4th of July: Rehearsal Day

Friday morning was a little dreary and rainy, but it cleared up to be a sunny day later in the afternoon. My mom, my sister, and bridesmaids S and J had manicure and pedicure appointments, and the boys were taking the many boxes of wedding stuff down to drop off at the courthouse.

I got a call about halfway into my pedicure from the boy saying that the Courthouse doors were not open. I had an issue the last time I went down to the Courthouse which led to me almost not getting in when I had an appointment to do so, and this really angered me. I had asked for and been granted privileges to drop some stuff off earlier in the day than they usually allow for weddings because it was a holiday(day before the 4th of July was the government holiday this year), and no one would be at work except the guards. There is a serious communication break down between Wanda, the coordinator, and the guards who open the doors at the Courthouse. I really hope it has been resolved since then. I called and left a rather hysterical message for Wanda, but the boy called back and said they got in after pounding on the doors for awhile. This was one of my very very few bride freak outs, so I didn't feel too bad about it.

Other than that, the salon was soooo relaxing! I was immediately handed a mimosa right when i walked in (which I later needed)! I had had my hair cut and highlighted, plus a facial the previous weekend at my salon in Buffalo, so I was already feeling seriously pampered. My sister booked the appt, so I don't remember the name of the place, but I would highly recommend it. I'll be sure to ask her and post it here.

After the salon, we came back to the house, and the fun was starting! Bridesmaids C and K had arrived by plane, and various of our other out-of-town friends had picked them up and were hanging out at my house talking to my dad. It was almost surreal to have them all here and to know that this wedding was really going to happen!!!

I took a shower and started getting ready for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. It was kind of crazy with all the girls in the house getting ready, but my sister did my make up and Bridesmaid C did a beautiful job on my hair. One of the boy's groomsmen was driving in from New York and was extremely late getting to our house, which got me a little rattled, but we eventually packed it all in and were on our way to the church.

We made it to the church only 5 minutes late. I was feeling a little flustered with people calling me for directions 2 minutes before they were supposed to be there, showing up late, or not changed into church clothes yet. I also forgot the wedding party presents at home and sent back the other car to go get them. In retrospect, I should have brought the pew decorations and put them on during the rehearsal, because it became an issue the next morning when I realized there was no one to do it! No matter how much you plan, there will be small things you forget about. Hopefully, it won't actually matter to you on your wedding day.

My gorgeous jewel- toned dress was made from silk chiffon by BCBG. I got it on e-bay for $60!!! I am holding my bow bouquet from the shower, and that's my sister standing right behind me, keeping me calm!

This is inside the beautiful St. Michael Church in Independence. The rehearsal was quick, with us practicing where we would walk and stand, and a quick overview of the vows we would say. We opted for the traditional words of a Catholic ceremony, which we would repeat after the priest. Even though I no longer consider myself a Catholic, the weight of tradition behind these simple words is very moving and perfect. I have a complicated relationship with religion, but I respect the power of the vows and the ceremony in its own right.

After the rehearsal we made our way downtown to Ponte Vecchio, where we had the rehearsal dinner on the outdoor patio. The night was clear, and while it wasn't very warm, it was comfortable. The patio is a little bit of an awkward set-up, but we had around 60 people come to our rehearsal dinner, and it didn't seem too cramped. It's long and narrow, so people need to sit in tables of 4. The food had to be set up as a buffet inside to accommodate all the tables for a party this large, but it worked out great. The food was amazing! We had appetizers, including crab cakes, and the buffet included chicken, salmon, green beans, pasta, and more food that I can't remember. I was too keyed up to eat much. We also had an open bar for two hours before dinner, and one hour after.

The view from Ponte Vecchio is amazing - it looks out onto the whole city, where we were able to see a few fireworks shows. After dinner, I gave a short speech thanking everyone for coming, and we passed out our gifts to the wedding party. The girls got their jewelry for the wedding, earrings and a bracelet, and I had given them all engraved flasks during our trip to Vegas. We gave the boys flasks, their wedding ties, and cigars, so a few of them lit them up outside after dinner. We stuck around for awhile all talking and socializing. Our groups of friends all know each other from college, so there was alot of catching up to do.

