A Typical Wedding Blog...

We hired our florist!

2009-04-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Whistlestop Florist of East Syracuse. They were really nice there. I wasn't 100% sure what we wanted and she helped a ton! We're doing green cymbidium orchids and ivory roses for my bouquet. The bridesmaids will have the orchids, red roses, and baccara roses (burgundy). the florist thought adding the baccara roses would look more fall like. The ceremony will have white hydrangea in red cones on the pews. The centerpieces will be square glass with green crabapples in the bottom with the orchids on top and a mix of red and baccara rose petals surrounding, and maybe a candle or two. There will be orchids on the cake also. I'm so excited!

The next big things to conquer are the DJ and the cake (that one will be FUN!). Oh shoot. We still need an officiant also. We're getting there though!

We bought a house!

2009-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago! I kinda forgot to update this. It's awesome though! We have 3x the space we had in the rinky dink apartment. It's so much fun to decorate and work on. It's kind of distracted me from the wedding plans. We've done lots of painting and have spent a nice chunk of change on things for the house already. I love it!

It's been a while... and a lot has happened.

2009-04-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

So... my last post I mentioned meeting with a caterer. Well we did this a while ago and I forgot to update this. We hired Premier Catering based out of Liverpool. We'll be having a buffet dinner. Here's what we're getting:

-3 hours open bar
-cheese and crudite display
-coffee and tea
-champagne toast
-garden salad
-assorted fruit display
-slow roasted prime rib with au jus
-lemon chicken
-tortellini alfredo
-baked fish with lemon butter
-rice pilaf
-garlic mashed potatoes
-fresh vegetable medley
-fresh baked rolls

and then the CAKE!

At our tasting we tried the lemon chicken- which I LOVED! The sauce was awesome. Originally in this package was chicken marsala, which I despise. We substituted the lemon chicken since that is what I'll be eating. Hope it's not too much lemon with the fish too. The fresh vegetable medley was awesome too. It had a lovely herb sauce. He sautees that right on site.

I'm getting hungry...

We hired a photographer!

2009-02-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

We met with an awesome photographer yesterday and hired him for our wedding. His work is AMAZING. He is very artistic and takes a lot of time to edit your pictures. Check out his website at http://www.edguarente.com. I am so excited! Engagement photos and Bridal pics are also included. I don't know if I really need bridal pics, but we'll see.

This Sunday we have our tasting with the caterer. Let's hope that goes well too!

Update!

2009-01-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

So... I picked out my dress!!!

It was actually the second one I tried on. I tried some more on after and every one did not compare. It is super comfortable, girly, and totally me. I can't go into too much detail for fear Markus will stumble upon it. It's from Spybaby bridal though and I got it half off since it was the floor sample and the dress was discontinued. Yippy for saving money! I would have paid full price if I had to.

We are still looking for a caterer. We ate at Glen Loch to see if we'd consider them. I wasn't too impressed with the buffet. Next weekend we set up a tasting with Premier Catering though. Someone from work said they were good. They've done a lot of events at Emerson too. They're not badly priced. I realize food and drinks are going to be our biggest expense.

The search for a photographer is getting quite frustrating. I almost got scammed by one. Eek! A lot that I have contacted are already booked or are crazy expensive. I understand photography is not something you want to skimp on, but come on! I'm waiting to here back from Alter Image Studios. A girl I used to work with had them for her wedding.

I keep going back and forth with where our ceremony will be. I really love the idea of an outdoor ceremony, but due to uncertainty we may go with our original plan of Willard Chapel. The people who have the other side of the pavilion won't call me back and tell me if they plan on having the ceremony there, what time their reception starts, etc. I'd hate to be doing our ceremony and have their guests showing or something. I'm going to look at Willard Chapel with my Mom on Friday. I've been there once but would like to get a closer look and take pictures. Markus has to work M-F, and the only days they are open are M-F of course. Ugh. He won't have a weekday off until mid-February so he said I could book it and he would see it later.

Next big things to conquer:
-florist
-DJ
-cake
-tuxes/suits?
-bridesmaid dresses

We have linens!

