Runaway Bride

Two posts on one day! I had actually been saving up the previous post for awhile now because I had been too busy (lazy) to edit and post it. And no, I am not blogging about running away from my FI in a scary looking spandex bridal outfit, but this pic is pretty funny isn't it??

What I am really bloggin about is the possibility of a Destination Wedding. The past few weeks have been pretty rough for me- stress from work, school, house, family, and wedding planning has gotten to me. I am no closer to making up my mind on the wedding venue. I had a pretty bad episode with my family over Easter about the wedding plans. Everyone has their opinions of what I should do, and some others were downright nasty to me for no apparent reason. I am dreaming about taking a nice long tropical vacation!

This has gotten me thinking. FI and I decided that one thing we both really want is an amazing and exotic honeymoon. He wants to lie on a beautiful beach- I want to explore a foreign city. We came to a compromise- one week on the beach, one week exploring. I have been obsessed with the idea of going to Bali. The island is supposed to be beautiful and offer plenty of beaches and exploring all in one. It is also in Indonesia, which means we could fly in by way of Hong Kong or Singapore and get in a few days in one of these exotic cities. It's win- win for both of us!

Bali has a great exchange rate right now, and I've looked up some accomodations that seem like a fantastic deal- now all we have to do is get there.

During my honeymoon dreams, I started noticing all the pictures of the care- free bride and groom saying "I DO" in the breezy tropical air. They look sooo happy and content. Why can't I do this??? This would solve ALL my problems!

Well, not quite, but it just seems so awesome. There are whole villas you can rent in Bali, often for less than $100 per person per night. The villas come with a full staff- chef, maids, butlers, even a chauffeur and car. We could have our ceremony there and then have our staff cook us a delicious dinner- all for the cost of food from the markets! How amazing does this sound? I know that not many people would be able to come around the world for us- probably just our parents, siblings, and MAYBE a few other close friends or family members. It does seem as if the cost would be sooo much less than a normal wedding and soo much more enjoyable. Plus we will be ON our dream honeymoon as we are getting married. What could be better than that?

Downsides are the fact that we both want all of our friends and family to be there for the big day.

I guess there always is the AHR (At home reception), but this is not quite the same. It also seems difficult to plan a wedding that will take place thousands of miles away without even going there to scope anything out. I'm sure it would be doable, and probably less overall work than a big wedding here. I just don't think I would care as much to have everything perfect when I am already in an amazing and tropical surrounding. The natural beauty of the island and the close intimate celebration would be enough for me.

What do you think? Anyone else struggle with a tough decision over a DW?? I don't want to upset and offend my family, but this is OUR choice. This view might sway your opinion!!:)

Decisions, Decisions...

Well loyal readers (is anyone out there???), I've narrowed my venue list down to three, no easy task. However, it is much much harder to decide from this shorter list. Help me!! I've been having wedding nightmares, and I just want to get this decided.

Choice #1 : The Lakeside Courthouse

I blogged about the courthouse in my last post and why I thought it was so divine. After a few more weeks of thinking about it, I haven't changed my mind. I still love it. I think this option could be as expensive or as cheap as we want it to be. With everything I want to do, it will probably come in at about mid- way between my three final choices. I also thought of some easy ways to cut costs even more.

1. Change the date- not my favorite idea, but if I had it on any other Saturday other than the 4th of July I probably would not have to pay for parking.
2. Be reasonable with rentals- No I DO NOT need the gorgeous chivari chairs (tear), nor do I need to pay an extra $1000 to have glass glasses at the bar
3. Cut back on decorations and other extras- the space is already gorgeous.

Choice # 2: Windows on the River

I also wrote about Windows in a previous post, but let me sum up why it made it to the top 3.

1. WINDOWS!!! I love the view of the city, and the awesome downtown location.

2. The possibility of having an outdoor patio for cocktails.

Cons are:

1. I can't have it on Saturday July 4th. That date is taken, so I would need to do it on the 3rd. I'm not sold on a Friday wedding.

2. It would be the most expensive- even on a Friday. However, the price does include hors d'oeuvres, dinner, drinks, the cake, and some flowers, so that helps.

3. The room I like has a balcony that overlooks the rest of the room. The problem is that the lower room can only fit 200 people, and anyone over that would have to be seated on the balcony. Would this offend anyone??

4. The room itself is very very GREEN. Green carpet, paint, etc... it would be too overwhelming to almost any other color I brought in.

Looking at this, I realize I have more cons than pros. Does my love of the view outweigh all the bad stuff??? Would it for you?


AND... Choice # 3: Party Center

I haven't blogged about this location before because I haven't actually been to see it yet. Then why would I even consider it? Well, I actually have been to see it, but the last time I was in there was around 10 years ago. IT is owned by the family of my best childhood friend ever. I am actually in her upcoming wedding that is taking place there this September.

