Fortunately soon after I got engaged, I lived at home in Chicago and was able to use that time scouring the city for the perfect venue, which I soon found.

I thought the rehearsal dinner search was going to be even easier, despite living a thousand miles away. My fiancé and I decided early on that we wanted it to be VERY Chicago and on the beach – b/c as many of you may not know, Chicago is truly a beach town in the summer. We immediately agreed on hosting it at Castaways, a chill rooftop bar on what looks like a shipwreck literally on the beach, with a SICK view of the city.

The future in-laws agreed but once it came down to paying the deposit, we were informed of the rain policy - use it or lose it. If it rains, you can use the deposit towards another party that summer, but obviously, that doesn’t work for a rehearsal dinner.

It truly IS our perfect venue, but the weather in Chicago in June is always unpredictable, so we just can’t take that chance…I think.

My fiance’s mother almost saved the day by offering to host it at a more formal club also on the lake and in the city, but soon learned that they were already booked five months in advance for our Thursday, June 10!

Since then, Dave and I have been trying to think of venues that personify Chicago whilst being more low-key and informal than the wedding.

We’ve narrowed it down to the following three and I’d love your input on these or any additional ideas you may have.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Today is all about our family and friends that came to support us at our wedding.

Knowing only a handful will be able to travel over to Ireland for our traditional wedding, it made me feel great that my family and friends were able to be apart everything.

We didn’t need dancing or music, just good conversation and great company. Most of the day was spent catching up with those we hadn’t seen in quite a while.

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Oh man…where did the time go?!  Sorry for my absence…wedding planning and life just sorta took over!!  But alas…I am back and full of fun stuff to tell you about!

First up…MY SHOWER!!

I went back home to Nebraska over President’s Day weekend, and somewhere in the jammed packed schedule I had was my bridal shower!  Two of my fabulous aunts threw the shower for me and it was perfect!

Aunt J on the left…me in the middle..and Aunt K on the right!

We ate Pizza and cake, played some non-cheesy games, and I opened gifts with a time-of-day theme.

What is a time-of-day theme you ask??  Well each guest was sent a specific time with their invite for which their gift should correspond…brilliant no?  I think it made the whole gift-opening process less awkward for me and a little more fun for my guests.  I opened the gifts in the order of the day…and it was fun to see what all the ladies in my life came up with (and what they thought I might be doing! haha).

For instance…my Aunt C decided that around 8pm I would probably like to drink wine (yep!), watch a movie (yep!), and eat popcorn (double yep!)!

My little niece (to my right) was quite the helper when it came to opening gifts!

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Like many other brides, I thought registering would be the highlight of the wedding planning process. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s been little fun. Oh sure, at first I went all G.I. Jane with the scanning gun, shooting everything that struck my fancy. But then I began to realize, if you scan it, it will come.

Although my fiancé and I don’t have a lot of home goods, we still don’t really need them. We live in a very small one bedroom apartment with no storage, and due to our busy schedules cook only a couple of times a month - if that. Moreover, we are in the middle of many changes and are constantly moving around the country and even the world every so often for our jobs. Do I really want a melon baller, cherry pitter and apple corer or would I rather have the cash value of those three items ($50)? Do I really want 30 boxes of heavy appliances and china to use as coffee tables right now only to repackage them the next time I move?

The more I began to question all this, the more confused I became. For the last four months I’ve been literally stuck in what feels like a never-ending game of add and delete! Its become maddening. So when my sister sent out the invites to my upcoming bridal shower this week, I realized we needed to buckle down and strategize.

My fiancé and I sat down and creating some guidelines and rules. Kind of like like what brides do when they sit down analyzing their budgets – you assess what you really need, really want, could live without, want to spend money on, etc. We’ve decided to register for a few quality, high-ticket items that will stand the test of time, because that is really what we want but may never buy ourselves. This includes a Kitchenaid Mixer, Dyson vacuum, All-Clad pots/pans, Le Creuset cookware, china and crystal stemware.

Some of the high-ticket items we are interested in  clockwise from top left: Dyson Ball Vacuum, Haviland China, Kitchenaid Mixer, Le Creuset cookware, WS Dorset Crystal

Then we will upgrade just some things we use currently but at more affordable price points than the aforementioned items, so our guests have an array of prices to choose from. This includes bedding and pillows, coffee machine, silverware, and some bakeware/cooking utensils.

I grew up in a Polish culture where people usually just bring cash to weddings; registries weren’t really followed. I realize that many of our guests would prefer some guidelines on what to get us, so I do think its necessary. However its my guests’ presence, not presents, that is the greatest gift we could receive.  So any additional gift will be cherished, no doubt.

