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!