Tasting Time

Tonight we had our wedding reception menu tasting. What a fabulous tradition!


After having a cocktail at the bar we were sat at a romantic table prepared with a printout of the selections we'd made, a pen, and a full pitcher of water.


Over the course of the 2-hour tasting, we were able to try 5 appetizers, 2 salads, 4 entrees, 4 sides and 2 desserts.


The evening was spent contemplating who would eat what, who would want to dance after eating, and who would shy away from trendy food choices such as ceviche cups and pecan crusted salmon.


We're lucky that the reception venue is a restaurant and anything we'd want to taste again is on the menu. This allowed us to be creative in the tasting choices. Everyone knows what a ceasar salad tastes like.

We need to finalize our entrees for invitation purposes, but the final menu isn't due until a month out.

So full just thinking about it.

It's Official... time to Save the Date!

While our invitations will have a formal air, we wanted to do something fun to announce our wedding, share our wedding website and ask our guests to Save-the-Date.

My very creative fiance had an idea brewing last year when he had us pose with our favorite mascot "Mr. Met" of the New York Mets baseball team.

The photo became the front of our Save the Date postcard that we created using our new favorite website weddingpaperdivas.com

Then to top it off, we thought that a custom stamp would tie in our theme of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge. We used zazzle.com to create a USPS postcard stamp with one of our photos of the bridge. They were a nice touch.

Wedding Website

This is wedding 2.0 and utilizing the internet can keep you and your guests organized. It also helps to provide an online home for the answers to those Frequently Asked Questions to reduce the number of questions in your inbox.

WEDDING WEBSITE OPTIONS:
There are a lot of wedding website options out there, most of them are free with an "upgrade" option that can cost you a small fortune.

We found a great website provider ProjectWedding.com which offers a free service and a unique URL.


CONTENT:
Key information to include: Who, What, Where, Travel information, contact info, and a map.

To add a personal touch, we included photos of ourselves, a dedicated page to our bridal party with photos and short introductions, and a list of our favorite places in NYC.

We worked hard to make sure that our website was filled with as much content as possible when the save-the-dates go out next week.


Hopefully this will be a useful tool to all our guests.

THE DRESS!

I have found my dress!


To keep the full vision for the big day,



I've posted a few of the details that made me say "YES" to the dress!

Pre-Wedding Events

We've been busy trying to coordinate schedules for the customary pre-wedding events: Engagement parties, Bridal Showers, Bachelorette & Bachelor parties.

The one I've been most anxiously awaiting is the Bachelorette party. A chance to travel with all my friends to celebrate my sendoff to singleness.

I've been to a few of these in my day and there are things that I want and things that I could leave behind. All said and done, the most important part to me is the location. I would like to go somewhere warm, yet accessible from all parts of the US.

A few ideas I had were Miami Beach and Austin.

Any other suggestions? Great bachelorette party stories?

The Wedding Singer

We've all seen the YouTube videos, popular movies and maybe you've been luck to attend weddings with terrible wedding singers, bands or DJ's.

Because we are a group of dancers and music connoisseurs, the reception music is a priority for us.

We like the idea of a vinyl DJ who can play our favorite tunes, keep the crowd moving, and serve as the emcee of the evening.

We've also started our song list and would love some suggestions...

Registering

My wedding felt official this week as I started registering for gifts.

Asking for things has always been hard for me and figuring out what to register for has been a big challenge.

I would like to keep things simple for guests and have selected the following sites:

Honeyfund.com
This great website that allows you to "register" for honeymoon items. Everything from airfare to room nights in a pied-a-terre to dinner out and museum fees.


Macy's
For kitchen needs, flatware and everyday ware


Crate & Barrel
For glassware, specialty gifts and accents


The registry is small, I would love some advice:
- What was your FAVORITE wedding gift?
- Was there anything you wished you'd register for but didn't?

Handsome Men

We've been exploring our options for the men-folk.

Suits versus Tuxedos

Suits
We recently attended a wedding where all the men wore matching gray suits. They looked so great in-person and in photos. We looked through a few of the mens sections at Macy's and the Men's Warehouse looking for bulk deals and Father's Day specials. The average price is still a little high for our party, but the benefit is that the guys then have a new suit to keep for future events.



Tuxedos
I love the way a tuxedo looks good on everyone! With all the groomsmen located across the country, working with a nationwide retailer like the Men's Warehouse would be efficient and cost-effective.

We have some time on this decision. Next step is to check out some tuxedo rental places to see what looks best on my groom first and foremost!

Say Cheese!

Our current focus is on photography, videography and capturing the moments we want to remember.

This is one area where this DIY bride is torn. As an events person, I understand the importance of having a talented photographer group people together, anticipate memorable moments, and take quality frames in all lighting scenarios. This is an element that cannot be rushed.