What strategy did you employ for your registry?

I won’t be having a traditional bridal shower, instead we’ve requested to have a shower for the both of us together…I think it’s called a Jack and Jill shower? I’m not one to play all the shower games and I haven’t felt comfortable opening up multiple presents in front of lots of people since I was in elementary school. Having Mr. there will be a lot of fun and will help take some of the attention away from just me…and also, is it bad that I don’t want to be in a room with all his family by myself yet?

If I were to actually have a traditional bridal shower, I think this is the best idea EVER. Sarah of Blossom and Branch was featured on 100 Layer Cake for the Bodega Flowers class she teaches in the city. Sarah said, ″I thought, why not show people how to gather some bunches from the local bodega and create something charming in their home? This class teaches women how to shop for, clean/prepare and arrange flowers, using their own container.”

How AMAZING would a flower class be for any sort of shower or party! Pick up some fresh flowers from Whole Foods (maybe even ask guests to bring their favorite container or supply some for them), and hire a florist to teach an arranging class. Who wouldn’t like to know more about flower arranging?

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Besides the obvious (getting married to the love of your life!) what are your top priorities for your wedding day?

I am terrified of utter and complete chaos, and many of our family members and friends will be helping with the details, which may lead to more chaos since everyone will be so busy. I’m a fan of planning ahead (not that I needed to tell you that,) and started to break out our good ‘ol pal Excel to map out where people will be, who is doing what, and when the whole shebang will begin. While I was typing, I made a mental list of things I want to do on my wedding day. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

1. Sleep in until 10.

Or at least until 9. 10 would be ideal though! I am not a morning person and they don’t call it “beauty sleep” for nothing. I also have the privilege of staying here the night before and plan to take advantage of the fact that I can have some rest and relaxation before the big day.

2. Eat.

I’m told that brides forget to eat in between the hustle and bustle, and that often times the couple doesn’t get to eat during the reception! *Cry* Our caterer assured me that they would make us lunch boxes in case we’re too busy to sit down and eat, but it would be great if I could eat it while it’s nice and hot. Mental note, drop everything and eat something so I do not faint, preferably food that tastes GOOD.

3. Have alone time. Run, blog, do something alone.

I’m a fan of alone time, and I imagine wanting at least an hour of it on that day to self-reflect and just chill. When I used to be in cities that allowed me to walk, I’d put my iPod on and just zone out. It used to be my favorite way to explore a museum.

4. Have alone time with the boy.

This might be a weird analogy, but this past Thanksgiving, the boy and I made our first turkey. We worked on it for two straight days, we bought the materials together, basted it together, and religiously watched the oven together. When it came out popping hot and juicy, we were so excited that we hugged and kissed each other and then proceeded to cuddle just admiring the turkey and being really happy that we didn’t burn it.

The wedding day is like that turkey. I know having some alone time away from the hullabaloo of everyone will be needed to sit back and reflect and admire the years we’ve been together and the ginormous party we just planned together.

5. Have FUN

I’m so excited to dance, eat cupcakes, spend time with my nearest and dearest, take a gazillion pictures with my friends and family, and stumble back to the hotel room to swap stories with my HUSBAND. No hyperventilating or crying please, we’d like to avert those at all costs.

What are your priorities for your wedding day?

Having a wedding website was a must for us.  Most of our guests are in our age group and rather “fluent” with technology.  We want to keep our paper invitations simple and classy, so we decided to personalize our website with details about us and our wedding.

There are many websites offering an easy DIY format where you insert your wedding information for about $100.  We elected to build ours on the iWeb Mac program, which allows us to personalize the website with additional details/tools than the standard format offers, but also costs about $100/annually to host.

Here is a snapshot of our “Welcome” page with our wedding logo (the passport stamp), a map of Africa in the background (the continent that brought us together), and some photos of our travels.