On the patio, my five best friends from college and I.

At our table on the patio, my brother, his girlfriend, and my sister.

After dinner, chatting outside the restaurant.

We stayed at Ponte Vecchio until around 10, before the younger people decided to take the party over to The Chophouse on W St. Clair Avenue. We invited all of the out-of-town guests to the rehearsal dinner, which was why we had around 60 people there. Only a few people couldn't make the drive down to Cleveland in time for the dinner, and they met us at the Chophouse. There was a group of about 40 of our childhood and college friends there talking, drinking, and having a great time. It felt so amazing to have us all in one spot again. I think this may be my favorite thing about weddings - the chance to have all of your groups of friends meet and hang out, and reminisce. I would strongly recommend to build in time for socializing and actually talking to all these people that came so far to see you. It cost a little more to invite all of these people to the rehearsal dinner, but it was more than worth it.

At around 11:30 or 12:00, the girls and I decided it was time to get home and rest up for the next day. The bridesmaids were sleeping at my parents' house with me that night. The guys were going to stay out and have a little bit of a bachelor party for the boy, since he never got to have one with all of the guys being so far away (little did I realize how bad of an idea this would turn out to be...oops). I kissed the boy goodbye for the last time as an unmarried couple, and went home to try and get some sleep!

The last single girl kiss!

4th of July: Last minute craziness

Ok, I know all brides say that they are not going to let it happen to them - procrastination on the little things that will then take you all night before the wedding to finish. I did ALOT of work on this wedding beforehand, but I did leave a few details until Thursday night. Honestly, I just forgot about the fact that I needed two place cards for anyone sitting at one of the long banquet tables. They each had 16 seats, so I didn't want anyone scrambling for a seat. I had to print out a sheet of place cards for these tables, and have the boy cut them all out. This also meant finalizing the seating chart once and for all. The seating chart! I'm sure any bride has heard the angst from former brides over the seating chart. I did not believe that it could be that bad. It. was. worst thing I have ever had to do.

Last minute additions and cancellations did not help at all. I spent at least an hour Thursday night tweaking my seating chart, and putting everyone in the most perfect spot. I also had to print out the table names, and I printed up several room layouts to tape to the boxes of decorations and other wedding stuff that would be taken to the hall and set up by the caterer and my cousin. I wrote out meticulous instructions and taped them to each and every box that was being taken down and dropped off at the courthouse by the boys in the morning. I was up until 2 am.

Here's what quick advice I can offer. Start you seating chart early. I has started it at least a month before , but had to spend up to the Thursday before the wedding fixing it. I used Martha's website, and her free seating software was amazing for my purposes. I initially divided everyone up on my guest list on excel. I would cut and paste people that I thought should sit near each other, and then refined it on the Martha chart. Write out lots of instructions. When I walked into the room on Saturday, I didn't find anything that was out of place. Everything had been perfectly set up, and that made the late night worth it. This is a great chance to show off some of the things I ordered for the wedding from vistaprint, and my other paper projects.

My photocards


My reminder for people to go to the photobooth


Our drink menu- just a sample of the huge variety we had


I printed this on the other side of our photocards- I don't think anyone actually did it though :(


A picture of one of the table names I printed. They were all different types of wines- reds for one side of the room, whites for the other. I printed this on blank brochure paper I ordered for free form Vistaprint.


The sparklers- one of the many favors I offered. Last minute we bought a huge pack of these for $10 from Sam's Club. The cards on these were free business cards from Vistaprint. I didn't want to do traditional favors, but these were in a basket by the door, as well as cake slices. I am also sending prints in thank you cards from my mock photobooth.