My mom contacted her father a few weeks ago because I had been procrastinating. I just felt bad about potentially contacting him if I decided I didn't like it. However my mom is all excited now because his prices are amazing. I can't believe the highway robbery other venues are committing when I take a look at how much less he can provide me with the SAME things for.

So, here we go with the PROS:

1. I've known the family forever, so I know they would so a REALLY good job! I would completely trust my event in their hands.

2. It would be by far the least expensive option, and the least amount of work for me. My parents like the idea.

3. I will be at my friends' reception taking place almost a year before mine, and can decide what I do and don't like about it.

4. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house.

Cons:

1. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house, which is in the middle of BFN. (butt- f***ing NOWHERE!). Where would the guests stay?? I would need a shuttle to and from a hotel somewhere. Also, not a cool fun downtown area like I wanted!

2. It looks nice in the pictures, but it really is just another catering hall, just like every other one. No originality here! If I go crazy with extra decorating or other things it will just erase the whole point of having it there to save $$$.

3. He's not sure if I can have it on the 4th... he said he might not be able to get anyone to work. WTF?? All the other days I potentially wanted it were already taken.




And I guess Option #4...keep looking.......... I am starting to get MAJORLY frustrated here though, and might not be able to take it anymore. So what do YOU think??

The one??

This past weekend's visit to Cleveland was mainly for my Grandmother's 70th birthday party, but of course I got a little venue hunting in! I had really high hopes for this one- the Cleveland Lakeside Courthouse downtown.

FI and I got there early Saturday morning and walked up to the imposing black doors. Once inside, the guard grunted and made us walk through the metal detector. Good thing we were on the list! Keep in mind this is the actual Courthouse building during the week.

Those doors are HUGE and heavy! Then we walked in and..............

Words cannot express how I felt on seeing the inside. How lucky we were to see that it was set up for a wedding that day! The gold chairs looked amazing in there. The ceilings are so huge and beautiful. The space really does not even need any decorating. One thing I would like to use in there would be all long tables,like this:

I really like that look. There is also a balcony at the top of a beautiful curving staircase.

They had a bar set up there. The balcony can be used for the cocktail hour, or just a place for guests to come and observe all the action going on below:

I LOVE this.

Other pros include bringing our own caterer and alcohol, which gives me complete creative control. It is downtown by the water which I really wanted and close to many many hotels. If I keep the 4th of July date, there will be traffic, but guests can stroll outside and have prime fireworks views, and there is an orchestra playing in the square all day.

So what are the drawbacks you ask. Why am I not running in a frenzy to sign the contract NOW!!!

1. small thing I know.... buuuuttt, this is a public building during the week, and the bathrooms totally reflect that. The look like ramshackle gas station bathrooms. Not much you could even do to make them nicer.

2. EVERY last thing from a fork to a gorgeous guilded chivari chair has to be rented and brought in. There are no kitchens, so an over abundance of glasses and plates need to be brought in. This stuff all adds up.

3. It costs $525/hour to rent this space. I would also have to rent the parking garage for $500. Yikes!

4. No windows! Ugh.. it seems like everything is a compromise.

5. More vendors and MORE work for me!

Sigh... what do you think?

Vexing Venue Issues

Ok, so I am still having major problems with my vendor decisions. I think I ruled out all three I previously posted on. The dance floor in the tower just kept bugging me, I decided Brennan's was too ugly, and the Metro sent me a ridiculously expensive proposal.

Here's the run- down from my last trip:

Massimo de Milano was my first stop on my way in from Buffalo. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pics because I forgot my camera in the car, and was too scared to go back and get it. Which brings me to my main issue with the place- location. Its downtown in Ohio City which is great, except for the bums and generally shady looking people crawling around the parking lots. Maybe this is why they offer FREE valet parking
Here's a picture from their website.



It was very pretty inside, with tulle draped from the ceiling and a light, almost ethereal look. A couple of other pros were their straightforward pricing- flat fees per person which included taxes and gratuity, 6 HOURS TOP SHELF BAR (this is unheard of), and a great menu choice. The food is Italian, and you have a chance to try before you buy.

The issues I had were neighborhood it is in, and the size(they told me it an fit a max of 250). I am expecting AT LEAST 250 guests, and it also did not look like it could accommodate that many comfortably. Also, the bar and cocktail area is kind of ugly. There is not a hotel within walking distance either, although the city is right across the bridge, a 2 minute drive. I am still keeping this in mind.

Next stop- Windows on the River. Here is the entrance. Now, some people don't like this industrial look and the green paint everywhere. However, I LOVE it. I think it is so much more interesting then the typical hotel lobby entrance. Also, there is an arcade around the corner.

There are two room choices here. First, the Bridgeview room.


