fun ideas for us, since my brain is a little scattered at the moment and Andy is completely clueless when it comes to photography. As a matter of fact, he didn't believe me when I said engagement photos were pretty standard these days, and had to call his friend Ryan for confirmation. Unfortunately for me, Ryan had never heard of engagement photos either, so I did lose a little ground on that discussion. (You'll note that I won overall, though. :) Finding something suitable to dress him in will be the next challenge.
Last week we also reserved our church, the St. Andrews Wedding Chapel, which I mentioned in my last post, and our reception hall, which will be the Liberty Theatre. Both places are absolutely gorgeous, which will make decorating a snap, thereby making me very very happy.
I have narrowed down my wedding gown choices to two, and I am hoping to decide between them this weekend. My bridesmaids will also all be going to pick out their dresses, so it should be a fun time, as long as there isn't any hair-pulling, biting or scratching, with all that estrogen in one place at the same time. Just kidding, of course, my friends, sisters, myself, and my mom get along like a charm...in public anyway.
Next up, Andy and I will be tackling a caterer. Hopefully this will turn out to be an effective negotiating technique. I'll let you know how it goes!
Monday, January 12, 2009
oh, the places you'll go...
Andy and I have settled on Fort Scott, KS as our happy medium location for the wedding, with the date being July 25, 2009. Now we are in the midst of trying to find suitable places for the ceremony, the reception, and the photos. This is not the easiest thing to do when you have to cram it all into one or two trips! Luckily, we easily found a beautiful place for the ceremony: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. It is a lovely historic church with gorgeous stained glass windows and a pipe organ. (We would be happy to have referrals if you know someone who actually plays the pipe organ!)
We also liked the Old Congregational Church but it would have taken quite a bit more work to get into shape. Still, it had a wonderful tall steeple with a bell you can ring yourself, as well as really beautiful stained glass windows.
The reception location has been a little bit harder. I had high hopes for the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, but it was a little disappointing, although still not out of the question. I don't know anything about the actual group, other than that they have 32 degrees. I don't know what that means. But, Andy and I were lucky enough to get to see their auditorium, which was substantially neater than their dining hall and has all the original backdrops they need to perform the 32 degrees. Whatever that means. All I know is, I saw columns and forests and animals and architecture, and it was pretty nifty.
We also went to the Liberty Theatre, located right across the street, which is one of our top picks. It's very nicely decorated inside, spacious, and flexible for our catering needs. Equally nice was the River Room, a newly renovated space on the third floor of an old manufacturing building. The bottom floors aren't done yet, but by the summer the building should also house a restaurant and retail shops. (Andy was disappointed that they weren't going to put in a bowling alley and skating rink that had been there years ago.) Although the price would probably be considered spectacular if it was in Johnson County, it was still rather beyond our budget.
The Fort Scott Country Club is closed for the winter, which means we can't get ahold of anyone to discuss renting it, which means it is not an option - but we did take the opportunity to peer through the windows, and it seemed suitable for what we need, if it comes to that. The Elks Lodge and the Fort Scott Inn both had rooms that were okay, but we really weren't impressed.
I adore the Lyons Twin Mansions, but due to the size and layout of the houses, we would have to do part of the reception outside, which makes me extremely nervous, considering the likelihood of our guests suffering heatstroke. So, our runner-up location of the moment is the Buck Run Community Center, which, although a bit sparse in the aesthetics department, is quite quite quite affordable, and therefore attractive.
Have no fear, we are planning on nailing down exactly what we want in the very near future.
We also liked the Old Congregational Church but it would have taken quite a bit more work to get into shape. Still, it had a wonderful tall steeple with a bell you can ring yourself, as well as really beautiful stained glass windows.
The reception location has been a little bit harder. I had high hopes for the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, but it was a little disappointing, although still not out of the question. I don't know anything about the actual group, other than that they have 32 degrees. I don't know what that means. But, Andy and I were lucky enough to get to see their auditorium, which was substantially neater than their dining hall and has all the original backdrops they need to perform the 32 degrees. Whatever that means. All I know is, I saw columns and forests and animals and architecture, and it was pretty nifty.
We also went to the Liberty Theatre, located right across the street, which is one of our top picks. It's very nicely decorated inside, spacious, and flexible for our catering needs. Equally nice was the River Room, a newly renovated space on the third floor of an old manufacturing building. The bottom floors aren't done yet, but by the summer the building should also house a restaurant and retail shops. (Andy was disappointed that they weren't going to put in a bowling alley and skating rink that had been there years ago.) Although the price would probably be considered spectacular if it was in Johnson County, it was still rather beyond our budget.
The Fort Scott Country Club is closed for the winter, which means we can't get ahold of anyone to discuss renting it, which means it is not an option - but we did take the opportunity to peer through the windows, and it seemed suitable for what we need, if it comes to that. The Elks Lodge and the Fort Scott Inn both had rooms that were okay, but we really weren't impressed.
I adore the Lyons Twin Mansions, but due to the size and layout of the houses, we would have to do part of the reception outside, which makes me extremely nervous, considering the likelihood of our guests suffering heatstroke. So, our runner-up location of the moment is the Buck Run Community Center, which, although a bit sparse in the aesthetics department, is quite quite quite affordable, and therefore attractive.