4th of July: Booze Breakdown

Between the flower delivery on Thursday, and before we got started on the flower making, the boy's brother had gotten into town. My sister R, the boy, his brother P, and I all headed out to buy the massive quantities of beer we would be needing. A trip to Costco, Sam's Club, and Marc's later, the garage looked like this:


This was actually quite stressful, so I would recommend doing it some other way. The stores were packed, mostly because of the impending holiday. We took my dad's truck, and my sister's car in order to have enough room, and were stuck in lots of traffic going from store to store to get what we needed. After the first 3 stores, R and I came home to work on the bouquets, and sent the boys out to finish up. Neither of them are from the area, so they ran into a few problems. They went to Giant Eagle, only to be told by several nosy customers that they would find better deals at Marc's, an area discount store. After loading up the cart at Marc's (for the exact same prices), they wheeled up to the checkout, only to find out that they do not take credit cards. Leaving the cart, they head to the bank next door. Unfortunately, the ATM inside is broken, so the boy is forced to use the drive up ATM in the parking lot. On foot. I received a call containing alot of swear words around this time, right when I was showing my grandma how to wrap a bouquet. I'm giggling remembering the story, but two very frazzled boys returned awhile later.

I think we more than doubled our original alcohol budget, but I didn't want to think about it at the time. The good news was that we didn't run out! I'll do a budget break down in a later post, but I had felt that around $1,500 would be enough to buy beer, wine, and liquor, considering the boy works in the wine and liquor business. A quick note to people buying their own alcohol- we could have done it for even less than my budget. We had massive quantities of leftovers. I think we purchased around 25 cases of beer and had around 10 leftover from a wedding of 200 heavy drinkers. We also bought two cases of vodka, and had over one whole case left. There were half cases of all the other kinds of liquor and we had leftovers in everything except the Patron, which sold out. There were also a case each of 3 white wines, and 2 red wines. This is where we had the most leftovers. I think maybe a case and a half of wine was drunk total. This was the area where we went the most over, but my in-laws insisted, and since they were paying I didn't want to turn it into a huge argument. We ultimately brought 5 cases of beer home with us, which meant I didn't buy any all summer! We also have extremely well stocked liquor and wine cellars! But for those of you on a budget, know that it is possible to spend ~$1,000 on alcohol for your wedding.

My Invitations!

After all of the pain and suffering, I hope they were worth it.

Invitation Hell

You know how all those checklists from places like the knot are always telling you to work on your invitations from basically the first month you get engaged? Well, now I know why.... it is complete hell. I started out with a simple and cheap plan for my invitations. I was going to design something easy and have them printed at Vistaprint. Easy-peasy and almost free..right?

Well, fast forward to now. I ended up booking a designer on Etsy to create the invitation files for me. It wasn't that expensive, and I just didn't have time to learn how to use Photoshop. After getting the files back, I waited for a Vistaprint free offer to price out what it was going to cost. Unfortunately, I needed just over 100 invitations, due to my ballooning guest list. Vistaprints free offers are for either 100 small, or 50 large postcards. I would have needed to make multiple orders to print all of the pieces, and the cost went up to ~$80 for all pieces. Now this is not too ridiculous. But I started to second guess myself. I am already spending all of this money, why don't I buy a printer and print them myself? Well, as luck would have it, we received a free printer a few days later. I tried printing the invitations out, and they looked awful. Plus the cardstock wouldn't go through.

Next up, I contacted a few professional printers. One never got back to me, one gave me a quote for ~$150, not including paper, and the third who was a friend of my fiance's gave him a quote of around ~$50. So I ordered some metallic cardstock, and I am patiently awaiting the return of my files. This supposedly cheap and DIY project is costing me WAY more than I thought it would, and I am a little upset about all of the extra work, when in the end I could have just ordered them from somewhere. Hopefully they will be done soon so I can post.

Let's add up the costs in the meantime:

190 cream envelopes bought from someone off theknot: $14
Custom design of invitation card, RSVP postcard, and accommodations card, and monogram: $40
Cardstock(50 sheets of 11'x17 metallic and 50 sheets of 11'x17' linen from paperandmore: $56
Shiny gold wrapping paper for envelope lining: $10
Ribbon to tie around invite: $4
Peacock feathers to tuck into ribbon from Ostrich.com: $20
Calligraphy pens: $6
Peacock feather stamp for outside of envelopes: $12
Gold and green ink pads: $7.50
Printing of invitations: not sure yet- I am hoping for around $50

Total: $219.50 or more
Per invite: (~125) $1.75

Stamps for RSVP postcards: $33.75
Stamps for invites: $42
Total: $75.75
Per invite: .61

Total per invite: $2.36

However, I will have paper left over that I will use for table names and place cards. Not sure yet what I am doing for programs. I will also use the stamps for these other projects. This is far more than my original budget, and seems almost ridiculous to spend so much on pieces of paper that get thrown away.