2009-01-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

I met with Elizabeth's Chair Cover Rentals today and put down a deposit. I'm getting a package of chair covers, sashes, tablecloths, and gold charger plates. Tentatively we'll be getting red sashes, and white covers and tablecloths. Like this...

Here's a picture of a gold charger plate...

Markus said he'd like red tablecloths instead of the white though. I'd just be worried the red would be too overwhelming. I'm not sure what color to do the napkins either. Red, white, or brown?

It feels good to have a vendor booked. Yah!

9 months... and counting...

2009-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

So, a little less than 9 months yet. And what have we done thus far? Ummm....

....

....

....

Yeah... not much since my last post. I do have a meeting with Elizabeth's Chair Cover Rentals tomorrow. Next weekend I'll be trying on wedding dresses at Spybaby's bridal for the first time. I also went to a couple of bridal shows last weekend which I have since realized are evil in nature... they are all about making you feel bad about what you haven't done so far and scamming you.

I've ordered samples from Cards and Pockets.com. I want to make a mock-up invite. I plan on embossing and using our new ink-jet Canon printer to make some pocket fold invites. Fancy schmancy eh?

Got a swatch from David's Bridal for bridesmaid dresses in "apple." I'm refining our overall image. Red with accents of green, brown, and gold for a fall feel. We'll have pictures of Croatia in a sepia tone for the table numbers. The caramel/chocolate covered apples are still a must.

We'll be going to dinner at the Glen Loch restaurant in Jamesville. We can also get a free brunch to get a feel for how their buffet is. I'm considering them for a caterer. I originally wanted a sit down dinner, but Markus was leaning towards a buffet. After speaking with numerous people, I feel a buffet is a good choice. There is much more interaction among the guests when they get up for their plates. There is also more variety for you difficult to feed vegans/vegetarians... ahem... Jackie... Jason... ;-P

Well things will be a bit busy for us as we're closing on our home the middle of February and I am taking busy online classes and working full time... Markus has his boards coming up too... Eeekk....................................! Craziness. I'm starting to get really excited about things though.

Hmm... guess we should start doing some things.

2008-11-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

Now that we pushed the wedding forward I don't have that nice security blanket of copping out of questions saying "I'm not worried about that yet, it's not until 2010." People are starting to freak me out that we haven't done more yet... come on, there's 11 months left still. We have the ceremony/reception site at least. It's just too busy of a time lately. I've been doing tons of overtime so we have money for the rest that we need, which doesn't lend time for researching who we'd like to hire. Markus is going to graduate on Monday and then he'll be Monday thru Friday 7-330. It will be a lot easier then for us to do things. Even so, all I'm concerned about right now is geting engagement photos done, since I'd like to use them for some projects. Besides that, we'll be busy helping my mom move, having Markus move in, Thanksgiving, a NYC trip mid December, and then Christmas. Yup, that's all of my weekends booked up until the end of the year. Eeek. We'll find the time when we're ready to though.

Another Inspiration Board... (and various ideas)

2008-11-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

Refining my vision a little bit... found some wonderful pictures of cherry red/lime decor. We've moved our wedding to October 10th, 2009 now, so I can incorporate some aspects of the season. There will be all sorts of lovely colors with it being fall. It will also be apple and pumpkin season here. I'm thinking I'd like the ceremony outdoors. I know I run the risk of bad weather, but it should still be warm around that time and if it does rain there is an area between the ballroom and dining room at the pavilion that is covered. We'd rent white chairs and I'd like to decorate a trellis with flowers for us to stand under. Since it may be on the cooler side I think it would be nice to have a small table set up with hot cider, coffee, tea, etc... that people could get before the ceremony begins. We could either have the ceremony down by the lake or by the fountain with flowers around it.

Being that the colors are close to Christmas ones, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for after-Christmas sales. Maybe I can get some nice red or green charger plates for the tables. I hope that the wedding doesn't look very Christmas-like though. At least the green will be brighter. Maybe I'll throw a few orange accents into the mix for good measure? What do you think?

Well here's the board I made...

Can't wait to start crafting...

