Deco Disaster

I have been working on the decorations for the venue and ceremony space as my next wedding task, and I've been finding this one a little more difficult than everything I've encountered so far.  With the venue, ceremony space, photographer, videographer, and dress decision, it's pretty cut and dry.  You like it, you buy it.  You don't, you keep looking.

But with decorations, it's becoming a month long process now with no end in sight.  Research different deco ideas online.  Contact a few different decoration providers.  Wait five days for anyone to get back to you.  Receive form letter response email with standard pricing and few details.  Email back asking for more specifics.  Wait five days for anyone to get back to you.  Receive another response with vague information, mostly focusing on how they can't accommodate your requests but they do partner with this other business that you should contact to get half your services from, and they will provide the rest.  ARGH!  I just want some decorations!  I'm just like...

 

I'm pretty sure this is why people hire a wedding planner.  The thought of bringing all these different moving pieces together to form a seamless presentation to the guests on the wedding day is starting to feel super overwhelming.  So I'm at home on the computer thinking about how I am ever going to make sure that Centerpiece Rental Business A arrives before Florist B both of which have to arrive after Deco Company C but stay out of the way of Lighting Man D so he can set up the cake spotlight for Cake Lady E who also happens to be the MOB who will be dealing with Relatives F, G, H and I who Printing Company J needs the correct spelling of names for the seating plan which we can't finalize until we receive RSVPs for the invites that Invitation Printer K hasn't started yet, because I want those to match the decoration theme but I want quotes from Deco Company L and M first before going with Deco Company C. 

And I'm all...

 

And meanwhile my cat is flomped beside me thinking...

I've also found that each business that deals in some way with providing wedding services has their selling strategy down pat.  This involves one key point and that is, "make the bride feel like her wedding is going to be a crappy piece of shit ugly horrible event unless she buys the most expensive package".  And I'm like....

Case in point, Eric and I decided that some uplighting would look nice at the Millennium Centre.  You know, create some ambience, tie in the color scheme, all that jazz.  I'm looking at all these great photos on Pinterest of uplit rooms and I'm all...

 

 

 

 

So then after the aforementioned runaround I get from the deco company that says they don't do lights but they partner with this other light guy, I contact him and he sends me this pricing structure (paraphrased from actual pricing structure):

 

 

Package 1:  $295

Includes:  Don't even bother asking.  If you're looking at this package, you should just forget about the whole thing.

 

Package 2:  $595

Includes:  Okay I guess I'll talk to you, even though I don't need your business or your measly 600 bucks.  You'll get a couple lights, but all your guests will leave early because your wedding will suck.  Also I'll be turning them off and taking them home at 9:30 pm.  And I won't shower before I come and do that.

 

Package 3:  $1,095

Includes:  10 wall lights (keep in mind this isn't enough to make an impact on the room, but it's your wedding), Custom monogram display of your initials (obviously this is a MUST so do not even THINK about saying you don't need one), a cake spotlight (but judging by how much you're considering spending on lighting I don't even want to imagine what your cake looks like so maybe you shouldn't put a spotlight on it) and set up (showering) fees.

 

PACKAGE 4!  BEST DEAL!  EXTREME SAVINGS!  $2,495

Includes:  40 amazing lights that change color throughout the night!  3 intelligent moving spotlights that follow the bride throughout the night and only shine on her good side!  Wall texture lights!  Dance floor lights!  Ceiling and draping lights!  Custom made monogram and family crest lights!  Lighting controller!  Lightning technician!  No, those are not the same thing!   We will work with you and design the most beautifully lit space your mind could ever imagine!  After all, it's your wedding day!  You're worth it, beautiful!

 

 

And that can pretty much be applied to any wedding service there is. I read it, and I'm all...

 

 

But, I'm not going to let this get me down.  I'm determined that I can find gorgeous decorations and lighting that will fit my budget and all my guests will be all...

And I'll be like...

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

~M

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Color Me Indecisive

I have been thinking about the color palette of the wedding almost since the day we got engaged.  To me, this is a “bride” detail – you know, the details that you think are a huge deal and therefore everyone else will think are a huge deal but really nobody else cares.  Tons of brides everywhere put so much thought into their color palette.  This is why when a bride is asked what the colors are for her wedding, she doesn’t reply with a standard one-syllable color.  In fact, bridal colors MUST be at least a two to four word phrase.  It’s not blue, it’s “robin’s egg blue”.  It’s not green, it’s “slightly greyed jade”.  And if you're going to ask about the palette, you had better know that there is a huge difference between lilac, lavender, light plum, fig, fuchsia, violet, amethyst, indigo, and eggplant.  Especially if you are the groom.