How much did your invitations cost? Did DIY cost more than you thought?

Photographers, Caterers, Priests...

(note: It might help if I posted this a few weeks ago when I actually got back...oops... I find that I can take this wedding stuff in small doses- if I do alot at once, I need a HUUUUGE break)



So I just got back from my whirlwind trip to Cleveland, where I managed to meet with my photographer, my priest, my caterer, AND look at dresses. This was a big step for me, as I have been having such a hard time even dragging myself into a bridal shop.


First things first! S and I got into town late Friday night, hung out with my mom for a little, and then crashed.



Early Saturday morning, we went to meet the priest at St. Michael's church in Independence. I grew up attending this church, and figured it was the best option for our ceremony. It is right off 77 so hopefully guests will not have a hard time getting there from downtown. (disclosure: I initially wrote the 77, and realized I would have to take it out before I got mercilessly mocked by you Clevelanders- what can I say, I'm a Buffalo girl now.)


The best option would be to have it at a church downtown, to minimize driving for the out of town guests. I looked into the cathedral, and they had an exorbitant fee and strict rules. I'm not familiar with any other churches downtown. I'd be happy to take suggestions!


We met with the priest, and even though I was a little nervous about my lack of participation in a church in Buffalo (S isn't Catholic), he was cool with it, and had no problem scheduling our wedding for the date we wanted. We had a slight issue with the time, but if we do all our pictures either before the ceremony, or if we do them afterwards somewhere other than the church, we can have the later time. There is a nice gazebo nearby that I am hoping we can do the family pictures in.


We have to do a pre- canna course, and the deacon e-mailed us an online compatibility test, but that's it! And the $400 fee includes musicians! So everything sounds good to me.


Afterwards, we drove out to meet our photographer, Corey Ann. She lives in Canton, so she met us halfway. I have to admit that I didn't spend too much time looking for a photographer. I read a few recommendations of her on theknot, I liked the pictures I saw, and I decided to go with it. She is available on my date, her prices are fairly reasonable, and I get all of the digital images on a disk so I can make my own photo books. She was super nice in person, and seemed like a vendor I could trust and be comfortable with. I hope my pictures come out as beautifully as some of her others!



Next up was the dress trying on(exhausting!) that I detailed in my last post.



Sunday I met with a potential caterer, A Silver Service. Everything seemed to go well. I'll do another post after I finalized all the details with that.

All in all, I felt very productive on this wedding shiznit for once. Although it is still far from enjoyable.

I'm in love!

On Saturday, I met my mom and sister at Catan's. They were having a sample sale that day, and were super busy. I didn't find anything remotely appealing about the samples, so I went to have my normal appointment. Unfortunately, they were too busy to take my appointment. My mom asked them about my favorite designer, Alvina Valenta. All of the sudden we were whisked to a secret part of the shop to try on the couture dresses! Let me tell you, it was like a whole other world in there. It was quiet and softly lit. The dresses were all perfectly hung in rows. Out in the main part of the salon, dresses were thrown everywhere, the lights were harsh, and girls were tripping over each other to grab the dresses.

I got my own huge room, and a super sweet and charming Russian girl to pull the dresses for me. I told her one style I was interested in, and she pulled 6 dresses that I am now absolutely in love with. Problem is that they are all waaayyy out of my price range. Here's all the goodness:

rder=0> Pronovias- love this dress- everything from the straps with the little flowers to the dramatic fit and flair. Close up, the top layer is actually two layers of patterned tulle fabric- so luchious!

