Welcome Bags!

I find welcome bags a nice touch upon hotel arrival.  You get to your event city, check in at the hotel, and a fun little bag of goodies awaits you! 

I’m on the search for a white whale. 
I want deep purple (no lilac or lavender crap), medium sized (8x4x10), glossy coated, with stand up handles, bags.  And I need about plus-or-minus thirty count at around a dollar a pop.
Nothing specific or anything…

My illusive search led me to many dead ends.
Until I found that photo above! Genius!  I thought my search was over, until pressing “order” & learning all but one of those bags were out of stock. When I called the company I then found out they were back-ordered two weeks, with an additional 2 week’s shipping time.  If you’re smart like me, you realize that’s exactly 4 weeks and pushing it way to close to the wedding. 
So back to square one.

Then it happened when I least expected it.
I found a bag.  A new bag. A beautiful bag.
The perfect bag.
And you can’t see it yet.
But the level of perfection is out of this world.

Beyond that, I’m focused on their contents.
Obviously we need a welcome letter with itinerary, a city map, a metro (subway) map, and some goodies.  Mike and I plan on hitting up Costco soon to purchase water bottles, prepackaged cookies, and individual baggies of chips.

Sooo… suggestions?  What would be fun to see in welcome bags?
What have you received or what did you put in hotel welcome bags?

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Eau du Wha?

When first engaged a friend recommended I do some “scent-memory-association” thing where I wear a perfume while wedding planning, to always associate the two.  I immediately turned it down because not all wedding planning is fluff and unicorns. 
The idea of connecting something potentially hazardous with a purdy scent – well, the two lacked connection.

But now? Now that I can see the horizon and might be freaking out a little bit? 
Well in true Vicki fashion, instead of addressing what might be bothering me (you know, the fact that my wedding is creeping up on me) I tackle another issue instead:
What perfume will I wear on my wedding day?

This is important, but could probably wait.
So let’s go ahead and discuss this today!

But the stupid internet lacks scent options, so hopefully you know what these smell like.
In my current collection I own:
Ralph Lauren’s Blue (light, gardenia-eque)
Tommy Girl (light, flowery)
Chloe Narcisse (musky, reminds me of my mom – she wears it)
Versace’s Red Jeans (light, musky)
Givenchy’s Amarige (heavier, smells like everything, my fav)

Of all those, I heart Amarige the most.  Like tons.  But I’m all out. 
None left to spray.

I recently smelled a new one by Prada and LOVED it but forget the name.
I also am a fan of Cartier’s eau du something or other.

I’m open to suggestions.  I’m ready to hit up the fragrance section of Macy’s and let them spray pieces of paper for me (but not ON me because I have allergy issues, which is a whole ‘nother problem)

So, what your scent suggestion?!

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Flowers, a la cart

Recall how I recently met with our potential florist? We discussed flower options and prices, and he made everything all better. He talked about renting linens and chairs for less than caterers quoted.  His vision of my color scheme set me at ease.  He gave me options.  Finally there was hope for my wedding, as I felt everything would look crappy together.  He painted a picture of beauty for me.

And then the other day he painted a picture of price for us, a la cart.  When I first opened up the attachment I scrolled down for a final cost, to find none.  Then I realized he really did give us options.  While I will of course need a bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces – he laid out different options for other line items.  For center pieces we can have high or low ones, each at a different price.  There are even two versions of each.  Mixing things up will make for an aesthetically pleasing layout, and also a financially pleasing budget.

The mothers can choose from a small floral carry bouquet or a pin-on or wrist corsage, both of reasonable prices (but one is less than the other…).

To top things off, for our flower girl we can choose either a small basket of floral at a reasonable price, or loose petals free of charge.  The same goes for the rental vase for the sweetheart table and the toss bouquet: free of charge!

Yet somehow it all adds up to exactly what we budgeted.
You only do this once, hopefully, right?
Might as well dress it up with flowers!

“Vintage” Vicki and Mike, circa 2007 living on the edge.
(This is what we look like without flowers.)

Bouquets and Boutonnieres!

Continuing on the flower trend, I found a bunch of photos of bouquets that struck my fancy.  These are the photos in the previous post which I offered to our florist for ideas.

