{via My Own Collection}

If Bradley could talk, I’m sure this is what he would be asking me.  With all of the Wedding plans, it’s easy to forget about our little guy and what we plan on doing with him during the wedding.

We would love to have Bradley be a part of the big day.  It really wouldn’t be complete without him there however, it is turning out to be quite a challenge.  Although our venue is dog friendly, the hard part will be to get him over to Ireland.

Imagine Bradley in a little bow tie running around on our big day!  He would be such a gentleman.  However, this brings up another point, in the midst of all of the last minute details and events, would we really be able to give him all of the love an attention he needs? Would we be too distracted to watch after him? What about when it’s time to go on our honeymoon.  Does he stay in Ireland while we are in Japan?

One of the other side of the coin, could we really go 3+ weeks without this guy? Where in the world would he go? I’m sure the cost of puppy hotel’s aren’t cheap.  This plan doesn’t seem any better!

I need your help!  For those of you who have special guys at home, how are you incorporating them into your wedding plans?

Before our guests reached the Sunken Garden and its storybook setting, they were greeted by attendants on horseback. Lauxmont Farms is a horse farm, after all.

Our out of town family and friends took a bus from the hotel to the venue. And, yes, it was raining when they arrived.

{photo credit to wedding guests}

After they climbed off of the bus, they followed the barn wood sign that said “Wedding.” They walked the (muddy) trail and reached the stairs to the pool house. And this is where our plans changed.

Rather than taking a bottle of water and a ceremony program fan and sitting in a white wooden chair around the fountain as the sun set behind them, guests sought shelter from the rain under the reception tent. Yes, this means they saw the decor before they were supposed to, but I heard they had a pretty good time under the warm white canopy.

Our ceremony guitarist, Susan Savia, played a selection of rain songs, like Bobbie’s Song by John Denver — “I’ll walk in the rain by your side.” A few guests even took the unexpected opportunity to get a drink from the bar. And then they waited. Patiently.

Meanwhile, I had returned indoors after taking formal photos with my bridesmaids and parents. As I said in my previous post, the girls blocked my view of the raindrops hitting the window and poured me another glass of champagne.

{photo credit to bridesmaids}

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I mentioned before that there were some difficulties in planning our Louisville wedding from Memphis.  However, the biggest obstacle with this we never saw coming.  Matt and I were so excited about all of our family and friends being in town and in one place that we both stayed out a little too late the night before the wedding :).  What were we supposed to do - go to bed early so we would be fresh-faced for the wedding?  We only see most of these people a few times a year, so it was so special for us.

Regardless, the morning of the wedding was perfect in my mind.  I woke up at 7:00am ready, got Starbucks and was off to Z Salon for hair and makeup.  We had a wonderful time at the salon and I just remember feeling so calm and happy.  I told everyone to get to the church by 12:30pm even though we weren’t doing many pictures ahead of time.  It was not an option for the wedding to start late, so I would have rather everyone gotten there early.  The girls were in one room drinking mimosas, laughing and telling stories.  The boys on the other hand were… well…

And then… it was time…

*photos by 502 Photography

What a picturesque evening we had on Thursday, the night before our wedding. There was a slight breeze and a pleasant orange glow as the sun set over the River. (I was reminded of why we chose this location.)

We were greeted in the garden by our coordinator, Betsy, who instructed us where to put the mason jars, the bird cage, the signs, the water bottles, and the galvanized tubs. She offered to store all of the paper products — the table names, the escort cards, and the favors — in her car until the following day. Yeah, she’s awesome.

Slowly, our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen arrived. There was such excitement in everyone’s faces. And they all looked so lovely. Betsy got right to work lining us up around the fountain.

Nick and I decided to have our Maid of Honor and Best Man stand on either side of us at the bottom of the stairs and complete the circle with the rest of our wedding party. Our guitarist, the sweet Susan Savia, set up between the guys and the girls. And our officiants (yes, we had two … more about that to come) stood a few steps above us. Guests would sit to the left and right of us. Not a traditional arrangement, but it works beautifully in this setting.

