Our Wishes Wedding~11/7/2013~WP/WHR~Updated 9/19: Tuxes & BM dresses

[Jilian]

Congrats on the job!! Sorry to hear about the shoe dillema, how frustrating. I'm glad to hear that DSW was nice, good customer service is rare these days.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I'm putting out some random updates; some wedding-related, some not so much.

I'll start non-wedding first:
My new job rocks. Not only am I evenly busy, but it's less stressful than my last job. Plus, I'm pretty sure everyone in the office is a Disney fanatic, too.

Kind of wedding related:
DF and I go up to Door County in the fall to celebrate our anniversaries (engagement and dating). We'll actually be up there next weekend to do our engagement photos. We're still formulating all of our props, but the photographer is in for some fun. But, being me, I decided on a whim to try and book a Disney trip (I was actually checking prices to update our wedding budget), and this crazy idea popped into my head: go to Disney.

When DF got home, I said I know we like DC, but I think it would be fun to go to Disney next year instead (DF and I have never gone together). I noted that it would be nice to go once before we made trips stuffed with wedding stress. He asked what it would cost. I got the figures and told him about $2k for two of us for 5days. He said let's do it. W00t!

I was talking to my mom the next day, dropped it into conversation that we were kicking around the idea of going, and she said her and dad would love to come with us. Dad knows the roads from the hotel to all the parks, Downtown Disney, and Boardwalk like the back of his hand. Another plus. And, I won't have to drive.

So, we'll be at Disney next year on our one-year mark. I plan on stopping by Franck's to try and confirm our date. If I have to call back after we leave, oh well, I got in there again.

Also, I will be visiting my parents tonight, so I will be posting Bridal Boat Show pictures either tonight or tomorrow. I hope to start adding in some of the DIYing I've been doing and some of the things I've bought in the next few weeks. So, be prepared for a picture onslaught.

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Ooh, so much fun and exciting news - a new job filled with Disney fans and a trip to WDW in the works, that's so fantastic!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Just a mini-update:

We had our engagement pictures taken!

Both sets.

Yup. We did two.

It's not that we wanted more focus or photos, but we had two locations 250 miles apart that we wanted to use, so we had two sessions with two different photographers.

Our first one was on our annual 'anniversaries' trip to Door County. It was a ton of fun (a little rain, and impromptu leaf fight, and nerf guns). We should see our proofs in a few weeks., but the couple we saw on his camera while we were there were really good.

Our second one was at the park where we actually got engaged. A close friend actually did the shoot, so I've seen several of the photos already. They are amazing.

I will post links as soon as I get them.

In other not-my-wedding related news: my cousin is getting married. Four months before me. Her color is pink. And, she wants peonies. Mom and I have quietly decided not to divulge any more info about my wedding until hers is past (except for booking hotels and flights). Long story NOT for public reading.

The only thing it will likely jumble is our planning session. We were going to go the second weekend in June, and I think that's when she'll aim for. It's not a big deal, since we can't even book flights or anything for it until next year. And, I know by then she'll have a date picked out.

Ciao for now!

 

[ladyemz]

Can't wait to see your engagement photos

Shame about your cousin's wedding but as you said, keep all of yours a secret from now, and anyway you can't beat a Disney wedding?! lol xxx

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Can't wait to see your engagement photos

Shame about your cousin's wedding but as you said, keep all of yours a secret from now, and anyway you can't beat a Disney wedding?! lol xxx

That's what I said after mom and I wondered if that's what she was trying to pull. Either way, being sneaky or just developing a sudden love for pink and peonies, I get a castle. And, two very awesome mice.

Another thing, too, that puts me at ease is how different our styles are. She's pretty trendy and sophisticated with clothing and decorating, so I expect her wedding to be a careful selection of everything 'in style' at the time. I love victorian and am DIYing a lot of my decor because it's hard to find. She's also never been one to like a lot of frill and lace. And a pile of sparkly lace is pretty much what my dress looks like.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I just had to share a quick little story, that I can't believe I didn't share before.

DF kind of bought himself an engagement ring. Let me explain:

We went to the Renaissance Faire over the summer, and DF made the comment that he wanted to get a 'practice' ring so he could get used to wearing one. Mind you, our wedding still slightly over two years away. I thought it was cute, so I helped him pick one out. And, I ended up buying myself another crown, too.

He got a spinner ring, which is great because we both fidget a lot. He wore it to work for almost two weeks before he stopped because the customers were questioning when he got married and giving him funny looks when he said he wasn't yet.

When we went on our anniversarry trip a few weeks ago, he wore it the whole time. In fact, he almost forgot to take it off when we were taking our engagement photos. Just a little story to share.