Alvina Valenta- the designer I first fell in love with. This dress is so elegant and beautifully made. It is the most expensive at $4200! I saw an old style on ebay for only $300 this week. I ultimately didn't buy it, because I want to stay away from a strapless gown.

Paula Varsalona- I LOVE THIS DRESS. I love everything about it, from the fitted sillouhette, the rouching, and the gorgeous lace straps. The only thing I woul change is to a darker ivory or gold. Swoon... I think this one was around $3000.

Jim Hjelm- the Russian girl in the background helping me said this one was "Sexy Sexy!" She is right. It is a gorgeous dress, and would really show off your assets. I jsut don't think it is me for the wedding. Haha

James Clifford- My mom and sister like this one- it is very romantic and ethereal. I jsut don't think it is dramtic enough for me. I really like the more fitted dresses.

Matthew Christopher- I tried this one on at my mom's urging. It really is a beautiful gown. Those little bows on it are all individually made and sewn onto the dress to create the scatter affect. I like how the vertical lines make me look long and lean. Ultimately, the silouhette is the A-line strapless that I wanted to stay away from.

So what do you think? What is your favorite?

Caterers!!!!!!!!

I just got a comment from a reader( my first reader other than my friends who could actually care less about wedding planning?) about the Courthouse and catering. I realized that I haven't wrote a post about my caterer. I have been distracted by the election, so I hope my last 2 political related posts didn't bother anyone. But I promise I will get back on track!!!

I've been in contact with about 10 or so caterers, but have only received proposals from my top 3. I'll go over each one in detail.

Robert J Catering in Akron, OH

I drove out to talk to Bob, the owner back in May, and then later went back for a tasting. Their menu prices originally seemed reasonable, but when I asked them to convert a buffet menu into stations(which I want), everything got a little more expensive. I've been making excel spreadsheets of caterers to compare cost, and this is what jumped out at me about Robert J.

Their base prices initially seem reasonable, but then you have to add tax and gratuity. Their extra charges for bar glassware, wash, and bartenders was going to be around $2,500! Add in the alcohol (at around $2,000), and the bar was going to cost close to the amount at any other venue. One way for me to justify the cost of the courthouse, was the fact that we could bring our own alcohol and save money. Most venues downtown charge over $20 pp for alcohol, so bringing our own could be a significant savings. Except for thousands in glassware charges.

I thought about plastic cups(more on that later), and went to a tasting. Let's just say I was not impressed at all. The steak was tough, the asparagus was terrible, and it just seemed...blah. I didn't really hit it off with the owner, and I couldn't see us working together. Plus, he charged me $30! I probably still would have worked with them, but $50 pp(after tax, gratuity) for the dinner and appetizers, another $2,500 for the bar and staff, plus a couple thousand to rent chairs and tables... and its over my budget for a caterer I am only so-so on. NEXT!

Taste of Excellence in Parma, OH

This is probably the first catering choice for a Courthouse wedding. I met with Chris from TOE back in May. He was very professional and knowledgeable about the courthouse, and suggested a menu that sounded way more fun and cool than any other caterers. Mashed potatoes in martini glasses? Chef seared meat right on the floor? Awesome!

I had a few reservations, after I talked to one of the only brides I could find who had used them. She gave them a bad review and told me all these things they had screwed up for her. I could forward her e-mail to anyone who is curious. Just let me know. Ultimately, it came down to price. The first proposal he e-mailed me was way over my budget. I changed a few things, and asked him to send me a new one. It was still over my budget. I asked if there was anything he could suggest for me to get my price down. The final proposal he sent me took off like one thing and did not save much. I really felt like he wasn't interested in working with anyone who wasn't willing to spend almost $20 k on the catering. If you think about it in terms of anything else you would buy for that much, it is a HUGE amount of $$. I could buy a brand new car for that, and have it for 10 years!

I was determined to keep my costs down and still have a fabulous wedding! NEXT!

A Silver Service Catering Parma, OH

I forgot how I heard of them (probably the knot), but I called and asked her for a proposal. She was extremely prompt at getting back to me. Her proposal was very detailed, and including the cost of everything. The bottom price was the actual price I would pay for everything. I was actually in shock at her price. Even though she charged me a holiday premium(not sure why, no one else had mentioned it), it was way lower than the other two. It included all glassware, two bar set- ups, all dishes, linens, buffet, labor, chairs, tables, set- up....everything!

