THE Dress!...and other attire.

Can you believe you are getting married!? If you are still in shock, I will believe it for you!!!

You get to go shopping for the most precious, but expensive, single dress you will most likely ever wear. (Unless you are competing in the Miss USA Pageant. But only 50 women a year get that far in the competition.) Anyways, you get to have fun, hang out with family and friends, and put down a small lump sum on a dress all on the same day. Sometimes you end up shopping for a few weeks, and that is okay, but keep in mind that most dresses take 4 to 6 months to be made once your order is placed.

Make your appointments early, with travel time in between, and be on time. Most bridal boutiques give you a 90 minute appointment with a consultant. If you want to arrive early and look at the dresses they have on the floor most shops are okay with that, but do not forget to remove your dirty dusty shoes.

When you arrive, be open and honest with your consultant. She is there to help you, the bride, not cater to the 20 opinions in the room. She will ask you questions, read your body language, and pay attention to only you. Have fun and try on dresses that catch your eye, but make sure you ask her what dresses she would pull for you to try. From personal experience, they know what dresses look good on you, and what will never look good on your body type. Most importantly, have FUN while you are shopping. Do not get discouraged if you do not find the dress on day one-it will happen eventually!

Bridesmaid dresses and tuxedos are usually available through your bridal boutique as well. Because you get everything in one location, they usually have HUGE deals. Keep this in mind when thinking about tux rentals, bridal party attire, flower girl dresses, little black dresses, a reception dress, and all accessories. The more you buy the more you save!

Remember that this day is all about you, and your wedding day should be very special. Get a dress that makes you feel stunning-because you are!

Places To Shop:

Pure Bridal    Modern Dress

Hope's Bridal     David's Bridal

 

Happy Shopping!

Selecting Your Media Vendors

Next step...
 
Now that you have been able to secure a location for your ceremony and reception, we can move on to your media vendors. These vendors fill up fast and do not come cheap. Hear me out because they can make or break your memories from your wedding.

 Videography: Many people ask themselves if they really want a video of their wedding to be professionally done or shot by a friend. Does the budget allow for a professional? Well, I spoke with a friend of mine, Michael Hennings-Wedding Memories of Omaha, on his thoughts towards videography. I asked him why he thinks hiring a professional is the best way to go. His response:

 “You should get a professional and modern videographer for your wedding because you spend twelve to twenty-four months planning for one single day, you'll spend more money than just about ever before on any one day, and you'll have all the closest people in your life all around you, and you probably will barely even have time to enjoy it. Your wedding day is such a blur. It's exhilarating and it's exhausting, and it leaves very little time for reflection. Video brings back all those memories that otherwise you probably wouldn't get to enjoy, and moments you inevitably would have missed with your closest family and friends. It may even show you things that you'd never realized were happening. And photography captures a different side of it, but you don't get to see those memories truly come to life.” 

 Photography: Every couple wants their special day captured by a camera. The photographs you get four to eight weeks after your wedding are a great memory and you want them to be timeless. Or, in my opinion you should want them to be timeless. Photographers are most commonly found by word of mouth or on photography blogs. I think the internet is a great source, but make sure you see multiple examples of their work. If you find wedding pictures you like, ask the couple what photographer they used!

 I personally think that a large portion of your budget should be spent on your photographer. I cannot emphasize enough that if you have a bad photographer, who does not understand the camera, and depends on Photoshop to "enhance" the photos, you will be disappointed with your photos down the road. Do not sign a contract without seeing hard copies of their work. Read the contract word for word. Many photographers own the rights to the photos for years. If you want the rights to the pictures make sure that is agreed upon. I know all of this sounds harsh, but I am only looking out for you. Promise. Once you are comfortable with your photographer you should put down your deposit and lock in your date. 

some photographers I suggest:

Ember Grove Photography  

Expressions Photography     Logan Clement Photography 
 

Music: Your DJ can be booked now, or in a couple months, depending on your wedding date. I would also say that you will get the best DJ by word of mouth or personal experience. Bridal boutiques often have business cards or will recommend who they have seen put together a rockin' dance party!

For each vendor you want to book- videographer, photographer, or DJ- read contracts, ask questions, and make sure ALL of your vendors have a passion for what they do! If they have a love for making your day perfect, you will see it in the quality of their work, and by the smile on their face.

Michael also commented on just that-the joy in the job.

"The best thing about what I do is without a doubt getting responses from people after they see their wedding video. Almost nothing else matters in comparison to that email, card, or phone call I get after I show someone how beautiful their video turned out. When someone tells me that we were the best thing they did on their wedding day, I think that makes it all worth it.

The next best thing is getting to be creative, artistic, and really make something beautiful."

Happy contract signing!

