Weekly Blogging Recap.

On the blog:

Monday: Home Tour - Kitchen

Tuesday: Home Tour - Dining & Living Room

Wednesday: Home Tour - Bedroom

Thursday: Home Tour - Bathroom

Friday: A sweet gesture

Also, find us on Facebook.

:)

Professional Pictures!

While we were away on our honeymoon (!) our professional pictures arrived! I was obviously so excited about them and they're perfect and exactly what I imagined. So I really want to post some - not all - there are 1,600 of them. Here are some shots from when we arrived at the venue. :)

We arrived with our hair and makeup done so all we had to do was get dressed!

 

 

 

Our pictures were taken by Damien Gaudet.  

More tomorrow :)

We're home!

We're home from our honeymoon in Ireland! :) It was fantastic and busy and so much fun.


I'm working on recaps now. :)

Also, we came home to our wedding pictures :) :) :)

I can't even explain how exciting that was and how amazing they are or how much I'm in love with them! They are above and beyond what I expected and they're perfect! I'll certainly be incorporating them into some posts in the near future -- as well as some more wedding recaps!

I'm way behind on my google reader. It's overwhelming and I have thousands of posts to read! I'll catch up though, I promise!

Until tomorrow... :)

Wedding Signs

So, I made Mr. & Mrs. signs as well as Thank & You signs. And while the signs above photograph really well -- up, close and personal they legit look like a 5-year old painted them. For real. I promise. My idea was to be able to take pictures holding them and I had to tell our photographer NOT to zoom in on these babies with his spiffy camera. He laughed.

And I have pictures of this project, but can't find them amongst the thousands of pictures on my flash drive. Oops.

Basically, I got wooden plaques and painted them white. Next, I found a font online and figured out the size I wanted the letters to be. Then I printed the words, cut them out (this took an extremely long time because the letters were so curvy) and then I traced the letters onto the plaque... and then painted them in.

But then, for the Thank & You signs, I skipped steps -- trimmed down the paper and mod podged the entire paper on the plaque. And you know what?

You couldn't even tell!

The shuttle.

We're going to back up a little bit because:

my mom and me

My MOH posted these pictures from our shuttle ride between the hotel and the venue. I'm so happy about this because I didn't think we had any at all :)

Waiting around...

After I got all dressed and ready, there was still a good amount of time until the ceremony start time. Originally, Sean and I were planning on doing a first look. But the day before the wedding we decided that we wouldn't do that. Honestly, I thought I would really want those pictures but the feeling of waiting to see him was much better. :)

And because we had "scheduled" our first look in the early afternoon we had some free time. So I took pictures:

my bridesmaids (all my cousins) and my grandma.

me and my mom.

me and my dad.

After about an hour of waiting around, taking pictures, and pacing -- I realized... I had to pee. So, I literally jumped out of my dress:


And then, jumped back in :)

Tomorrow: the ceremony!

48 days!

Our rehearsal dinner is all booked! ;)

I'm so excited. Our venue only does their rehearsals on Wednesdays and Thursdays so even though our wedding is on a Saturday our rehearsal/rehearsal dinner will be two nights before. I'm a little excited about this because it means that on Friday nothing is planned (except for nails) and that hopefully it'll be a very relaxed and stress-free day (?!). Hopefully...

So after our rehearsal on that Thursday we have reservations at Luciano's. It's an Italian restaurant and we have a private room that has its' own private patio. ;)

Yesterday I put together a list of all the "must-have photos" for our photographer. It's a really long list... like really long. Most of the list is comprised of all the different combinations of people for our formal pictures. But I wrote everything down because I don't want to forget ANYONE: like at my shower I don't have a single picture of me and my matron of honor! WHAT were we thinking?! Things get busy and you forget... honestly. So I don't want that mistake to happen at the wedding!