This week we are meeting with a few potential photographers that fit into our budget and I want to be prepared with the right questions.

Concerns I have:
- I don't want to feel like my wedding day is one long photoshoot
- I'd like our pictures to look natural, no crazy poses
- Capturing the details of the day, group family photos and candid shots are important to us
- Is a 2nd photographer necessary when everyone brings their own digital cameras?
- What should we hire the videographer for? the whole day?
- Photography packages really start to add up, what is really necessary?
- Should we do an engagement photoshoot?

For all the brides out there, I would love some feedback.

Design Strategy

We've been spending the past week or so looking at several websites that offer inspiration and help for invitations, save the dates and other wedding collateral.


There are so many wonderful and cost effective options for printing some fabulous wedding invitations.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Paper Chez



Ceci New York



Double Happiness


We have a lot to figure out before we get to the actual design of our invitations:
- How formal do we want our invitations to be?
- Do we want the heavier, more expensive letter-press invite?
- How many inserts do we need, especially if we have a website with a lot of the extra information for our guests?
- What is our "color" going to be?
- What is the ultimate "theme" of the wedding?

We have the next 2-3 months to figure this out. I love looking at invitation designs, but deciding what's right for us and our wedding is another story.

I see you in J.Crew

My sister and MOH was in town visiting this weekend and we made a stop by J.Crew to look through their wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.




I was VERY impressed with what they had to offer in both categories.

Bridesmaid dresses come in several fabric types and styles so that you can select a color or two and let the girls pick what fits them best.

Bridal gowns had clean, simple lines, carried a great weight and are priced very reasonably. I'm excited to see what new styles the designers come out with in the next few months.

They are opening a J.Crew Wedding Shop on Madison Avenue here in New York at the end of the month. I plan to visit the new shop with my mom and bridesmaids later in the summer to explore their Spring 2011 colors.

Room Block Block

With so many out of town guests and first time New York visitors a comfortable bed in a convenient location is key.

We've been spending the past few weeks doing some research and negotiating with a few hotels:

The Marriott Downtown Brooklyn

Nu Hotel Brooklyn

Holiday Day Inn Express Brooklyn

Best Western Seaport Inn Downtown

The Roosevelt Hotel

The Standard Hotel

The big questions we are asking each hotel are their rates, proximity to public transportation, availability of airport transportation and amenities.

Our ultimate plan is to set up room blocks at 2 hotels and offer transportation to our guests from there. Anyone who wants to book in Manhattan or anywhere else will be on their own for transportation to and from the wedding.

Will all the ladies please stand up?

I've been thinking about what my bridal party would look like since college, maybe even before that.

Friends that have come into my life and left an influential mark, friends that have stayed with me for years and years, new friends who I'm excited to grow with and sisters who know me better than I know myself.

This week I asked my closest friends and sisters to stand up for me in my wedding either as a bridesmaid or an honorary bridesmaid. They've all accepted.

Now comes the fun part of dressing them up, taking them somewhere fun to celebrate my bachelorette status and following them down the aisle!

Say "yes" to the dress!

Seeing myself in a white dress today made this whole process very real.



The styles and details that I've mooned over in magazines these past few months suddenly became tangible. I was shocked by how heavy some of these dresses were, what worked for me and what didn't.



I'm a fairly decisive person so the appointments flowed well and were a ton of fun!



They recommend finalizing your dress 8 months out to save time for production, fittings and adjustments. I plan to make a few more exploratory appointments, but I think I've narrowed on a few looks that I like.

Not quite ready to say "yes" to any dress.

Venue Booked! Date Set!

A weight has been lifted... we finally booked our venue and our date!

It ended up being a very easy decision. We realized that the views from Bubby's were worth so much more to us and our visiting guests will also appreciate the "New York'ness" of it.


The other determining factor was the availability of the Brooklyn Bridge Park for our ceremony. We are going to have some gorgeous photos!


Now also knowing our date (April 23, 2011), we are able to start booking all the other details.

Hand Envy

My left hand has felt like a celebrity these past 2 months, and weekly manicures have become an important part of my routine.


Recommended nail places:
Pink Nails in Park Slope
Avanti at 57th between 8th & 9th


New favorite Essie colors:
- Show me the Ring
- Cute as a Button
- Sweet Tart


Now to decide what color my nails should be for the big day.

Any suggestions?

DIY Flowers

I am very fortunate to have such creative friends who are willing to help out with every aspect of my wedding.Since we are planning a year out, we thought this weekend would be a great opportunity to do a 'trial run' of the wedding flowers.







We learned how cost-effective it is to do your own flowers.