I haven't met with her yet, and I might change my menu to stations and see how that affects the price, but so far I don't see a reason not to go with her. Hopefully I will set up a tasting soon, and let everyone know how it goes.

Cha Cha's Chuckwagon

Just thought I'd throw this one on there- I heard about her from the the knot, and figured what the hell, I'll contact her. Her website had amazing menus at good prices, and I was tempted to change my menu to a barbecue theme, considering the date! She was extremely nice on e-mail, and my mom and I made the long drive out there one Sunday in July. Her food was all home made, and very good. After speaking with her, I realized that she is just not equipped to do a wedding on this scale. She wouldn't be able to provide any chairs, tables, dishes, and had never done a huge formal wedding before. I absolutely would recommend her for a more casual party or gathering.

I have sent an initial e-mail to a few other caterers- A Big Show, Normandy Catering, Chenoweth, Sammy's, Executive Caterers, but haven't really followed up yet for one reason or another. If someone doesn't respond to me right away, and won't send me any info on e-mail, it usually makes me reluctant to work with them.

Any other catering suggestions?

The McCain Palin Mob

This scares me.... this is not far from my hometown. I am truly glad that I now live in a far more progressive state.

The McCain- Palin Mob


That is all.

Save the Date!

I am in the process of making our STD's (haha) for the wedding. I really wanted to go with magnets, so my guests can stick them on their fridge. That way my wedding will stay on everyone's mind! While doing some research, I came across this site. They have hundreds of templates for Save- the- Dates, and you can even customize some of them with your own photos. I loved this photo booth one:

A little pricey for me at 100 for $150. I briefly considered buying magnet paper and printing my own, but then I found VistaPrint. I signed up a few months ago, and I am literally bombarded with free offers. A little annoying, but well worth it for the great deals! Currently, 25 small magnets or 10 larger magnets are FREE! I've decided to go with the smaller size (3.5" x 2.0"). It's about the size of a business card, but I think can still be well done. You can download a template and design your own for a $4 upload fee. (I used Illustrator, with a free 30 day trial.)

As a caveat, I am not a graphic designer, and have never used Illustrator before. However, I am fairly computer savvy, and spent a few hours figuring out how to use the tools and came up with this:

Those pictures in there are just placeholders- I want to rip- off the photo booth one, where we hold a sign that says "Please Save" in the first one, and "the Date" in the second one. I might put a background of fireworks behind the picture or somewhere on the magnet. What do you think?

If you don't feel like messing around with Illustrator, there are hundreds of templates on Vista. I saw that Miss Champagne from WeddingBee used a template of gold damask, two elements I wanted to incorporate in our wedding. If you search through Vista's templates, keep in mind that you can change the colors of their designs, and also change all of the text, font, and placement. I rotated all of my text and pictures 90 degrees so that it would print out longways instead of like a business card.

Again, not planning on using this picture, although I do love how my dress complements the colors! I am wearing this dress again this weekend for a rehearsal dinner, so I may ask my sister to take a bunch of shots of us to get one that might be usable. We are going to eventually take engagement pictures, but I am not sure if they will be done before I want to send these out. Which design do you like better?

Breakdown:

100 small magnets from VistaPrint........ $30 with shipping

100 postcards to mount magnets from VistaPrint..... FREE promotion

100 plain envelopes..... $10

100 stamps...... $42

TOTAL COST FOR STDs........ $82 or $.82 each!

Cleveland Lakeside Courthouse!!!

I finally made the final choice on my venue! I just was so overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the courthouse that I knew it had to be my venue. If you are thinking about using the courthouse for your wedding, there are a few things you should know.

1. The "coordinator" there is extremely difficult to work with. She sometimes took over 2 weeks to return my calls. Also, she wouldn't send me the contract until one year out from the wedding. On July 5, I started calling her to get the contract. Three weeks later, she finally answered my call. Let me just say I was extremely freaked out during those three weeks that I had lost the venue. If you want her private number, leave me a comment with your email.