And I figured out all our ceremony music. I would have loved to have someone play the piano, guitar, violin, etc., but it's just not in our budget. So, I'm putting my faith into the iPod. ;)

I also scheduled my first fitting for Sunday, June 12th!

And in non-wedding related news... today I accomplished one of my 101 in 1001: Hike a mountain. Sean and I went to Mount Monadnock in NH and it took 4 hours to go from the bottom to the top and back down again. I didn't have tears... but I wasn't at my best either.

This is what I saw before we ventured up:


;) I remembered! And oh, I guess it really isn't non-wedding related. Whoops! Is anything you do actually non-wedding related when you're getting married in 48 days?!

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.

I'm still pretty much in love & obsessed with my shoe purchase!



And today was really successful, too!

I figured out the hotel fiasco. Remember how they wouldn't call/email me back.. and weren't helpful?

WELL! I found a hotel that did email me back, and was helpful! So I'm going to sign the contract and mail it back tomorrow! So I consider that as an accomplishment!

I called a shuttle service and they were so helpful and pretty reasonable with pricing so now I just need to make a decision!

I emailed our photographer about having a first look photo session! We're going to do it! I know it's not traditional and not the norm... but I think it's so cute!

And my bridesmaid/cousin Lindsey found me a make-up person! I have a trial set for March 19th... which is also my bridal shower so I'll look all fancy! ;)

Today was great! Great, great, great.

And now for some Twilight & bed. Yay!

Paparazzi!

It's really hard to make a list [and check it twice!] that includes all the important things I'll want pictures of from our wedding day. I mean... of course, there's all the different family combinations... this person in... that person out. When I look at the list it seems like it'll take hours! God, I hope not...

And then I want all the shots of my outfit: on and off. I want those pretty shots of my dress hanging and my shoes on the floor. All the bridesmaid dresses hanging together. My jewelry, my something borrowed/blue/old & new. My veil.

I want pictures of bouquets and ceremony programs and table settings.

I want formal pictures and candid shots from the reception.

At the reception I want pictures of us at each guest table. Our first dance. Cutting the cake. Everything. Everything. Everything! It must be possible...

What's the most important picture?!

Photographer!

We've emailed back our photography contract and are so excited!

Next we have to choose a place to have our engagement photo shoot and schedule a date for that! Any suggestions?! Some place outside would be beautiful [I think!].

I'm clearly obsessed...

Before I dive head first into the title of this entry, let me announce that we have booked...

Yayy!

Now, let's talk about this title:

Look above at that "graphic" -- do you see it? [our photographer & our officiant]...

I was up until 2AM trying to figure out how other blog writers create those! And then up until 3 being fascinated by my talents and skills [okay, I may have squeezed in a little racing game on XBOX -- Sean's RIGHT -- they are addicting!]

And although I think there has to be an easier, more convenient way to make them [besides, the 15-step process I've found -- okay, okay there may not be that many steps] -- I'm proud to announce that through my perseverance, obvious obsession, a teeny tiny amount of help from the love of my life along with a 3 day weekend which clearly means sleep isn't necessary -- I'm able to create my very own "pretty little phrases... using pretty little fonts". =)

And I'm proud!

I've also switched up "our" blog a bit -- from a new layout, our "About our Blog" and rearranging some things on the right side of the page.

I'm pretty sure there's more to come!

I'm obsessed...

But, mainly I'm just excited.

Update!

So, today we met with Justice Thomas Welch at his home. The meeting went very well. He explained everything that would happen, gave us handouts and described things he would say, and why and what their meaning and relevance was to us. It was really perfect, and easy and he had an amazing house with three dogs. So... you know -- we're contacting him tomorrow to tell him we would love for him to be a part of our day.

And another plus -- is that he performs several weddings a month at our venue -- so he's familiar with it. =)

We also met with Damien Gaudet and just loved his work! We love that he captures the whole day from getting ready to dancing at the reception and he does it all through a photojournalistic style. It looks so beautiful and we'll receive all the pictures in both color and black & white. I love that! I'm going to contact him tomorrow, as well.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with purple as my color. =)

So now, I need a DJ -- ASAP.