1. What's in Season?
The Real Simple Weddings 2010 "bible" provided us with a list of all the popular Spring flowers to be on the lookout for. Peonies, Roses, Ranunculus, Hydrangeas, Heather, Daffodil, Lilies, Tulips and Viburnum.
Green and white are my chosen flower colors which can easily be accented with the bridal party color.


2. What do we need?
- Bridal bouquet
- Bridesmaid bouquets
- Groomsmen boutonnieres
- Large floral piece for check-in or buffet
- Small tablescapes for at least 17 tables




3. What's Available?
To keep costs low, we decided to stay local. The floral/bodega on Garfield and 7th Avenue in Park Slope offered a huge selection for very reasonable prices. We grabbed a bunch of every green and white flower available and got to work.

Here's what we came up with....

New York Magazine Weddings Event

This event definitely wow'd this merchandising veteran, from the jazz trio at the entrance to the over 100 top-notch vendors, it was a perfect wedding event.




The calibur of vendors was apparent by the number of in-person appearances, Colin Cowie, Mark Ingram and Ron Ben Israel, in addition to some of the cities best wedding stationers, caterers, rental companies, florists and event planners who all showcased their talents.





Some vendors I plan to reach out to as a follow-up:
Melangerie for guest genealogy charts
Double Happiness Creations for invitation and correspondence
57 Grand Bridesmaids for bridesmaid dresses and accessories
Designs by Ahn for floral and tablescape
Scratch Events for sound and DJ
Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store for guest gift bags and favors
Jimmy Ryan Photography
William Greenberg Desserts
J.Crew Wedding Boutique a new bridal boutique from J.Crew set to open in May 2010


The event catered to the excitement of planning your wedding, I've never seen so many smiling brides in one place.

Thanks NY Magazine! The Spring/Summer Weddings issue is on newstands now and online!

Considering Catering

Of our two venue options, only one will require a caterer.

The Picnic House in Prospect Park has a list of preferred caterers and for a fee, we are able to bring in new caterer.


Some things we are considering for the reception:
Cocktail Hour
- passed hor d'oeuvres & stations
- specialty cocktail & open bar





Reception
- The Picnic House doesn't not have a built-in kitchen so a buffet will allow us to serve hot food.
- It's important to us to serve a few entree options while considering dietary restrictions of some of our guests
- We like the idea of a pre-set first course and then allowing guests to visit the buffet when they are finished.

Dessert
- We're not into a big wedding cake. Our favorite desserts are lemon bars, snickerdoodle cookies and cherry pie.
- Most caterers outsource the desserts so we are doing a little research of our own to create a fabulous dessert and coffee bar.





For those of you following... I would love to hear your "thoughts" on memorable dishes or desserts from other weddings.

Cheers!

Venue #2 Bubby's in Brooklyn

Bubby's of Brooklyn is located in DUMBO with views of both the Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridges.

While we visited the restaurant on a rainy evening, the experience was magical. A full wall of windows looks out on to the Empire Fulton Park and Lower Manhattan; it was amazing to watch the city transition to night.

PROS:
All-inclusive. Bubby's is a popular restaurant and is known for their exceptional service, food and of course.. their pies!

Spacious. The venue has a large center dance floor, a lower wrap around tier for dining and a balcony that can host our party for a cocktail hour.

Included decor. Bubby's has excellent lighting and the in-house decorations and colors are easy to work with. We would not need to spend much to enhance the space.

Proximity to a Brooklyn Bridge ceremony. Should our "vision" and "theme" continue with the Brooklyn Bridge, this is the perfect location! We would be within walking distance of the Empire Fulton Park for the ceremony.

CONS:
Distance from subways for locals and distance from hotels. We would need to make sure that there is plenty of transportation available after the event.

Parking. While there is some street parking, it is limited and we would need to decide whether or not to provide parking for our guests.

Noise interference. The rumblings of the N, Q, B, D trains crossing the Manhattan Bridge are audible.

Ceremony Sites

Where we say "I do" is a very important part of our special day, and not only for efficient event-planning purposes, but because it will symbolize how we enter the world as married couple.

This weekend we discussed some difficult questions about location, officiants, and how we've always dreamed our ceremony would take place.

Saturday was another gorgeous day so we visited a few prospective wedding sites:
- The Prospect Park Tennis House
- The Prospect Park Long Meadow
- St. Francis Xavier of Park Slope
- Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
- Empire Fulton Park under the Brooklyn Bridge



Our checklist as we contact these sites over the next few weeks:
1. Availability
2. Proximity to the reception venue
3. Inclement weather options
4. Fee and extras
5. Level of love





It's been one month and we haven't made any firm decisions yet.

Worried? We aren't.

Everything is coming into frame nicely, although we do plan to decide on a venue in the next 10 days.