 

Rainbow Brite:  You’re doing it wrong.

 

When I really break it down, nobody at the wedding is going to give a hoot whether the tablecloths are carnation pink or cerulean blue or burnt sienna or granny smith apple (oh Crayola).  But for some reason, I can’t stop obsessing about the colors.  And not just the plain old colors, but shades, schemes, brightness, and accents, and also where to put the colors and to what degree.  Flowers?  Bridesmaid dresses?  Centerpieces?  Napkins?  Invitations?  The possibilities are really endless.  And how do I incorporate the bling factor I love so much?  The last thing I want is for my wedding to look like a tacky, fluorescent, glittery mess.  AKA:  Ke$ha.

 

I found my bridesmaids’ outfits!

When thinking about colors it is easy to pick ones that look nice or that go well together or are simply your faves.  But for a wedding, it’s more complicated than that.  Sure, I love baby pink and peach, but is that really “us”?  Probably not.  I also love black and red, but for a wedding?  Bor-ring.  I also like yellow, but imagine that conversation with the bridesmaids.  “And our wedding colors are.....YELLOW!  You’re going to be wearing a yellow dress!!!  Yayyyyy!”  Cue fake smiles and nervous laughter.  So for me, it’s a big decision.  After a lot of thought, I pitched two palettes to Eric.

Pink, peach and purple pastels, with champagne and gold accents:

 

 

Royal purple, black and damask, with diamond accents:

 

 

 

And so, like I teased in my theme post, we are going to go with option 2, because we both like it and feel it is more “urban chic” which represents us well.  It's dramatic and will go well with our venue, and it's not an offensive bridesmaid dress color either.  Plus, I really want a color palette that I can incorporate diamond accents into because, well, I have a sparkle.  And I’m not going to let anyone take away my sparkle.

 

 

Yes.  That just happened.

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

 

PS:  I reserve the right to change my mind 80 more times...

Theme Schmeme

I have to make this week’s blog post quick because I am drowning in a sea of T4s and T5s, but I just wanted to share a quick little topic that Eric and I have been discussing here and there since we started planning.  I also realize I've been pretty snarky the last couple posts, and while I am a sarcastic jerkface, I actually really do love wedding planning and blogging about decisions!

If you watch the show “Four Weddings” you’ll see that for every bride’s wedding, a two or three word theme is attached to her that best describes her wedding.  It usually has something to do with the decor, the personality of the bride, or some ridiculous thing she has planned that sets her apart.

 

 

From L to R:  Welsh Wizardry, Tears of Joy, Love Nest, Fiery and Fierce. 

I wish I was making this up.

 

So when we were watching an epi of Four Weddings once (I say we, but I really mean me, while Eric sits at the kitchen table doing something far less embarrassing and I make judgey comments out loud), I asked Eric what he thought the theme of our wedding should be.  He didn’t really know what I meant, so I broke it down for him.  “You know, like our theme.  Our THEME.  [large hand gestures] Our overall theme.”  Naturally, he was still a little puzzled, so I threw out a few examples. 

"Romantic simplicity"  A soft color palette of mostly pink, peach and purple pastels, roses, sweeping linens, casual and sweet:

 

 

 

"Dramatic elegance"  A dark, jewel toned palette with lots of sparkle, exotic flowers, lights and a black-tie feel.

 

"Rustic Luxe"  Mossy, old, and smelly, with a woodsy twist.  Must have lace, mismatched china, and hipster guests.

 

 

 

So after I’m done giving my ridiculous examples, Eric started laughing.  He was like, “Romantic simplicity?  That makes no sense.  That’s like saying our wedding theme is...FUN HAPPINESS!”  Which of course, made me LOL.  Eric is seriously hilarious, especially when it comes to making fun of me while I'm totally geeking out during wedding planning.

But after talking about colors and different things, we are leaning towards dramatic elegance, even if that’s not our official wedding theme.  We’re probably going with a dark royal purple as an accent color, which I think will look great in the Millennium Centre, along with high centerpieces (that’s right, you won’t be able to see the people across from you at the table, deal with it) uplighting, and naturally, a touch of bling.  ;)

Some inspiration pics...

 

 

Ah, the internet.  What did brides do before Pinterest?

So while our theme is far from nailed down and we have a long way to go before we start picking out linens, the vision is there!  Knowing me I will probably change my mind ten more times but still...progress!

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

 

Decisions, decisions....