Here is a snapshot of “Our Story” page.  (I cut off the top of our picture b/c the screen was too long). We are avid travelers so we included a list of countries we have visited together and added a poll that allows guests to vote for our honeymoon destination.  We added our story and some background info  so our family’s guests got a better idea of who we are.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

“It is very very strange to me that people are styling their weddings into scenes solely for publishing.”
Marcy Blum via Twitter

“We didn’t have a theme.  We didn’t style our photos for a blog-worthy post.  We didn’t have bunting or wear fake moustaches.  It was simply a wedding celebration, surrounded by our nearest and dearest, in a beautiful space that was enhanced with gorgeous seasonal flowers and tasty food.”
Amy of ABCD Design

“It’s my hope that 2010 will mark a return to the classic and timeless… a shift from the right-now to the lasts-forever, a continued focus on the personal details that make weddings special, and a fascination with all things lovely and unique.”
Quote by me, from my post on top wedding trends for 2010

When speaking with brides or vendors, I’m often asked for my opinion on current wedding trends, qualities that make a wedding special, or what makes something “blog-worthy”.  Our industry is putting an increasing emphasis on showcasing styled photo shoots, amazing tablescapes, and unbelievable inspiration.  Gorgeous eye-candy to be sure (and heaven for a blog editor!), but how attainable and realistic are those results for those of you planning your weddings?  And what does “blog-worthy” mean, anyway?

I don’t believe that there is a magic formula for weddings and I am not a lover of all things trendy.  But I can tell you that when I review submissions, I am looking for weddings that have three things in common…

#1: Fabulous Photography

No matter what you bring to the table for your wedding, the end result should be captured by someone who will do it justice.  There are so many talented photographers in the wedding world these days (you can find a few thousand of them here) and their talent and skill are what brings a wedding to life for an editor - and the photos from your wedding are what you will cherish for a lifetime to come.

{Catherine and Payton’s wedding, photographed by A Bryan Photo}

{Carly and Dan’s wedding, photographed by Marie Labbancz}

{Holly and Matt’s wedding, photographed by Paul Johnson}

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Ahh yes, the photobooth. I had been looking at photobooths since before we got engaged and it was one of my big must haves early on. I was willing to splurge to rent one, even. Enter mad amounts of stress that made me want to abandon all of it, except for the part where Garrett and I would be married.

My photographers (who are also friends of mine) set up the booth for me and hired someone to press the button. We discussed remotes but I just know someone would’ve accidentally dropped it into their pocket. Plus, drunk people going to check and see how the pictures are turning out = disaster. We limited the hours on the photo booth so our poor photo attendant could go home at some point. We were hoping for a legitimate backdrop holder but it didn’t arrive before our date. I don’t think anyone really noticed/cared. And now I have the yellow fabric for future projects, which is pretty special.

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I’m really bad at keeping secrets.  Well, wait, that’s not entirely true.  I’m really bad at keeping secrets that are mine that I’m really, really excited about.  There was one big one at the wedding that I wanted to tell everyone about because I was so excited, but I didn’t!  I kept telling myself that the guests would enjoy it that much more if they didn’t know it was coming…  What was the big surprise?  We asked the Generals, Davidson’s male a capella group, to sing at our wedding!

{Angela Stott}

In the initial planning stages, we really struggled with finding the musicians for our ceremony because nothing we came across felt right or like us… Then the idea of having the Generals came to us and I’m so glad they agreed to be a part of our wedding.  They could not have been more perfect.

So, what did they sing?   Well, for starters, they learned Ben Harper’s Forever to sing when I walked down the aisle with my dad…  This song is the closest thing Brian and I have to “a song” but we felt it was too slow to dance to as our first song – it was really special to have it sung as I walked towards him, though… They also sang Coldplay’s The Scientist (when the grandmother, mothers, and bridesmaids walked down the aisle) and Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars (as we walked down the aisle as newlyweds!).

{Angela Stott}

They also preformed at the cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony, which was fun because they were pretty low-key at the ceremony (they didn’t want to be distracting), but they are known for being great performers!  They sang a bunch of the songs from their most recent album as well as some new ones and really got into it.  They did a great job and everyone (especially Brian and I!) loved them.

{Guest photo}

How cute are they?!

What are you guys planning to do for your ceremony music? Any surprises up your sleeves?

Next up, our cake cutting (for the last installment of our wedding, click here)!

{all images via personal collection}

I absolutely adored our wedding cake.  I wanted something simple and classic.  I had the bakery do a simple rustic technique on the cake and while I added the flower as a nice accent.  The combination of vintage, classic, simple and rustic really worked well together.

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This week is all about our reception decor!

The best part about getting married around the holidays is the instantaneous decor. Everything is just so beautiful with the beautiful twinkly lights, fresh pine and glowing bulbs.

Since we were busy moving and preparing all the details for our wedding in Ireland, my mom really took charge in putting everything together for us.  She did such a wonderful job!

I was against favors of any kind so instead, we printed off our engagement photos for guests to take.  This went over really well and everyone loved the idea.

The place cards were just so cool.  They were made out of different types of scrapbooking paper [completely inexpensive yet a big impact!]  We were able to coordinate designs with menu options so the servers would know which entree to serve.

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