1.  LOVE the green mums in this one!   {source}
2.  LOVE the Fiddlehead Ferns in this one, PLUS the anemones {source}
3.  Absolutely LOVE how the Picasso calla lilies POP in this arrangement! {source}
4.  Totally drawn to the use of peacock feathers and peonies here (but not the wrapping of the base) {source}

 We can’t forget about the men! Of course their boutonnieres will feature peacock feathers, and will tie in with the bouquets. I liked theses ideas:

1.   The purple accents in this one are great. Also love the wrapping around the bottom! {source}
2.   This one is very whimsical, and the lime green accents on the wrapping are sweet. {source}
3.   A Fiddlehead fern AND a peacock feather! Love it! {source}

What did your bouquet or boutonnieres look like?

Wedding Flower Power!

This past week was capital L, Long.

On Monday I scheduled to meet with our potential florist, to discuss details. However at 9am that morning, I already knew our afternoon appointment was close to impossible.  Luckily he rescheduled, easily, for Friday.

And then I had all week to fret over flowers.
What color?
What kind?
What’s in season?
Will my color scheme play out the way I want?
Are there flowers that support this color scheme?
Do they even make/grow teal flowers?!

Friday came around and I arrived at Edge Floral Designers with printed out photos in hand.  Steve kindly talked me through the whole process, showed me many different flowers in stock, shared many pictures of created events with me, and assured me my color scheme was not only gorgeous, but flower-able.

[Enter HUGE sigh of relief]

I have to say, while I do care about flowers I don’t know much about them.  I was hoping that anemone flowers, peonies, and these weird swirly ferns might be available in June.

It will be too warm in June for anemone flowers.
And peonies are not in season in June, but can be purchased for a pretty penny.
However, my fun swirly ferns are called:
Fiddlehead Ferns!
They are available year ’round!
We talked a lot about the cost effective quality of Calla Lilies, but I honestly don’t love them.  While looking through some picture examples I found an exception: Picasso Calla Lilies.
I love that they have purple insides, but white outsides! 
We also talked about renting a chuppah from from them, what it would look like, and how to arrange it.  And of course, we talked about everyone else who will be adorned with flowers, aside from moi.  
So I’m not sure what flowers my bouquet will have, but I do know that I already trust this man and his vision.  He made me feel comfortable with his knowledge and experience, in creating my vision.  He also knows we are working in a budget, and respects that.  
In a few days we should have a proposal that will dictate exactly what he can provide for us, in our price point.  And I’m totally not worried about a thing!
How great is that?
What flowers do you love, or did you have at your wedding?
{check out my next post for more flower fun!}

Phone Consult with Steve Kemble!

When it comes to premiere, big-name, celebrity-status wedding planners, the first name that might come to mind is David Tutera (thanks to TLC).  But the name you will soon be hearing a lot, and need to learn now, is Steve Kemble.

Steve Kemble spotlights as the wedding planning guru of Weddzilla.com.  (And according to the first page of his site, the “American’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru”)  Notice my lovely blog award over thar (right sidebar) from Weddzilla? Well that is the same wedding planning site where Steve Kemble contributes his event planning knowledge.

You might recall back in March I attended the launch party for Weddzilla.  It was, as Steve Kemble says, “Fabulous!”  While there I participated in a silent auction to benefit Children’s Hospital. I bid and won a 30-minute phone consultation with Steve Kemble!  The most I knew of him at that time was that he was wearing the shiniest blazer ever (who knew they made sequined tops like that for men) and that this Weddzilla thing thought he knew his stuff.

After our conversation it was more than apparent he knows a thing or five thousand about event planning, and planning it well (with “a dose of sass” like his blog would say).

We talked about so many things, but mainly focused on things that drive me crazy: my color scheme, bridesmaids dresses, the chuppah and lots of peacock feathers (which don’t drive me crazy).

For the color scheme he suggested focusing on the colors in a peacock feather: teal, shades of blue, lime green, and purple.  The lime green scared me, but it definitely shows up and accents things nicely.  It offsets the focus color, teal.  The purple does the same, however he recommended a lighter purple, but not lilac.  Royal purple shows up and does not wash people out.  And I like it. I can totally see teal off set by a lighter (not deep) purple and accented with lime green.  How fun and summery! Fabulous!

I know you can see the colors coming together!

As for the bridesmaids, you all know how deciding what they are to wear drives me insane.  I simply cannot pick clothes for other people.  Steve agreed that cocktail or tea length dresses work well for summer.  He also highly suggested matching shoes since everyone will see their feet.  Nothing expensive though.  I can totally get on board with that idea (sorry ladies, I promise the dresses won’t cost an arm and a leg!).  Steve suggested that a royal purple (not deep, not washed out) will look good on any skin tone.  It is also versatile and suggests an opportunity for additional wear.   Fabulous!