This room was ok. I wasn't overly impressed. The view of the bridge and city was great! Next she took me into the Cityview Room. I am noticing now that I didn't take any great pictures of the actual room, I was so busy admiring the view. Here's one to give you a general idea of the room.

The room is two stories, with a balcony. This was a problem, because any guests over a count of 200 would need to be seated up here. I'm not sure if anyone would take offense at this. Thoughts? Also, my date (July 4) was taken! Waaa! I would have to have it on Friday, July 3. As soon as I mentioned this, she whipped out their Friday menu, a good $13 less per person. Ok, maybe a Friday isn't so bad. Everyone gets that Friday off...... right? Even with the discount, Windows is NOT cheap. It would be a little little bit over our budget, however they include your cake, flowers, and other decorations in the price. Plus, we can have our cocktail hour right on this patio by the river. At night, with the lights.... I think it would be awesome! Check out the view!

I really like (almost) everything about Windows and am still considering it.

The next day, Rachel (my sis) and I went out to Strongsville to check out two different places. They were each about 35-45 minutes from our house. First up was the Belarusan Community Center. I have heard some rave reviews about the food from here (especially the lemon chicken). The caterer was a straight forward no- nonsense woman that I instantly liked, and it is a one room party center- NO other weddings. We can bring our own alcohol (bring on the signature drinks!), even kegs too. It had an outdoor patio, and was very large. Here's the entrance:

There were some things I didn't like- Belaruse is a Russian country, and their country crest or whatever is plastered EVERYWHERE! There is a huge one on the wall by the bar. Ugh! I would have to see about covering that up. It's not downtown, and there is no hotel in walking distance (although there should be some a short drive away.) It's just not very fancy, or interesting. (I do like the disco ball! LOL)

Next we stopped by a wedding factory in the area, Michaud's Town and Country. Ok, the reason I call this a wedding factory is that they have 8 rooms there! This instantly turned me off. The entrance was very pretty though, and the prices were good. It is also BYOB. The only room I liked there had a 300 person minimum, and is HUGE!

I don't think I can guarantee AT LEAST 300 guests- and I would have to pay for any extras. I think this is OUT?!??

Our last stop of the day was Landerhaven in Beachwood. I have heard great things about this place from my friend's sister who had her wedding here. Rach and I were starving by the time we got here, so when they handed us a complimentary tin of fresh baked cookies, I was in heaven. (We promptly stuffed our faces as soon as we left the place! haha) Ok, this place is right NEXT to a hotel, which is great. Free parking, and a nice entrance as well. It does feel a little corporate though, with a big office in the lobby. The coordinator was a mess though- she took us to the first room which at the moment was partitioned into three parts. "Oh, just imagine these all pulled back." Ummmmm...ok. It did have a nice patio area though, with a garden and fountain. Then she took us into the cocktail area for the other ballroom. Gorgeous!

I love the huge windows! Then she peeks into the ballroom, and proceeds to tell us that there is a wedding going on, and that she couldn't take us in there because it was a black wedding and we would stick out. Ummmm....what!?! Ok, we're wearing jeans and I'm carrying a million notebooks, so yeah I think I would stick out at a formal wedding no matter what. She then takes us to see the "private" bridal suite where the WP can get ready. Yeah super private I guess, anyone can get a tour through it while someone is using it. I was very turned off by her obvious unprofessionalism. She gave me the prices, which were outrageous anyways, and then tried to get me to put down a deposit right then and there. Ok, I didn't even actually see any of the rooms, so no thanks. I will not be going back there.

So.... some good and some bad. Still no decisions! I have another idea that I'm working on though, and hopefully can blog on soon.

Wedding Budgets

I found this website today. http://www.costofwedding.com/ I have been freaking out a little lately, becasue I currently have no clue what our budget is supposed to be. Between all of our expenses lately- the new house mainly, we're going to need to rely on ALOT of help from our parents if we are going to have any sort of normal wedding.

I put my zip code in Cleveland in and came out with $24 k. Yikes! When I first started this whole wedding planning thing, the number seemed ridiculously high. We could hire someone to come and finish painting and fixing up our house for that. Or put on the new roof that we desparately need.


However, after making a few phone calls, and going to visit my venues, my heart started to sink. Frankly, if I can pull off a wedding for ONLY $24 k, I would be ecstatic! Sigh........... I just wish someone would give me some actual numbers to work with.

For the fun of it, I put in my Buffalo zip code, and came out with $14 k. Ten thousand dollars less..... maybe I should change the location.

What's your wedding budget? How did you find out how much money others (parents) would contribute to your budget?

Wedding Colors.....

My biggest obstacle in life is making decisions. I tend to have a hard time making up my mind and actually committing to any one thing(excpet my gorgeous fiance of course!) I always have a million ideas in my head, and I want to try them all! This can be a problem when it leads to my horrible indecision. Do I want to live in Buffalo or move somwhere much warmer? Do I want to stay in grad school or have I had enough? Do I want to continue working in finance or open the organic store like I've always wanted?