As soon as I came down from my floaty cloud of after-engagement bliss, I was very excited to get started on wedding planning.  I went out and bought some bridal magazines, started looking at bridal websites and researching online, and downloaded a wedding planning app for my iPad.  The iPad app is awesome because it allows you to organize your guest list, seating chart, budget, planning notes, and contact information for vendors all in one handy place.  But what caught my eye was the to-do checklist. 

 

I’m sorry, what?

 
135 things to do to throw a wedding?!?  That’s insanity.  So we decided to get cracking as soon as possible and learned it wasn’t as easy as we might have thought.  Okay, this looks easy.  Pick a photographer.  Well, you can’t find a photographer until you have a date.  You can’t confirm a date until you find a venue.  You can’t find a venue until you know approximately how many guests you’re going to have there.  You can’t know the number of guests you can invite until you’ve set a realistic budget.  And more importantly, you can’t shop for shoes until you’ve found a venue, chosen a theme and color palette that compliments that venue, chosen a bridal gown and evaluated whether you want colored shoes or white shoes to go with the gown, unless your bridal gown is ivory, in which case white shoes won’t work....and on and on.

 

 

Where do I staaaaaaart?!?!?!!

 

So after being at this since September, I am happy to report that we have made a couple of major decisions!  Hooray!

 

Our official wedding date is June 14, 2014.  I know this seems far into the future.  But the truth of the matter is, I love being engaged!  I’m sure that once the wedding gets closer I will be very anxious to skip down the aisle and become a Mrs., but you’re only a “fiancé” for a short time in life and I want to soak it up as much as possible.  Plus, this gives us a lot of time to plan the perfect wedding of our dreams.  Wedding planning can be stressful, but it’s also fun and I know time will probably fly by! 

 

 

“Yep.  I’m no longer a bride.  I’ll never be a bride again.  Now I’m just someone’s wife.”

 

 

“And I’m the happiest man in the WORLD!”

 

When it came to the ceremony, Eric and I knew we didn't want to get married in a church.  Neither of us are particularly religious, and we want the opportunity to customize our wedding ceremony to really reflect us a couple.  Not only have we asked longtime Dance Mom, Friend and Officiant Extraordinaire, Carrie Cassie, to marry us, we’ve also officially booked our ceremony space at the U of W Convocation Hall.  I absolutely love this venue for a ceremony, it’s so gorgeous!  I had never seen it before in person, but as I spend a lot of time on the internet looking at city weddings, I came across this space in the gallery and fell in love.  The lush red carpeting, high ceilings, large windows and light streaming in...Eric and I went yesterday to see it in person and we were both sold! 

 

 

Real weddings at the U of W Convocation Hall

 

As you can see it also has a balcony, which instantly made me want to recreate this scene from my favorite movie of all time, Love Actually....LOL!

 

And as I previously hinted at in this post, we officially booked the Millennium Centre as our reception venue on Monday night!  It was really an easy decision, as this space is beautiful and we were both very taken with it.  I also love how the high ceilings of the U of W Convocation Hall tie in with the high dome ceiling of the Millennium Centre.  Plus they have a really cool room off the main hall called the Tapestry Room which Eric loves, and has some fun plans for.  ;)  We are very excited to have an awesome party with all our favorite people in this place!

 

 

Love!

 

Phew!  So 3.5 months in, our to-do list looks like this:

 

Oh boy...

Stay tuned as we tackle the rest of the 132 tasks!  :)

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

Wedding Traditions: Yay or Nay? (Part 1)

So when Eric and I started to get into some of the smaller details when it came to wedding planning, we found ourselves questioning certain aspects of traditional weddings and whether or not we wanted to include that in our day.  We are not terribly traditional, nor do we want a boring, cookie cutter wedding that our guests can’t wait to get out of and go somewhere more fun.  We also have a budget to stick to, so we need to decide what's really important to us and what we can feel comfortable letting go.  So today I thought I’d share with you some of the things we’ve been discussing and whether or not we’re going to incorporate it into our big day.

 

Engagement photos

Luckily, we were both on the same page with this one.  We don’t see any need at all to spend thousands of dollars on photos of us in our plain clothes.  Wedding photos?  Ultra important.  Engagement photos?  It was hard to come up with a reason why.  Because that’s what you do?  To send out Christmas cards?  For a Save The Date card maybe?  To get comfortable in front of the camera?  We both just thought it was kind of a waste of cash, and we’d rather put that money towards getting a really awesome photographer for the wedding.  Now, I’ve talked to some other brides that have said when you book the photographer for the wedding date, sometimes they will throw in an engagement session for free!  In that case, we probably will but otherwise, we’re saving that dough for when we’re all dolled up.  (And we came up with a really awesome idea for a Save The Date card that will only require one photo of us, and we can do it quick and easy!  Boom.)