All the colors to give you a mental idea of the color scheme, but only purple for the girls.
And not necessarily that dress. Actually, not at all. 

He gave me great chuppah decoration ideas, too that incorporate hanging crystals! Gah! So beautiful (and fabulous).  Now how, or who, to make it?!

Before I wrap this post up, I’d like to thank everyone for their support yesterday.  Your comments meant a lot to me; it’s good to know when things get rough I’ve got my bloggy friends to cheer me up! Mike might call you my “imaginary friends” but your words are real and meaningful!

Purple Wedding Inspiration

About two weeks ago, Mike and I took off to South Florida for our friends’, Ian & Ashley, wedding.  The ceremony and reception both took place at a lovely restaurant that specializes in hosting events, Benvenuto’s. The late October, South Florida weather graced their outdoor nuptials.

And so, here are some pics:

(Stupid woman in my shot)
lovely flower arrangements
The gorgeous bride and groom! (dress  by Jasmine Couture)
Husband and Wife!
The reception space – gorgeous pink uplighting!
The cake! Love the swirlies!
Centerpieces
A nice touch waiting for us at the tables (and a good pic)
The bride and a few of her Bridesmaids!
Friends.

{all photos by Yours Truly, Me — don’t take what’s not yours}

9 Months Away!

In 9 months we will not be having a baby, but rather a wedding!

There’s not too much new to report, so this will sound a lot like the 10 month update.

Old News: we’ve secured our date, location, officiant, and band.
We have a block of hotel rooms at two different places.

Old News: I know my Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue.
New News: Sadly, on the Something Blue front, the Louboutin’s I covet for $157 are knock-offs.  They really cost over $500, so I’m sticking with the Nina’s, which are just as beautiful!

Current News: The caterer is still TBD, as we finally found more companies willing to work with-in our price range.  We’re trying to set up more tastings (at least 2 more) and hopefully my only bridesmaid (aside from my sister) to not attend a tasting, Kathryn, will be able to join us for one!

The Save the Dates are about to be mailed out.
I stupidly decided to hand stamp decorations on the 125 inserts, and so the process is taking longer.
(Also, thankfully a stamp company AND an ink company both sent me products to review, meaning the materials to decorate the Save the Dates were free!  So expect a review and detailed “how to” post about that, coming up!)

My parents secured the Day After Breakfast location and contract.  I am so thankful they took this on, themselves!  One less thing for me to think about!

The famed wedding dress is finally out of our living room (I bought it off the rack in a sample sale) and out of Mike’s range of vision, although it left a piece of itself behind!

Finally, We’re working on:
-finishing the Save the Date inserts
-mailing out the STD’s
-choosing a caterer
-picking a photographer (Oh, I need to blog about an interesting development here! Stay tuned!)

I’m sorta thinking about:
-flowers, still
-hair, still
-(hand painted) invites
-my 29th birthday, on Friday (24th — email me for an address to send presents)
-work is taking over my life (what else is new?!)

What are YOU up to?!
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Ten Months Away!

We’re Ten Months away from tying the knot, and are plugging along!

So far we’ve secured our date, location, officiant, and band.
We have a block of hotel rooms at two different places.
I have my purdy dress and Mike owns his tux.
The Save the Dates are set to print and we should receive them soon. 
(And I will blog about that when I’m not so darn busy with preparing my classroom for the school year!)

We’re so extremely close to deciding on a caterer, but there are still a few companies getting back to us on our Request for Proposal (RFP for people in the know!).

I even know my Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed …and my Something Blue will be revealed tomorrow!

We’re working on:
-Day After Breakfast menu and logistics (which we forgot to budget.  BIG OOPS)
-Wedding Bands/Rings
-hiring a photographer (without going broke)

And I’m sorta thinking about:
-flowers
-centerpieces
-Bridesmaids dresses
-alterations for my gown
-timeline
-my hair, oh my hair

Whats everyone else up to these days?!
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Wedding Plans, thus far!

To put things into perspective for myself, and for my new followers who might need some catching up on the plans, here’s what we know so far (with lovely little links to related posts!):

Date: June 19. 2011

Location: The Carnegie Institution

Time: Evening, 5-10:30 (tentative)

Attendants: 4 on each side, with the cutest flower girl ever

Ceremony: Jewish, lead by a Rabbi

Reception entertainment: Time Machine Band (10 piece!)