=)

Yay! We're on our way to meet a potential officiant and later this afternoon a potential photographer!

That is, as soon as someone gets out of bed...

Happy Day! [Even with the rain/snow/cold weather]

It's been a few days...

FROM THE KNOT!:
Guests’ tables were named with Chinese characters for marriage-themed words, like “wealth” and “luck.” The corresponding symbol appeared on the escort cards.

So, I know, I know -- it's been a few days since "our" last post. Not that I haven't been searching through wedding books, magazines and websites in my "free"-time, [pretty much anytime I'm home...] the problem is - I've seen it all! I'm bored with the same old things.

This is not to say I don't see cute ideas and want to post right away! Sometimes, I do... for example: above! But, lately, I've had so many ideas in my head I'm not sure which ones I can forget about and which ones I want to follow through on. It's a problem!

There are four things I'm trying to focus on:

1. Photographer - we have a meeting with one on Saturday
2. DJ - we're still up in the air on that one...
3. Officiant - we have a meeting with one on Saturday
4. picking a color! I just, cannot, decide

The problem with not having a color is that it really puts a damper on any "DIY" projects because I don't know what colors I want, yet. So, instead of going out and being proactive and getting a major head start on these projects - I just search and search for more ideas leaving all my others behind. So sad.

My immediate goal is to pick a color within the next week. It's just such a decision!

I Spy

I LOVE THIS!

Next Saturday we're meeting with a potential officiant and a potential photographer: Damien Gaudet.

I'm so excited!

=)

The wedding officiant I emailed has emailed me back with sad news that she is already booked on our wedding day. People are so busy and organized!

However, in her reply she not only supplied us with websites that are geared toward finding the perfect officiant but also gave us a name of someone she works closely with and who is highly respected in the area: Thomas A. Welch. Because she copied him on the email, I received a phone call & voicemail from him this morning saying that he is free for our date. Sean thinks he looks like Sean Connery and I liked his voicemail because his voice has that certain soothing ring to it -- like he was made for public speaking.

We've set up a meeting with him next Saturday. =)

Also, the photographer I recently blogged about Studio Nouveau has emailed me back with an estimate of $3,995 for 5 hours of service. Ummmmm, I just don't think that's reasonable for us.

My mom emailed a photographer who we met at an open house at Lake Pearl: Artistic Expressions. He's responded with a pretty reasonable price. I think he's a strong candidate -- if I can convince Sean to agree.

Tasks!

I've been emailing plenty of photographers and DJs for the last few days. So hopefully, I'll find ones that are talented and within our price range. I hope, I hope, I hope...

There are a couple of cute ones, my mom has found in her searches. My favorite has to be Studio Nouveau. Their website is so cute! I've emailed them and now I'm waiting to hear back. =)

Also! The first DJ I wanted to meet with [the one that was referred to us] has emailed me and requested we send our information: who, what, where, when, and how many guests. And he's going to look into his schedule. So maybe he's not already booked [?]. A little confused.

That's all for now.

Some setbacks... some progress...

So, when I woke up yesterday and updated my daily "to-do list" I wrote:

1. contact DJ
   
2. contact photographer
   
3. contact officiant
   

----- ♥ -----

1. So I've emailed the DJ that Tenara [our wedding coordinator from Christina's] had suggested. She gave me a list of the four most popular DJs from their venue. Unfortunately =( the top two are already booked. So upsetting.

So now I'm going to attempt to contact the others! Their website is not that convenient though and their emails aren't available -- each time I have a different name in mind, I have to fill out a generic form on their website and then wait for them to get back to me. Although, I must admit that each time they responded within the hour.