Verdict:  Nope.

 

Cute, but we can really do that anytime.

 

Open Bar

Oooh, the everlasting wedding argument.  Do you let your guests go wild on your dime?  Or make them bring cash to your party if they want to indulge?  I can definitely see both sides of this argument.  If you have an open bar, a lot of times people will get hammered, leave half full drinks everywhere, and a lot gets wasted that the bride and groom still have to pay for.  On the other hand, a lot of wedding guests say a cash bar is a hassle and just reduce the presentation they offer the couple to pay for their drinks.  Regardless of the pros and cons of each, it is very important to us to have an open bar for our guests.  We enjoy our bevies, our friends like to drink (a lot, as evidenced by our engagement party) and we know a lot of our other guests enjoy a sip or two now and then...Dance Moms, I’m lookin’ at you.  We don’t want our guests worrying about paying for drinks, we just want them to have a great time.  This is why it was important that the venue we book allows us to bring in our own booze.  We want to have premium liquor and a signature drink (cosmopolitans...natch), and we also have a little something extra planned between the ceremony and reception... 

Verdict:  Drink and be married!

 

Wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care!

 

 

 

This could be you.

 

Groom’s Cake

Neither Eric nor my dad (affectionately dubbed FOB on this blog) had heard of a Groom’s Cake before.  Basically this is a way for the groom to be recognized and represented on the cake table.  The wedding cake itself is usually a tall, white, sparkly beast – all things bride.  Groom’s Cakes are fun because they allow for the groom’s interests to be displayed at the wedding.  When I first brought up the idea to Eric, he was sort of indifferent and asked a few questions, particularly what would be on it.  When I said that it usually is the groom’s favorite sports team or something like that, he said “You had me at Oakland Raiders.”  Now, a Groom’s Cake would normally be considered a splurge because as we all know, wedding cakes are usually pretty expensive.  But because MOB is also the Cake Boss Supreme, we’ll be able to get Eric a ridiculously awesome cake for just the price of a few hugs.  Right mom?  Right? 

Verdict:  RAIDER NATION!

 

Like this, but way better.  Have you seen my mom’s cakes?  Check them out.

 

Awkward Wedding Party Dance

Why?  Just why.  The only reason I can think of why people do this is because it’s a tradition.  That is not a good enough reason to slam your bridesmaids and groomsmen together for 4 minutes of pure awkwardness.  I liken this dance to kids at a junior high dance.  You can’t dance too closely, but it’s also weird if you’re too far away.  You can’t chatter in their ear the whole time, but it’s also weird if you don’t talk at all.  You can make some small talk, but you are also three inches from their face.  It’s creepy to look them in the eye the whole time, but you also don’t want to be looking around either so your partner feels like you’re counting down the seconds until Amazed by Lonestar is over even though really, they feel the same way.  Nobody needs to see our wedding party dance with each other.  We want everyone up on the dance floor right away!  Finish your dinner and let’s party!

Verdict:  Save it for the sock hop.

 

Pretty much looks EXACTLY like this.

 

Bouquet and Garter Toss

Yet another tradition that nobody seems to question and therefore it’s included at every wedding.  Let’s break this down.  When a single girl is at a wedding, she’s probably feeling a few pangs of jealousy as it is.  Not saying that every single girl is dying to get married, but I’m sure there are a few fleeting moments of wondering when her prince charming is going to come along.  Do you think it makes said single girl feel better when suddenly, the party is stopped.  The lights go on.  The DJ booms over the microphone “LET’S GET ALL THE SINGLE LADIES ON THE DANCE FLOOR!”  Then people around her start pointing it out to her.  “Go on, you’re siiiiinglllllle!  Get up therrrrrre!”  So she begrudgingly goes to the dance floor with all the other single girls, on display for everyone to see.  Yes everyone, I’m single!  Take a look!  Nope, no man over here!  Then the bride turns her back and shuns her poor, lonely single friends, and tosses her bridal bouquet over her shoulder.  Take my used scraps losers, I’m married now!  And since it’s well known that the bridal bouquet is the last chance any of these single girls have at romantic happiness, things can get a little vicious.  Clawing, pushing, shoving, scratching...until finally, one single girl emerges victorious and can dream of the day she gets to throw a bunch of flowers in her single friends’ faces. 