Let The Countdowns Begin!

Its getting to that point in time where count-downs are starting to form! 
And considering how much I plan, this only a handful of countdowns that are continually running. I need an app for my phone that can have multiple countdowns, that I can personalize. I should get on that. 

6 days until my final interview with Marriott International!!! Wow. Real life is starting a lot sooner than I would like it too...

16 days until my last VEISHEA celebration at ISU and 21 days until Alumni Relations Dignitaries Day! (on that committee!) I am very excited about this week, besides the fact that I have 3 exams and a project due this week, but nonetheless it will be fun!! It always is. Currently stressful-to the point where I could NOT for the life of me remember the word 'VEISHEA' when asked what office key I needed. Weird.

5 weeks... FIVE WEEKS PEOPLE...until I graduate from my beloved Iowa State University. AHHHHH!!!! I cannot even begin to fathom this amazing four years coming to an end. Eeek. I will be a crying mess at graduation, I just know it. I can barely even write about it without feeling completely nostalgic.

6 weeks until Joe and Melodie get married and I make sure it all goes according to plan. Yay for weddings and happy people in love! And we have a canopy already being set up. Whoop! One more thing off of our to-do list. Soft pink, silver, and grey will create a beautiful glow as the two become one and live happily ever after. :) (I am a sucker for a good wedding...but you already knew that.)

9 weeks until Josh and Callie tie the knot with my help. Would you believe that my little Callie and long-time friend Josh are about to be married! Their whimsical "night under the stars" inspired setting will be soft and romantic as we celebrate Jesus through their marriage.

Picking Your Venues

Howdy Y'all! Welcome back to my blog. I am currently writing weekly about some current and huge topics concerning wedding planning. Here is my first post. Please leave comments or questions. 

First things first: Congratulations on the engagement! I hope you have taken a week and let it soak in, smile big, and show off your new ring. Now, let us begin the exciting and wonderful process of planning your wedding. We have much to do in a time frame that will fly by faster than you could imagine.

Step one is to chose a date, but if a venue for the ceremony or reception is particularly important to you, see what dates they have open before you pick your official date. There are many things to remember, and a few questions to ask, when picking out the perfect venues.

1.     Is your date available?

2.     What is the deposit price and total cost?

3.     What is the capacity for seating with rounds and eight-foot tables?

4.     Do they have an in-house caterer, recommended, or no catering regulations?

5.     What is the alcohol policy?

6.     What are the decoration guidelines?

After you have the answers, and they are to your liking, go ahead and ask a few people for their opinions. Do not waste time making this decision. You want to get your name on that date if you decide to go with that venue. When you have secured your locations, let the daydreaming begin! Start writing down ideas, cutting out pictures, making idea boards, and developing what you want your day to look like.

Thank you for reading!!! Check back in next week for more helpful tips and tricks to planning your perfect day! 

a few links to try out.

ask for my help   www.mywedding.com   www.weddingwire.com   try your local convention bureau

My Family is Growing

Holy engagements!!! I am in wedding heaven

Ryan and Emily get engaged in Paris, on the Eiffel Tower, right before they attend the 2012 Olympic games. Wow, did he set the bar high!!!

Katie and Neil get engaged and will be wed in September 2013!!!

Kylie and Derrick get engaged and will tie the knot on December 31, 2013! 

(Just in case you do not realize, this means-NEW YEARS EVE WEDDING!!!!!!!!)

WHoooooHooooo! I am so excited to help three of my favorite cousins with their huge days.

My cousin Mary, her parents, and myself are hosting an engagement party at our family’s furniture store this August for Katie & Neil and Kylie & Derrick. Invitations are being made and the menu is being picked out. I am in charge of desserts, obviously, and the décor. I want to class things up with heavy hors d’oeuvres, rich desserts, alongside wine and cocktails.

Boys get your fancy pants on and girls bring your dresses-we have a real party on our hands!

More Cake!

a funfetti sprinkle cake with almond buttercream accented with almonds to fit the color scheme 

couple's cake table-scape

shout out to Logan Clement for amazing pictures! check out his work HERE

Quadruple Chocolate!

Chocolate Lovers Unite!!!!

I may have gone a tad overboard with these delectable creations.

Double chocolate cake with chocolate chips baked right into the batter. Then I made chocolate butter cream by adding cocoa powder to the mix. I piped that on and sprinkled the semi-sweet mini chocolate chips! You know that funny white look that chocolate chips get as they age, well I hate it. It will ruin a decoration. To remedy the white coating, I put the chips in a cupboard near the oven. They got warm enough to soften, but not melt, making the white film disappear! Whoo!

YUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

Hmmm, I wonder what I can bake next! Who has a birthday coming up?