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.

Hours Logged

We've officially been engaged for one month now, so exciting!

My fiance thought it would be funny to go back and log the number of hours he has already been forced to think about, talk about and actively plan the wedding.

Guess what he came up with? 1 Million hours..., very funny! While not nearly possible, it sometimes feels all-consuming.

I believe that my fiance secretly loves all the planning, so I'll continue delegating responsibilities his way until he says "mercy"!

Venues Passed

There are some AMAZING venues here in Brooklyn, but unfortunately, not all will work for various reasons, so they have been cut from my list.




Here is the venue graveyard for your viewing pleasure:
The Brooklyn Museum
The Prospect Park Boathouse
One Hanson Place
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens






Thank you to all the event planners and coordinators who provided me with helpful information, pictures and costs.

Back to planning.

Venue #1: The Prospect Park Picnic House

What a gorgeous weekend. Saturday was a perfect day for a wedding and a perfect day to visit my first venue.

The Prospect Park Picnic House sits on top of a hill overlooking the Long Meadow. Located in the historic Park Slope Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhood, this venue would be convenient and easy to decorate given the natural beauty of the setting.

PROS:

The venue rental fee is affordable and includes a full, 8-hour day rental, chairs, tables, security and other on-site benefits

Prime Brooklyn location

Cost-effective catering & bar options

Ample space for dinner and dancing

Ceremony and reception functional

CON:

Saturday was a beautiful day and there were a thousand+ Brooklyn sunbathers and park-goers having fun on the meadow. There is always the chance that the ceremony and party will be slightly interrupted with local flavor

Wedding Sweepstakes Galore!

It's clear that weddings are expensive, and while the industry provides us with a plethora of ideas and must-have items that need to be factored into your budget, they also tease us with a game of chance for a dream wedding!

Here's a short list of the latest in Wedding Sweepstakes, with new ones coming up each day:
David's Bridal "Win your Gown" Sweepstakes
Target Club Wedd "Popping the Question" Contest
Macy's "$1,000 Wednesday gift card giveaway"
Bed Bath & Beyond "Our Family Wedding" Sweepstakes
and of course...
Harper's Bazaar & WE tv "Plan Your Perfect Wedding" Sweepstakes


Now, back to planning as usual, sans sweeps prizes.

"You have 9 checklist items overdue"

Really???

I signed up for TheKnot.com today and put in a tentative date for my Spring 2011 wedding.

As I explored the site for functionality and ideas, I came across their very helpful "Checklist" and the horrible news that I was already behind schedule... shocking!

theknot.com provides every bride with a 371-item checklist to keep her on track for all things from sending an engagement announcement to your hometown paper, to when you should sign the catering contract.

My next project is to finalize my timeline and I plan to visit theknot.com frequently. I hate being behind!

You are on the List

As I spent the weekend scouring through example budgets, the number one thing that seemed to set the tone for each wedding was its size.

So, it is time to activate the Mothers with the request for names.

Family, extended family, friends, colleagues and clients, anyone who will, maybe, or not attend. We don't want to leave anyone out in this first round.

A few things to consider as we are putting our list together:
1. This is the first wedding for both of our immediate families
2. Both my fiancé and I are from separate Midwestern cities
3. We have a lot of friends and family who will travel to our wedding
4. I come from a big family (13 first aunts & uncles)
5. We have lived in NYC long enough to acquire several wonderful friends and colleagues who we want to share this special day with


The list I'm imagining weighs more than a Bazaar September Issue, but I'm sure, with time, we will get it in great shape!

Budget Weekend

I've made it a goal for myself to have a realistic, yet-cushioned budget completed by this weekend's end.

To do this will require making some big early decisions:
- What things are most important to us
- What can we do without
- How big will our wedding party be
- How many guests do we want to accommodate


I think the $13,000 Vera Wang poof dress is now out of the question...

Wish me luck!

The World Wide Web

A friend who recently wed suggested that I check out MarthaStewart.com for ideas and inspiration.

I signed up for "Darcy's Idea of the Day" which has given me a daily reminder that, 1. I'm engaged and can focus on a real wedding and 2. Leave no creative stone unturned. There is a lot to think about.

I'm also loving dailycandy.com/weddings. Their emails come about once a week and have great ideas!

Wedding Event #1

Conveniently, there was a bridal event at BAM today. My best friend and planning partner met me for the affair.

A tip.
The later you arrive at these events the more likely you are to get free entry, an extra glass of bubbly, and more raffle tickets!

I plan events for a living and found my first entree to the wedding world to be fascinating.

A few learnings.
Find a friend in the event business to hire for "day of" needs. Some people out there are charging upwards of $2,000/day.

Makeup and hair consultations can get costly. Do research first, get recommendations.

Florals are expensive. A vendor said that that one tablescape is going to cost me $300! Insanity. I have plenty of very creative friends who will be able to do some amazing for me with a very efficient budget.

Venue fees and caterers. Local Brooklynites, like myself, can get discounts for renting a local space such as BAM or One Hanson Place. A caterer also tipped that booking far in advance will allow you negotiating power with the venue.

Vision. I was asked by an event planner what my vision was. I think this will be my next checklist item... a vision for my wedding.

Inspiration

I have to be honest... I've been collecting wedding magazines in wishful anticipation for a few months now, and after a full week basking in the glow of engagement, I decided to sit down with a glass of wine and see what the magazines had to offer.

Here's my take:
Tearsheet - Easier to organize and remember exactly what I liked on the page. Arranged in a binder, I'm calling it my "Inspiration Book"!

The Knot New York had a page on "Make it legal, make it public" in New York which included all the relevant contacts in my area, as well as great "Best of 2010" lists

New York Magazine Weddings are a great resource for venues, example budgets and start-to-finish weddings here in NYC. Vendors from every borough range from practical to over-the-top.

Limited Focus - so not to be overwhelmed, this first round of inspiration focused on venues, tablescape ideas, florals, bridal party gift ideas, invitation designs and other "destination" wedding ideas. The dress subject will be left for another week.

As a magazine person I really appreciated the time and energy the editors put into these wedding books. Thanks so much!