2008-09-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me well know I love arts and crafts... I'm a huge DIYer. I can't wait to make some original pieces for the wedding and events surrounding it. Here are a few of the projects I plan on doing...

- save the dates
- wedding invites
- programs
- menus... possibly.
- flower girl basket
- ring bearer pillow

I've got plenty of time as long as I don't procrastinate. We'll see how it all goes. :-)

Change in plans...

2008-09-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

So, as always, I've changed my mind. Instead of moving to a new apartment we are going to look for a house. :-) We'll start browsing in November when Markus gets done with school. Hopefully we'll be moving in by February or March 2009. It's not worth moving to a new apartment just to move a few months later. Here's hoping the winter is not bad and we can get up that darn hill! We have roughly 6 months to save some more money and at least I don't have to paint my apartment and shampoo the carpets yet haha.

Nothing new with the wedding plans. Just casually peeking at magazines and online. Still distracted by the bling shining up at me. When Markus graduates in November my brother in law is going to do engagement photos for us. :-) I plan to send them out as save-the-dates when it gets a little closer.

Here's the idea I like. I got this from the weddingbee website...

That's a vellum overlay printed with our information. Then people can keep the picture of the two of us. I would probably matte the picture.

Well that's all for now. I'll be back if anything develops.

Movin' on up... (aka out of the Ghetto)...

2008-07-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I've been at my present apartment for almost two years now. I didn't realize it when I was moving in, but it's pretty darn close to a few ghetto areas. The place seemed nice enough at the time... the price was not too bad... it was 4 miles from work... just a few miles from Markus' house...

I don't think I felt terribly unsafe at first. It was probably after Markus had his car broken in to that I started to wonder... then I would hear stories about neighbors seeing strangers peering into their apartments to see if they were home, possibly to break in... then there were a slew of car break ins... loitering... and a general sense of uneasiness started to overcome me. I didn't feel safe walking to my car at night as the lights were constantly going out in the parking lot. I don't even feel safe during the day leaving my door unlocked just to run down to throw trash out. I panic when my door bell rings or there is a knock at my door if I am not expecting someone. I suppose this is what I get for the "convienence" of being close to things. Turns out it's pretty inconvienent.

So I'm happy to be moving in a few months to Jamesville. Still just 6 or 7 miles to work, but hopefully a lot safer. It's next to a new housing complex with nice houses and the apartments are new (2006). I hope there's less crime, but we're also not naive enough to leave a GPS in the car anymore. It's sad you can't trust anyone.

Well anyways, I am super excited to decorate a new place. We'll have hardwood floors in the kitchen and living/dining area, ceramic tile in the 1.5 baths, 2 bedrooms(one can be an office/guest room), and a balcony. It will tide us over until we get a house in a few years.

Here's a pic:

And you know what else is awesome? new appliances. So my dishwasher will actually clean my dishes rather than cake more food on them! :-P It's a bit more than I am paying currently for rent, but it has heat/hot water included(my current place doesn't), and I'll have a roomate (Markus haha:-P).

Yup, for the first time I will be living with someone. :-O By then I'll have lived on my own for 2.5 years. Miss independent. It's not as though Markus wasn't over all the time, it's just different when it's both of ours. Soon enough his will be mine, mine will be his, and everything will be ours... :-D

Incorporating culture...

2008-07-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

Markus is half Croatian and half German. His family is more tied to their Croatian roots, as his parents plan on returning there someday and still own a home there. I had planned on trying to incorporate some of his culture in our wedding and reception, but was not sure how. Surprisingly, Markus had a few ideas that he mentioned one day that threw me for a loop since I thought he wouldn't care about such things as wedding colors, decor, dresses, etc.

First of all, he wanted red and white to be our wedding colors. I've always been more partial to cool tones like blue and green. As a redhead I tend to avoid bright shades of red and they clash with my hair. I obviously won't be wearing red on my wedding day though. :-P Here's a picture of the Croatian coat of arms...