(All photos from my personal collection.)

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So, you’ve met me and you’ve at least been introduced to Brian, but you haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know the other member of our family: Chambers.

Chambers is our one year old Vizsla and the above picture is by far my favorite of him.  Brian took it the first time Chambers saw snow this past winter (he loved it).

The reason I wanted to tell you about Chambers is to get your thoughts on having him in our wedding.  We are planning to have him be the ring bearer (he’ll be walked down the aisle by a friend of ours who knows him well), which, while I’m excited to have him around since he is a big part of our lives, I have to admit, I’m a little nervous that he’ll inadvertently cause a minor disaster… You see, he’s a little rambunctious and a smidge mischievous…  My big fear is that he lunges out of his handler’s hands when he sees me walking down the aisle and tries to leap into my arms, but instead ends up tearing a gaping hole down the front of my dress.

I do think much of this fear can/will be quieted by making sure he is exhausted before the wedding begins, but I’d love some tips from any brides out there who’ve had their dog in their wedding.  Are there any tricks for keeping him quiet during the ceremony?  What about what to do with him during the reception?  Any help you can give would be much appreciated!

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Long ago, we decided to ditch the traditional champagne toast. We just didn’t feel it was necessary to spend over $200 to pour and serve bubbly to our guests when we both prefer a cold beer anyway.

Instead, we liked the option of asking guests to raise whatever drink they have in hand for toasts by our Maid of Honor and Best Man. This could be one of three microbrews (Wedding Wheat, Bride’s Ale, or Groom’s Lager!), or a glass of red or white wine. It could also be one of the non-alcoholic options: iced tea, lemonade, or water.

However, we didn’t consider the logistics of our decision until we met with our DJ on Friday. He asked, when will guests get their drinks? You see, time is tight.

5:15 - 6:15 - cocktail hour
6:15 - guests move to reception tent
6:30 - bride and groom are announced into reception tent
6:35 - first dance as husband and wife
6:45 - blessing
6:50 - toasts
7:00 - buffet dinner

We brainstormed a few solutions, but each has consequences.

• DJ announces that guests should get their drinks before we arrive. But will that cause a mad dash to the bar?
• Bartender pre-pours beverages so guests can easily grab and go. But do you think we will be charged for this additional service?
• One open bottle of wine sits on each table so guests can serve themselves. But what about the non-wine drinkers?
• Oh, and what about our parents and our wedding party? When will they have time to fill their glasses between announcements and toasts?

Anyone have advice to offer?

We’ll there has been a lot going on in the last month or so. The original wedding location in San Clemente has been scratched. What I thought was going to be anaffordable location, turned out to be not-so-affordable (at least for us) After adding on all of the fees, permits, etc The cottage that was once oh-so affordable, because instantly unaffordable. So that began the search for a new venue. I think I knew all along that the new venue would always end up being our wedding location, but I had to first go through all of the other options in my head, and on paper before we came to a decision.

So with that being said, we have decided that our new wedding venue is….

The family lake cottage in Michigan!

This place has been a part of my life literally since the day I was born. It has been in our family for 120 years, so it has it share of family memories, traditions, and parties. Although I think this could be the 1st wedding at the cottage- which is amazing! I feel so good and at peace with this decision. I feel as though it is right, and my heart is telling me that. Everything so far is falling into place! From rentals, to catering, to the wonderful photographer I have found (more to come on that later).

I thought that planning a wedding from a distance would be super stressful and not manageable, but so far so good. I am hoping that it continues that way.

Have any of you planned a wedding from over 2,000 miles away? Any pointers you can give are appreciated!

Our wedding month has arrived! And, overall, I’m feeling cool, calm, and collected.

The last weekend in July was a whirlwind of wedding activities: hair and makeup trials, dress fitting, and meetings with our coordinator, our caterer, and our photographer.

I was definitely reminded why we hired professionals. Each vendor asked questions we hadn’t considered: Who will walk the mothers down the aisle? Who will take the centerpieces at the end of the night?