Color scheme: peacock inspired (deep blues, teal, copper and gold – possibly with purple accents)

My gown: PURCHASED and a SECRET! ha! (still in need of alterations)

We have 11 months to figure out many details, but the latest and greatest on the table are:
-Caterers (we have two lined up for tastings, YUM)
-Bridesmaids dresses (my bestie, Meagan, is coming in town in 3 weeks to shop with us!)
-Photography (a hobby of mine, so I’m super critical about this detail!)
-Honeymoon (thinking Greece? Maybe something on a beach?)
-first dance song (our list is about 8 long, as of now)
-Save the Dates (sending out paper ones)
-finalizing our invitee list

In other news, if any married lady is interested in guest-blogging about their biggest planning ‘snafu’ please email me at:  CrowndVic (at) gmail.com

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The evolution of my hair

I have thin, limp, blonde hair.  It takes more than an ounce of product and at least 20 minutes of serious blowdrying to get it to “shape up.”  I long for bouncy, curly hair, but understand that it comes with baggage, too.  My awesome stylist of 5 years, David, offered to do my hair for the wedding, but I have to follow his rules.  David is the best, flamboyant, hair-stylist I ever stumbled upon.  Never would I dream of cheating on him.  I honestly trust this guy with my hair’s life, and will do whatever he says (within reason).  Here are his prerequisites for my wedding-hair:
1)  grow it out (fine, ok.  Mike loves long hair anyways)
2)  grow out the bangs (ugh, ok, if I must…I’ve had them for 3 years anyways)
3)  highlights (only about a month prior to the big day, therefor no upkeep – I can do that)

That’s not so bad!  But to give you an idea of where I’ve come from here’s a photo history.

The Evolution of My Hair:

July ’06
-shoulder length
-long straight hair

April ’07
-broken foot
-short bob

 July ’08
-shoulder(ish) length hair
-longer bangs (b/c I was too lazy to get them trimmed before our trip to London/Barcelona)

April ’09
-shoulder length
-shorter bangs

Dec ’09
-slightly longer?
-bangs
-I’m sensing a trend
-perhaps it’s time for change?

March ’10
-longer?
-I insisted on my last bang trim before our engagement photo shoot

Wow, is it time for a new hair style, or WHAT?!
The things you learn about yourself through blogging, I swear!

Are you in need of a hair-change?
What’s your hair trend?

Jenn and Brad’s Gettysburg Wedding

Mike and I attended my colleague’s wedding this past week, and as a good-wedding-blogger I took many pictures and mental notes.  (Mostly because Mike and I are really starting to think about details for our own, and because I very much enjoyed working with Jenn for the last 5 years!)

Jenn and Brad’s ceremony beautifully captured their love for eachother and their own modern music choices personalized every moment.  Cornflower blue and silver accented the room, down to the sashes on the chairs.  The wedding and ceremony took place in the Historic Gettysburg Hotel, which stood as a bank for some time, too.  I mention this because their gift table happened to be in the old vault of the bank! Super cool touch.

To maximize good lighting and time spent with their photographer, we captured their sendoff before the reception, during the cocktail hour.  Mike demonstrates the bubbles used for this part of the celebration.

The bride wore a lovely column dress and carried a beautiful bouquet of peonies.  A braid  started on one side of her head wrapped around the nape of her neck and ended in a side-ponytail decorated with a flower.

Brad proposed to Jenn over a drink, specifically on a bottle of Yuengling.  (Afterall, they are from Pennslyvania and Yuengling is brewed there).  After white water rafting, he presented her with a bottle of beer, but instead of the traditional Yuengling label, Jenn’s favorite picture of the couple asked of her “Will you marry me?”
Jenn used the same idea for her seating cards and favors.  Each guest found their name attached to a bottle of Yuengling (or rootbeer, if you’re under 21) with the famed picture and the date of the wedding.  Additionally, Jenn and Brad tied on the guests names and table number with different color ribbons to signify your entree choice.

The bottles then graced our tables and became more decorations.  They complemented the tapper candle centerpiece nicely, surrounded by cornflower blue glass marble accents.

The cake looked and tasted amazing.  Each slice contained some chocolate and vanilla, and the light, fluffy icing was yummy too.  It reads “All you need is love.”

The after party was probably my favorite part of the entire night because they brought in about 2 dozen pizzas and cases of water!!!
This much needed treat hit the spot after much dancing and celebrating.

A fun time was had by all — Congrats Jenn and Brad!!