 

 

Let’s tear it to pieces in a humiliating display of self-loathing!

As for the garter toss, hilarious.  For as excited as the single girls get when they see the trajectory of the bouquet heading straight toward them, the guys could not care less.  Most of them are three sheets to the wind already and don’t even know what they are doing up there.  Not to mention the awkward moment where the bride has to sit on a chair and her groom has to root around under her dress to find the thing.  And if it takes any longer than 8 seconds, people lose interest.  Why stop the party for this?  Worst.

Verdict:  This tradition needs to die.  Now.

 

 

Could this be more awkward?

 

Fireworks

 

 

Come on, a girl can dream can’t she?

 

Verdict:  I think they are illegal downtown.  But if I could get away with it, I would.

 

Funny story:  When I asked for Eric’s input on this list, he came up with tons of good examples and the list ended up needing to be split into 2 parts.  Then he goes, “your shoes? ;)”  My groom thinks he’s pretty funny!  But seriously, those were never anywhere but the “Absolutely Necessary” category.

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

~M

Finding the Perfect Venue

So the first thing that we needed to tackle in this whole wedding plan was where we were going to have it.  (Surprised that it's not "what shoes will I wear?"  I know...me too.  But trust me, there are going to be many blog posts coming down the pipe for what I have in store for that for the big day!)

When it came to a wedding venue, Eric and I decided that we wanted a place that reflected us as people, as well as was very unique.  You see, we are not a fan of the cookie cutter wedding, and there were many things that we decided that we were going to kibosh that are normally a part of the typical wedding.  While the details of that are a blog post for a different Wedding Wednesday, one of the things we decided was that we did not want to have our wedding reception at a golf club or a hotel.  Which effectively eliminates about 90% of the wedding venues in Winnipeg.  But luckily there are still a few great choices in the city for spectacular, unique venues.

There were a couple of venues that we were considering, the first was actually the Fort Garry Hotel, which directly went against our "no golf club or hotel" rule.  However, you cannot argue the fact that this venue is absolutely stunning.  From the high ceilings to the ornate decor  and chandeliers, this is a venue that just exudes elegance and opulence.  Gorgeousness!

Wedding at the Fort Garry Hotel

 

Another venue we considered is the new Qualico Family Centre at Assinaboine Park.  This was very attractive to us both because we would be able to have our ceremony outdoors (weather permitting) and the building and grounds are absolutely gorgeous. 

 

 

The Qualico Family Centre

 

 

A very interesting venue we came across was the Roblin Centre at the Red River College Princess Street Campus.  We actually didn't know that they did weddings there, and what was attractive to us about this venue was that it was certainly nostalgic.  Eric and I are both graduates of the Business Administration program at RRC and before we went on to the Asper School of Business we both count our days at RRC among the best of our post-secondary experiences!  Also the high ceilings, exposed brick and technology installations make this a very attractive venue for a wedding.

 

 

 

Weddings at RRC Princess Street

 

 

But ultimately, I had my heart set on a venue that I had never set foot in, that I had only heard about in the usual urban wedding legends, and that I had been pining for before I ever got engaged.  (What, like you never thought about your wedding before you got engaged?)  The Millennium Centre on Main Street.  It used to be an old bank before being converted into one of Winnipeg's most popular wedding venues.  It has beautiful high ceilings with a large lighted dome, and beautiful marble pillars and bars.  We feel it also reflects who we are as a couple, with its urban location and modern decor.  (We're definitely not the "country" or "vintage" type...)  Eric and I went and saw the venue last Friday and I was not remotely disappointed.  It was simply stunning.  Not only that, but the owner Mitch is very friendly, funny and knowledgable about weddings, and they allow you to bring in your own alcohol under your own permit.  This was important to us because we are planning a special event in between our ceremony and reception, that I will also be blogging about at a later date! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images of weddings at the Millennium Centre

 

 







Because the Millennium Centre was everything we had hoped for, we didn't have to think long about booking a date for our wedding there.  However, another great thing about the Millennium is that you can book a tentative date without paying a deposit.  If another couple calls and wants your date, you have 72 hours to either pay the deposit and secure the date, or forfeit the date.  This really works for us because there is another SUPER SECRET venue that Eric and I have our eye on.  So secret in fact, that I can't even give you any details about it on this blog.  If it ends up working out for us, then we can book this new place without losing any deposit.  If it ends up not working out for us, then we will pay the deposit and book the spectacular, unique, beautiful Millennium Centre for our ceremony and reception.  It's win win!

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

~M