And offered useful tidbits of advice: Ask someone other than a groomsman to drive the golf cart. Ask a family member to be a liaison to the photographer. Use bottled beer for the cocktail hour and kegs for the reception.

And eased our minds: My hair and makeup will not be overdone. Our photographer will scout the site the day before the wedding. Our coordinator will decorate and display all of our DIY projects.

Whew! I’m glad such details and logistics are now in the hands of our vendors — our very competent vendors.

And now July turns to August. The first weekend of our wedding month will be spent crafting. We still have a lot of projects we’d like to do, but nothing is really essential. The show will go on with or without cocktail napkins and sparklers.

Here’s the list of possible projects (in no particular order):

• Buy mason jars, candles, and ribbon
• Make chalkboard signs for buffet display
• Write welcome note for OOT bags
• Personalize matchboxes and sparklers
• Print escort cards and table numbers
• Attach escort cards and baby photos to clothes line with clothespins
• Make ceremony program fans
• Make barn wood signs for “wedding,” “cocktails,” and, “party”
• Make “Just Married” sign for carriage
• Gocco cocktail napkins
• Print labels for water bottles
• Make favors (this is a BIG one that I’ll tell you all about later)

And here’s my very first inspiration board that incorporates some of these details:

{left to right, top to bottom: wedding sign via Homegrown Wedding; carriage via Martha Stewart Weddings; flowers from Chelsea Elizabeth Photography; boutonniere from The Knot; escort cards from unknown source; glass drink dispensers via For the Love of Brides; red pail from unknown source; invitation suite from author’s personal collection; sparklers via EAD}

How are you other August brides feeling? Did you get any surprise questions at your final meetings? Can you believe the big day is almost here?!

Ever since I can remember I have always wanted to get married at my Aunt Jean’s and Uncle Mitch’s house (this link is to the blog I started just before Bill and I were engaged). I think about 5 minutes afer I said yes to Bill’s proposal - I ran over to my Aunt and Uncle and said “Can we get married at your house”? They graciously said “yes”.

Now, I am thrilled to be getting married here I don’t want anyone to think differently. It is 1,000 times more work than I expected. When you get married at a hotel, restaurant, country club, there is usually an events coordinator. Someone who guides YOU the bride through everything. That is not the case with private residences. I AM THE EVENT COORDINATOR. I have had to manage and figure out everything from portable bathrooms (yup) to coffee mugs. Just the other night I woke up from a dead sleep and thought “salt and pepper shakers - who gets those”?

Should we have eloped? Nah. I can handle this. I am an organized control freak. I love xcel spreadsheets, numbered bullets, lists, catergories and checking things off those lists! Check out how we are sorting out the YES and NO responses:

Bill is convinced I am nuts and that’s ok. I am in better shape than I thought I would be. Here is a peek at my to do list for the past month and on going:

• Address invitations
• Buy wedding shoes at www.unforgettablemoments.com
• Call Crescent Moon for bathrooms
• Get Bill’s suit tailor
• Pick up Bill’s suit
• Finish programs
• Make puff balls for aisle
• Get vases from friend Robin
• Pay Mary Corcoran (the best photographer ever)
• Email caterer for final $$$
• Buy hot pink tissue paper and circles from Paper Source
• Get mason jars from Sharon
• Rig up mason jars
• Bill - shoes?
• Birdcage - spray paint pink
• Garbage cans
• Call valet parking service
• Take table number pictures
• Start making table place cards for guests

I could go on and on and on and on - you get the picture.

I guess what I am trying to get across is - you have to be super duper organized to do an at home wedding, unless your budget allows a wedding planner.

By the way, I am over the salt and pepper shakers. If our guests need salt they can ask my Grandma. She probably has some in her purse.

Are you having an at-home event?

I have one of those countdowns on my Facebook profile that tells me how many days are left until the wedding. I used to think it was a fun, quirky thing to have, but as the number gets smaller and smaller, I find myself getting more and more freaked out about how little time we have left. There’s just so much to do!

Our wedding planner keeps telling me to delete that countdown (I won’t, just because it comes in handy at times), but I am looking at it less and less.