So his thoughts were red and white checkered table cloths and a pig roast... not exactly the elegant wedding I was thinking about. I'm willing to compromise and have maybe have red and white checkered tablecloths outside on the patio tables... or seen somewhere besides table cloths. As far as the pig roast we'll have to see. It could be kind of fun but we'd have to do it in a formal way... think that's possible? I'm up for a challenge. I guess if you have another entree for those who don't like pig (such as a roasted turkey) and avoid sides that are a little too picnic like (such as doing mashed potatoes instead of salt potatoes, or a nice green salad instead of macaroni salad) it would be good.

So now those are a few of his wedding ideas, and of course I have a few of my own. One of my favorite flowers is a green cymbidium orchid. I think they are very exotic and beautiful. As a bonus, they have red centers, which could work with the red and white. I know what you may be thinking... red, white, and green sounds like Christmas. Not if it's June and the green is a bright lime or apple green. It looks a lot better than it sounds. I don't want the typical wedding colors. This could be something very interesting and fresh reflecting summer and nature with vibrant colors. Accents could be fruit to give a summery feel... granny smith apple place card holders... sliced lime at the bottom of vases in floral arrangements... strawberries on the cake... you get the point. To reassure myself I made up an inspiration board with red, green, and white...

Pictures borrowed mostly from the Knot. Shown are a table cloth, a tin bucket that could hold supplies for guests in the bathroom, small glass vases with flower stems of orchids and roses, a floral and fruit centerpiece, apple candles, place cards, red plate chargers, red linens, bridesmaid dresses, bridal bouquet, whole fruit in glass cylinders, candles, stationary, a candy apple (favor?), a branch and floral arrangement (might be cool at a table with the place cards), hypercium berry buttoniere, personalized cocktail napkins, a table setting, a cake with fresh flowers, a picture of the dining room at Emerson Park, chinese lanterns, a candy buffet, and the red and white checkers from the Croatian coat of arms. Phew... that seems like a lot... I think it will all work wonderfully and express us.

There will be pieces of me throughout the wedding through my crafting madness and imagination... I can't wait. :-P I've got plently of time to work on things.

We're engaged!

2008-07-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

After a little over two years together Markus and I are engaged. It was official the day before his 27th birthday. It was Saturday June 28th, 2008. We'd been discussing marriage for quite sometime. He'd let his parents and my father know of his intentions. We'd gone together to a jewelry store that day and he picked out the perfect ring. The next day we went and told our families. It's not the traditional story, but it works for us. All that matters is that we love eachother and will be spending the rest of our lives together.

We're going to have a long engagement. It will be almost exactly two years engaged by the time our wedding date rolls around on June 26th, 2008. That way we will have money saved and will be able to take a trip to Europe to see Markus' family and his home back there before tying the knot.

Location, location, location...

2008-07-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

With our wedding date set nearly two years from now, Markus and I can't plan a whole lot now. About all we can do at this point is secure our ceremony and reception locations. Being that both of the places I would like are fairly popular venues, it can't hurt to secure now. When I had called Emerson Park a week ago they were booked every Saturday of 2009 until October. Yikes... since when do you need OVER a year notice to get the place you want? For peace of mind we'll get the locations set and the rest will come with time.

Originally I was thinking Markus and I would have an outdoor ceremony at Emerson Park. While I would love to get married on the lake, mother nature is not very dependable. I'd rather not have the added stress of this. My only problem was that I didn't know where else I could hold the ceremony. Neither Markus or myself attend a church. We both agreed we would have a justice of the peace. So where else was there?

Willard Memorial Chapel... while it is a chapel and held services at one point, it is now owned by the Community Preservation Committee. It's on the National Registry of Historic Places and it is only complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel known to exist. Thus, this place is perfect for us because it is beautiful and unique.

The outside

The inside

So then there is the reception site... Emerson Park. Situated on Owasco lake, with plenty of windows, hardwood floors, and endless possibilities. We'll be having our reception in the dining room since we'll have a smaller group. The ballroom is beautiful but way too big for us. I didn't care for the disco ball they had in the ballroom anyhow.

The outside

The inside

Obviously it will look a lot better with some pretty chair covers, sashes, fancier linens, centerpieces, and other decor.

It's really exciting!