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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Mixed Bag

I know, I KNOW.  I missed my blog again last week.  Thankfully I didn't get too much heat for it, I think everyone in my life knows that tax season is a gonger and some Wednesdays the blog takes a backseat to the sea of files in my office.  So if you see some sporadic posting between now and June, you'll know why!

 

"Yeah.....you're going to have to work this weekend."  I feel you Milton.

So I was very much looking forward to this week's blog, because over the weekend, I finished the ruby slippers I was strassing!  If you remember this post, I did them as a practice run for what will ultimately be my awesomely awesome bridal shoes.  And I am glad I did, because I learned a LOT that I will apply when I tackle this super DIY project.

...but you will have to wait to find out what that was.  I was so excited about the shoes that I took them to the dance studio on Tuesday to show them to my little Dorothy and let her try them on.  Of course she looked fabulous in them, I mean come on.  But then I let her dance in them - and unfortunately one side of one shoe lost a lot of rhinestones.  I started strassing using one specific type of glue, but it was thin and didn't stick well and halfway through I thought better of it and switched to E6000.  So the side that had the crap glue on it now looks pretty bare.  So I have to go back and fix that and unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the shoes before they got all patchy.  So that post will have to wait!  The good news is, the other shoe didn't lose a single stone, so I know I've got the right glue product now! 

 

It's my turn next!  Yayyyyy!

So until I can fill you in on all the details of that particular DIY success, I thought I'd share a few updates with you and then gush about a couple of featured weddings that I am obsessed with these days.

I'm happy to announce that Eric and I have booked our photographer and videographer.  Two more things off the list of 135 things to do, done! 

Carrie takes such pretty and dreamy photos...

We have also decided that we are going to have our social centered around St. Patrick's Day next year!  So if you are reading this, consider yourself booked for March 15, 2014 for an evening of fun and frolicking amidst prizes wrapped in cellophane, plain chips on paper plates, plentiful booze, and cheese cubes.  And Eric and I will have tons of inspiration for our social, because........wait for it.......

 

SQUEE.

We are heading to the beautiful Emerald Isle this year!  Hooray!

I am so unbelievably excited for this trip to Ireland, because I have always wanted to go there.  It made the short list for our honeymoon, but after we picked South Africa it was put back on the "someday" shelf.  Well someday is now September 5, 2013!  Hopefully while we're there we'll get to see the ruins of McAuliffe Castle and have a pint of Guinness with some locals.  I'm especially pumped to visit the Cliffs of Moher and find me a horcrux.

Reeeeeeeteeteeteetee!

Anyway, back to the wedding blog. 

I just love glamorous, sparkly, elegant weddings.  I know I harp on it a lot, but I am so not the vintage lace/mason jar type of bride.  So when I see a wedding that gets away from that trend and goes big and beautiful, I gobble it up.  I wanted to share with you a couple of weddings that I found on Weddings In Winnipeg that I absolutely adore. (Click on the photos for a closer look!)

The first is one that I bookmarked a long time ago.  My absolute favorite part is the way that the stationery and design is incorporated into every aspect - their seating chart, menu cards, table cameras, favor cards, table numbers, everything!  And what a beautiful bride!  I envision myself with a goofy smile on my face all day so I really loved the photos of her looking so happy.

 

 

 

 

 

So pretty!  See the full post here.

 

 

The second is a wedding that was just posted today, and the photos caught my eye instantly.  Gorgeous dress, gorgeous bouquet, and gorgeous décor!  Love.

 

 

Beautiful right?  See the rest of the photos here.

And so ends today's hodgepodge of wedding blogmania!  See you next week, fingers crossed!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M

I Am A Creep

Hey everyone!  So the next big decision that Eric and I have to make now that we have our date and venue confirmed is choosing a photographer.  We did speak to a lot of photographers at the wedding show, but amidst all the hustle and bustle and crazy women (which you can read about here) it was hard to spend a decent amount of time at each booth looking at portfolios and getting a feel for the photographers' personalities. 

We feel that the photographer is one of the most important elements of the entire day.  Long after the wedding is over, the food has been eaten, the drinks have been downed, the favors are left on the tables, the flowers have died, the tux is returned and the dress has been drycleaned and packed away, the memories of the wedding day are what remains.  And it is really important to us that all the special moments are captured, because the day is sure to fly by!

All the special moments.

 

 

 

So we've set up appointments with a couple photographers for next week, to look more at their portfolios, get a feel for their style of photography, and just try to find a good fit.  It's important that our photographer likes us, and we like them, and we're all happy to spend many hours together taking photos in what could be searing heat or pouring rain on a very high stress day.  Also, Eric is a very talented photographer himself, so framing and light and some of the higher level photography concepts are important as well in our photos.  We want them to have a bit of an artsy feel in addition to all the candids.  So in anticipation of these meetings, I spent an hour or two doing research and compiled a few wedding photos that I like to give myself an idea of what I want our wedding photos to look like.

 

 

HA.  I can't even type that with a straight face.

 

 

I have a folder on my computer entitled "Wedding Dossier".  In that folder are 17 more folders, entitled things like "Dress", "Shoes", "Venues", and of course "Photos".  Inside the photos folder are 4 more folders, including "Save the Dates", and "Wedding".  And every time I'm cruising the internet for wedding inspiration and I see something I like, I save it in the dossier.  So naturally I have a very good pictorial representation of what I love in weddings!  Oh and also, if you post your wedding photos on Facebook and we are friends, some of your photos may have made it into the dossier.  Yes, I am creepy.  No, I don't care.

 

 

 

Artist's rendition of me at work.  (On my lunch break!  Geez.)

 

 

 

So in honour of our impending photographer choice, I thought I'd dig into the dossier and show you all some of my favorite wedding photos from the web!

 

 

There's the mushy romantic ones...

 



 

 

Cute.  As.  Heck.

A private moment for two.  So important on a wedding day!  And I love that dress...

 

Old hollywood glam.

 

This one reminds me of Grey's Anatomy when Meredith outlines the house in candles...

Then there's the cute family and bridal party ones...

 

Love this bridal party compilation photo...

 

 

 

Great idea, playing with focus!

 

 

 

Could it get any cuter?  Come on.

 

 

 

SQUEEEEEE.  That's the kind of dress I want Aislin to wear!  POOF.

 

 

 

Love this!

And then there are the funny/interesting ones!

 

This is seriously hilarious.

 

 

 

Long exposure sparkler shot!  So neat.

 

 

I would be nervous but would totally do this!

 

 

 

 

Love.  Love love love times a million.

 

 

 

 

Last shot of the night.

So there you have it!  Very much looking forward to getting this all-important decision nailed down in the next week or two!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M