Still, we’re sending out our invitations on Monday, so it’s impossible to ignore that we officially have (breathe) eight weeks until the wedding.

Breathe, Shelley.

Eight weeks. No problem, right? We pretty much have everything done, right? Okay, so hair and makeup isn’t nailed down yet but we have trials scheduled. And we haven’t totally nailed down the cake either but we have a tasting on the books.

And the rest is just little stuff. Like our vows and some little DIY projects like our programs, menus, table “numbers,” etc. I can do this. I know I can.

And yet… I just get myself stressed out. (So stressed in fact that I wound up with shingles, but that’s another story you can read more about here.)

One thing I’ve been thinking on for weeks now without getting anywhere is what do get my bridesmaids for their gifts. I’m totally stumped on this point. I want the gifts to be fun and special but I don’t have the biggest budget in the world for them.

For awhile I thought I’d put together a gift bag for each of them. I read about these super comfortable and flattering undies called Hanky Panky (have you tried them? They’re awesome.), that I thought could be a fun part of a gift bag but at $18 a pop, we’re almost at half my per bridesmaid budget.

Now I’m leaning toward getting each gal one nice thing. I thought about iPods or silver Tiffany necklaces but both are out of my budget for sure. And that’s really all the progress I’ve made on the attendant’s gifs.

So fellow brides-to-be out there, do you have some ideas to share for the bridesmaids gifts? I’m all ears!

(And p.s. I’m fresh out of ideas on my gift for the groom as well!)

My parents are generously paying for most of our wedding. The amount they are donating seems so great to us (albeit reasonable for Chicago) that we truly are grateful and don’t feel comfortable with them paying a cent more, despite their offers - we are employed after all. So when no fairy godmother showed up to save the day, we decided it was up to us to pay the rest. Needless to say, we scrutinize every expense.

So when I brought up my desire to hire a Day of Coordinator (DOC), my fiance seemed skeptical, smirking, “Do we really need a manager for a party?” A party! A party! As if. THE party, get it right beau. :)

Of course, I knew it was necessary. Our venue is a loft where one must hire rentals, buy your own liquor, decorate our own tables - on top of that all, it is on two floors which makes the party a little more complicated. There was no question in my mind that needed a DOC, it was just up to convincing the beau as well. As the mother said in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.

I didn’t have to do much. I got him to meet with Katie, from Detaggli Weddings, in Chicago, and she did the rest just by being herself.  Originally I found Katie by reading other Chicago wedding bloggers who insisted she was better than gold.  But I knew she was the One when I asked our venue manager with whom he worked with best and recognized her name as soon as he said it.   The next day I called her up to set up a meeting.

We met Katie at Starbucks, who despite being pregnant and ridiculously busy, was totally on top of her game (and looking adorable too).  After 30 minutes of talking with her, Dave pulled me aside anxiously saying “We can’t do this without her. Kasia, we really need her.” I was like, “Uh yeah, you don’t need to convince me!”  She brought up issues we hadn’t yet thought of including calculating the amount of liquor we need to buy, lighting our candles before the reception, setting a schedule for the two floor party, etc.   But what sealed the deal was when she said, “I may look sweet, but I’ll say what I need to say and do what I need to do to make sure the day runs smoothly for you.” She can be a biatch - and that’s all I needed to hear.  Better you than me on my wedding day :) I am so happy to pay for my “best friend” for her services, as her DOC package is described.

Are you hiring a DOC?  How did you connect with them?

Everyone knows that there are pros and cons with hosting a destination wedding.  Here are mine!

via Ruby Press {source}

Top Pros

1.) Amazing Location
2.) You have an excuse to have that intimate wedding you’ve always dreamed off
3.) You have the opportunity to focus on more of the special details since you have a smaller guest list

Top Cons

1.) Added costs for your guests that may have to travel a great distance
2.) Many of the people you hold dear to you will not be able to come
3.) It will be difficult coordinating your vendors since most likely you will not be able to meet with them in person prior to booking them

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