2. It costs $525 an hour. If you want the attached parking garage it is another $550. However, you get from 5 PM Friday until 8PM Monday to set up, tear down, etc. They only charge you for your actual ceremony/ reception times. I'm planning on going with the parking, although I'm not sure if it would be absolutely necessary for everyone. It tends to be pretty empty in that area on the weekends.

3. You also have to get liability insurance for $1 MM. Now, most people can do it through their homeowners insurance, but it will cost between $200-400. This is a cost I didn't know about- if it wasn't already enough there!

4. There is no kitchen area, not even a sink. Most caterers will charge you alot more to cater a wedding here, because they need to bring immense quantities of glasses, silverware, and cooking set- ups. No glasses can be washed or reused.

Congrats! And if any readers are having their wedding there, I'd be happy to talk about caterers, rentals, decor ideas, etc. I haven't booked a caterer yet!!

A 4th of July Wedding

While searching for a theme for a 4th of July wedding, I came across a few rather obvious ones. American flags, red, white, and blue, eagles, or stars and stripes. I wasn't feeling any of these ideas though. My original ideas for a wedding had been to use a black and white damask, and a pop of a bright color like fuscia or red. After deciding on my venue, I wanted to incorporate gold into my color scheme.
Enter my new brilliant idea.... fireworks! It still represents the 4th of July, but is not as cheesy as having American flags everywhere. There are lots of great ideas that would incorporate a fireworks theme. I can give sparklers to the guests as favors, or have a sparkler send off.

So fun! For centerpieces, I don't really want flowers(or the florist bill that comes with), so I've been looking into other options. I wanted to make an impact with tons of candles, but unfortunately my venue won't allow them. I like the look of the curly willow branches I've seen brides using. I would like to spray paint mine gold, and put them into a large vase with Floralytes to provide a soft glow.

If I wanted to use candles, I'd have to use the flameless LED ones. They have floralytes that change colors- would this be a cool way to show off the colorfulness of fireworks, or just be cheesy? I also like the centerpieces that use ostrich feathers. Now, I'm not sure on this saving money, because ostrich feathers are surprisingly expensive. But they are beautiful, and you can get the feathers dyed any color you want. I could also use the colored floralytes for these too.

I love how both these ideas kind of evoke the feel of fireworks- high and lighted against the dark, both fanning out into beautiful patterns. Maybe I could do a mixture of both, one type on the long tables, the other type on the rounds? Could I also use damask with these ideas, or does it not go together?

Long Tables vs. Rounds

I'm thisclose to finalizing my venue contract, so I decided to start with the seating plans.... more later on which venue I went with!

I am in love with the idea of doing long feasting type tables at the reception. I know there are a lot of pros vs. cons out there, so I might do a mix of both long tables and rounds. I can put our friends and cousins at the longs(because I don't want to split all the groups up), and put my parents and other relatives at the rounds. Hopefully this works out. I've been using this program to help me with the table design and seating, and for a FREE program it works great! Just sign up, and got to Weddings/ Seating. I also put my guest list into excel, and you can upload it right into the program. I'm an accounting geek, so I use excel for everything, and it is super easy to sort people.

Here's a vague picture of how I want my tables to look:

The middle one will be the kind of head table. We haven't decided on if we are having a bridal party or not, but even if we don't we would just put family in friends up there who would have been in the bridal party. So it would be kind of the un- head table. The two rounds closest to us would have our parents, and whoever they would choose to sit with them.

I am still trying to figure out how to seat people at the longs. I plan on fitting between 20-25 people at each one, so I don't want to just tell guests which table and have them find their own seat. That could create some confusion. I will probably put something at each setting with a name on it. Maybe a sparkler!

Also, my side of the guest list is significantly longer than FI's, because of my massive family. Should I seat some of my side over on his? I'm sure there are other bride's out there with lopsided guest lists- how did you figure this out?

Does anyone have any experience at a wedding with long tables and can offer any suggestions?