Have no fear, we are planning on nailing down exactly what we want in the very near future.
Friday, January 2, 2009
white, stark white, diamond white, off-white, ivory, eggshell, candlelight, cream, rum, champagne
Ladies, let me tell ya, if you're needing a boost of confidence, it's time to go wedding dress shopping. I have been known to shed a tear or two at the mall, searching for a bra, swimsuit or pair of jeans that fits, but I am having a blast looking at wedding gowns. First of all, these things are made to be the most beautiful item you will ever wear in your entire life. They are created for the express purpose of turning you into a goddess. Everyone knows all eyes are on the bride as she walks down the aisle, and bridal designers work some incredible magic to make that experience perfect.
In other words, even if you don't find "the one" right off the bat, you are going to look darn good in something that you try on.
Secondly, the salespeople at most of these stores work on commission. Yes, I'm sure there are many out there who are snooty and pushy, but at the end of the day, they are all trying to make a sale. It benefits them tremendously to be very very very nice to you, so that you will like them and buy from them. This also means they will compliment you a lot. I highly recommend basking in that adoration. Not to mention, other people in the store (usually mothers) who are sitting around waiting for their bride to be transformed into a fairy princess will happily give you their opinions and praise, too.
Third, no matter how you feel about girly frou-frou accessories, a veil, a tiara and a pair of totally kickin' shoes are bound to make you look and feel gorgeous. Nobody but brides wears all that stuff on their heads these days, so putting it all on is a dramatic change from the humdrum jeans and t-shirt routine. And if, like me, you live in flats and tennies, fancy heels will make you feel like a movie star. Unbelievably, these things bump the already-beautiful dress up a couple notches until you can hardly believe you are staring at yourself in the mirror.
In case you couldn't tell, even though I haven't found a dress yet, I am having fun looking.
And thus concludes the silver lining part of the story.
On to the storm cloud...
Wedding dresses are expensive. Not just a little expensive, either. I don't mind spending money on something I really really want and will be really really happy with, even if it is just for one day. But these big bunches of fabric are a LOT expensive.
There are (relatively) cheap gowns out there, but I don't want to settle for something that isn't flattering or doesn't fit my sense of style. I like a little embellishment, and that costs. But even the dresses with very simple, modern lines can be thousands of dollars.
That does not include the aforementioned veil ($50-500), headpiece ($20-100) nor the shoes ($50-150). Additionally, almost everyone wants alterations (easily $100-300) and fancy bras ($30-80) to make sure this ridiculously costly garment actually fits right.
I'm particularly miffed about the cost of the veil. It appears by far to be the simplest thing to make. Maybe I'm wrong, but how hard is it to take a piece of mesh, sew some little doodads around the edges, attach a hair comb and call it a day?
But, like a million other girls out there, I will most likely get suckered into paying way more than I ever wanted to, just to have that wonderful feeling of looking way better than I ever thought I could. It might be possibly be worth it after all.
But I doubt it.
In other words, even if you don't find "the one" right off the bat, you are going to look darn good in something that you try on.
Secondly, the salespeople at most of these stores work on commission. Yes, I'm sure there are many out there who are snooty and pushy, but at the end of the day, they are all trying to make a sale. It benefits them tremendously to be very very very nice to you, so that you will like them and buy from them. This also means they will compliment you a lot. I highly recommend basking in that adoration. Not to mention, other people in the store (usually mothers) who are sitting around waiting for their bride to be transformed into a fairy princess will happily give you their opinions and praise, too.
Third, no matter how you feel about girly frou-frou accessories, a veil, a tiara and a pair of totally kickin' shoes are bound to make you look and feel gorgeous. Nobody but brides wears all that stuff on their heads these days, so putting it all on is a dramatic change from the humdrum jeans and t-shirt routine. And if, like me, you live in flats and tennies, fancy heels will make you feel like a movie star. Unbelievably, these things bump the already-beautiful dress up a couple notches until you can hardly believe you are staring at yourself in the mirror.
In case you couldn't tell, even though I haven't found a dress yet, I am having fun looking.
And thus concludes the silver lining part of the story.
On to the storm cloud...
Wedding dresses are expensive. Not just a little expensive, either. I don't mind spending money on something I really really want and will be really really happy with, even if it is just for one day. But these big bunches of fabric are a LOT expensive.
There are (relatively) cheap gowns out there, but I don't want to settle for something that isn't flattering or doesn't fit my sense of style. I like a little embellishment, and that costs. But even the dresses with very simple, modern lines can be thousands of dollars.
That does not include the aforementioned veil ($50-500), headpiece ($20-100) nor the shoes ($50-150). Additionally, almost everyone wants alterations (easily $100-300) and fancy bras ($30-80) to make sure this ridiculously costly garment actually fits right.
I'm particularly miffed about the cost of the veil. It appears by far to be the simplest thing to make. Maybe I'm wrong, but how hard is it to take a piece of mesh, sew some little doodads around the edges, attach a hair comb and call it a day?
But, like a million other girls out there, I will most likely get suckered into paying way more than I ever wanted to, just to have that wonderful feeling of looking way better than I ever thought I could. It might be possibly be worth it after all.
But I doubt it.
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