2. I've emailed Charles Lyons Photography and they've gotten back to me with a quote. This is the package:

• 6 Hours wedding day coverage unlimited locations

• Unlimited, high-resolution Digital Images on DVDs

• All Images in Color and Black & White

• All Images Individually Retouched

• Unlimited Personal Reproduction Rights

• One-Year Online Gallery for viewing images

TOTAL = $1,700.00

It just seems so outrageous! I do like the idea of having all the images on a DVD and the rights to reproduce photos as we'd like. I don't like that it doesn't come with an album though. I guess I'll have to scrapbook one.

3. I've found an officiant, Carol J. Merletti, and I think I really like her [through her website anyway!]. So I've emailed her and I'm waiting to hear back.

Hopefully, good news will come in soon and we'll be able to book more vendors! Yay!

Photography ideas!

To save some money we've decided to look into The New England School of Photography in search of a photographer. On their website they have a form that can be filled out about what type of event you're hosting, the style of photography you're interested in, whether you're looking for a student or a graduate student and a box to put all the details about your event. Then they post it on their website and I assume people who are interested in the task would contact us.

I think it's worth at least looking into the prices and artistic abilities of these students and/or graduate students. It definitely won't hurt...

I've also been in contact with two other photographers. Charles Lyons Photography seems more inside our price range than Erin Chapman Imagery although artistically I think I prefer Erin Chapman's style.

Honestly, it all kind of looks the same to me. It all blends together and if the people in the pictures are good-looking it's hard to say it's a bad picture...

I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough!

Where does the money go?

So, luckily [and purposefully] we chose a package through our venue that included a lot of things -- invitations, ceremony, cocktail hour with an open bar and hors d'Oeuvres, reception and a choice between two meals, table linens, a decorated room [however we choose], a limo, a DJ, a videographer, most of our flowers, and our wedding cake. That's a lot, right? I know, and I'm probably forgetting some stuff.

This is not to say that we don't have a choice in our selection of things - just because it comes in our package. We still have to pick and choose every company and every individual to be a part of our day. We still need to meet with them, talk with them, decide whether it'll be a good match and even view their "investment" list [No one calls them their prices -- I suppose we are making an "investment"... because the numbers are SO freakin' high].

One thing not included in our package is a photographer. And at first, we said to each other... "that's okay - we know people!" Unfortunately, we don't know anyone who feels comfortable enough to do our wedding.

SO, I researched all the things you need to ask a photographer and there's even an online checklist to assure yourself you're making the right choice. So I took my links for photographers and I had my checklist on my desktop and I went through the online pages. But you know what? Do you know what's NOT included on my handy-dandy checklist... The Investment we'll be making...

There's no mention of MONEY or BUDGET! So I researched more and EVERYTHING says that if you're going to "splurge" on anything, make it your photos. But you know? I wouldn't say that we are going "splurge" on anything... So I revisited my favorite site The Knot! and found that with our said-budget we should set aside $1,200.00 for a photographer. Okay, well guess what? That number, doesn't even exist between the pages of these sites. I haven't found anything below $1,700.00 and that "investment" doesn't even include a wedding album! What kind of investment is that?!

So, the next trick up my sleeve was/is to look for companies who are offering specials... but even if you factor in their "deals", we aren't going to save what we need to or what we should quite frankly. I mean, come on, not for nothing but everything is digital these days and I don't think any photographer we hire will be slaving away in a dark room somewhere after the wedding. They, most likely, will be in the comfort of their own home, with a laptop in bed, having snacks and watching T.V. while they retouch our photos... worth $1,700.00 - Sean says no.

Dilemma? I think so.

So, I'm thinking... honestly, what's the point? There's going to be pictures of it all because no one, I KNOW, leaves their house without a camera. So my fear is not that I won't have great memories or even great pictures to look at for the rest of our lives... MY FEAR is that I'm going to spend all this money -- because, if that's what you're supposed to do then I'll find the money to spend -- and it's going to be a waste. What if we spend all this money, and then they aren't even flattering pictures? That wouldn't be good...