Those are all problems for another day though. On my mind today... what is the theme for my wedding? I've been seeing all these lovely inspiration boards... check out http://www.stylemepretty.com/ for some crazy wedding porn. Unfortunately, this orgy of choice is just leading me back to my familiar problems.

I've been obsessed with the color green for awhile now. This was my original choice for a wedding color. Green bridesmaids dresses, green flowers, green shoes....

How cute...

I especially love the idea of having colored shoes...even if they aren't green. Once I started looking through more wedding boards I became obsessed with this:

Black and white damask... how perfect and elegant. A black and white wedding would be so classic. I can imagine the pearls, gloves, and thousands of white candles.

However, I feel like I might need a LITTLE bit of color. What about red? When I was around ten years old, the only colors I would wear were red, black, and white. That would be so cute to have my favorite childhood colors incorporated into my wedding. However, I am in love with these flowers:

Black, white, red, and pink? Thoughts?

Venue Search

So all the planning books I've religiously consulted hammer in the fact that you need to find a reception venue before anything else. I have spent the past three weeks researching, calling, and comparing venues. Also since I am a huge finance nerd, I compiled all of my results into an excel spreadsheet for easier comparing.

I decided to make a grand total of 10 appointments for this past weekend. Because I am planning my Cleveland wedding from Buffalo, I need to cram everything into one weekend (A vendor bender!) If anyone is from the Cleveland area, you would know that we were absolutely pounded with a blizzard on Friday and Saturday. All my carefully laid plans were ruined!!! After making a harrowing trip back(included a broken muffler and burnt out headlight on the middle of the freeway), over half of my appointments canceled on me because of the snow. Waaaaaa!

However, I still made it to three- one of which was my top choice from all the information I had so far.

First choice: Frank & Pauly's - Atrium at the Square

Gorgeous view from the balcony- main reason this place was my original fav:

The food is Italian, and reasonable prices for family style eating. It can fit my expected 250-300 guests, and the are reasonable about decorating restrictions(not that the space needs any!)

Main issue- location of the dance floor. My family likes to PARTY, and that means dancing. The dance floor is like shoved off to the side, and blocked by all these pillars.

The coordinator there told me I could bring in a dance floor to put in the middle, but that seems like so much trouble. Another issue is the bar- their house package is well, WELL liquor, and my fiance will not stand for that. Actually the only questions he asked of anywhere we went was the brands of liquor in the bar packages..(well, at least he is interested in something!) Upgrading gets pricey though. Another problem is that it is downtown, so parking is an issue. I can rent the attached garage, but then either I or the guests(tacky to ask people to pay their own parking?) have to pick up the tab.

Option 2: Sammy's at the Metropolitan Ballroom

View from the top floor windows....WOW

Can you imagine this at night? That's Lake Erie in the background. The ballroom is gorgeous too, decorated in a 1920s style that I could totally imagine my wedding. This would be my vision for this space:

Here's the inside:

Downsides to this venue: no outdoor space- you can't use the roof, PARKING again, and general extreme priciness!

Third option: Brennan's

Brennan's is not downtown- its actually kind of in the ghetto (lol) off W 130th. It's more of a catering hall- they have 4 banquet rooms, which look like most other banquet rooms in catering halls- stuck in the early 90s! Ugly carpet, tacky chandeliers, you get the picture. However, these places tend to look a million times better by candle light, so I'm keeping an open mind.

What do you think?

The main attractiveness of a place like this is the price(reasonable)...AND... its BYOB! Haha... actually it means we get to bring all our own wine, liquor, or beer for them to use at the bar. Not only does it save ALOT of money, but the boy likes it because he can have complete control over the alcohol. Crytal for everyone! Parking is free. Drawbacks are its lack of any sort of originality.

So... what do you like best? Option 1, 2, or 3??

Sis and I at the Atrium...girl risked her life to drive us around Cleveland that day in a terrible blizzard...that's why she's the MOH!!

About me....

I'm starting this blog to keep track of my wedding planning, and to get all of my ideas down in a permanent fashion. I was the last person to expect to become excited at the thought of getting married or planning a wedding, but after a few peeks at some crafty do-it-yourself planning sites, like this - www.weddingbee.com, and I'm officially obsessed.

I currently live in Buffalo, NY, but my hometown of Cleveland, OH is the location of our wedding. I've also lived in France briefly, and have had many exciting adventures in my life.... lots of traveling, friends, and fun! Currently, my fiance and I have been busy renovating our new house, I have a full time job, and am attending grad school part time in the evenings. With all this on my plate, I need to stay super organized if I want to get hitched anytime soon! Its time to PLAN A WEDDING!!!