 

[mebbradley]

Awww! That's so cute. I wish Chris would want that....but yeah. With the AF, He's not going to be able to wear it to work anyway. yippie for ringless guys!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

That is SUCH a sweet story about your DF! So cute.

And I'm so sorry about your cousin; that's SO lame. (But PS I also love EVERYTHING Victorian too! )

 

[DisneyShamrock]

That is SUCH a sweet story about your DF! So cute.

And I'm so sorry about your cousin; that's SO lame. (But PS I also love EVERYTHING Victorian too! )

The more I think about it, the more I think she would really have to go out of her way to try and replicate anything other than color. I'm quite interested to see what all she'll pick, though. None of my friends have ever really used a trend for their weddings, and I kind of want to witness a magazine-like wedding.

Yay for Victorian!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Ok, ladies, the first set of our engagement photos are up! These are the ones in our park that our friend took.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNWbhu2aMWbs4

Enjoy!

I also updated the links in my first posts for easy access.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Okay, first things first: we're (if all things work out) getting married TWO YEARS FROM TODAY!!!

That was literally the first thing I thought of when I got out of bed this morning. I went to another bridal show with my parents yesterday. It was ok, an excuse to go to another one, but I really didn't get that much out of it. It was nice to get to talk to a couple of the same vendors I had seen at other shows, but I got a price shock.

I found this really awesome jewelry place that can do custom wedding bands. I had considered this originally, but price kept me from doing it. I actually purchased my wedding band last December from Walmart. It was the closet thing I could find to what I dreamed about that didn't break the bank. The guy at the show was really nice, he drooled over my e-ring, and sketched me an idea in 30 seconds. I LOVED it. I asked about the price thinking $500-600 as there are only four .03 ct diamonds. $1,200. I about passed out. I really liked his idea, but not for that price. I'll take my Walmart ring, thank you. He's supposed to be touching base with me later this week, but I'm going to politely tell him I can't afford that.

I also got to do some shopping with mom and dad after the show. (Slight backward jump: DF randomly brought up the budget and guest list on Saturday, all on his own, while we were at dinner. He was complete fine with the current budget. Our guest list, however, basically doubled.) I was looking for invites for the at-home because there was no way I am printing, cutting, and accenting 200 invitations. 100, I can handle, but not 200. I've been looking for months for anything I even remotely liked in the print-your-own to no avail. We went into Party City, and it was love at first sight. Cue the down side: the computer said they had 3 boxes (I need 4), but we only found one. Thank you internet, they are available in every other Part City around me. I'm going to pick up the 3 other boxes next weekend. If all else fails, I can buy them from the web site. I have the same situation with the favor boxes I got for at-home candy buffet as they were a Walmart close-out, but two other Walmarts within an hours' drive have them.

The guest list also presented us with a space question. The room we originally picked was for 100 or less. When the guest list jumped, we decided to go with a bigger room at the same place. It was still half the cost of anywhere else we looked. I was reading more about the 175-person room last night, and it's stair access only. My first though was about my grandparents trying to walk down the stairs as neither of them move very well. I had a panic moment, and then remembered they won't even be there as they will be in the Tropics on their yearly warm vacation. I love it when problems solve themselves.

I think, now that I'm at the two-year mark, I can make a to-do list for the next year:
- finish the carriage & gazebo
- keep working on the guest book
- figure out bridesmaid's gifts
- find a cheaper, but still good, DJ
- decide on table decor for at-home
- keep working on the guest list
- keep posting pictures and updates on the DIS
- keep growing the savings
- keep calm and wait another year

I will post pictures of the carriage and gazebo as soon as I get them done. I also still have to do pictures of the cake knife and server, the favor boxes, the at-home invites, the wedding invites, the dress when it comes in (and dress shopping in general), the centerpieces when I get them done, the bouquets and bouts and corsages when I get them done, and a whole mess of other things I just remembered I already have.

Boy, do I have some updating to do in the next year before I can even book. Look forward to many--some photo-heavy, some long, and some both--posts from me.

243 days until we can 'pencil'
361 days until our first Disney vacation together
366 days until we can confirm our date
731 days until we get married

This is going to be a long year.

 

[mebbradley]

243 days until we can 'pencil'
361 days until our first Disney vacation together
366 days until we can confirm our date
731 days until we get married

This is going to be a long year.

I love this!

Don't worry, time will fly!

Are you really 133 days after us?

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I love this!

Don't worry, time will fly!

Are you really 133 days after us?

Yeah, we are.

 

[sarahb01]

So Fun! I can't wait to hear more about your planning. Such a small world

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Just a random little wedding-related side-note:

It was kind of an accident, but over the weekend, I let it slip to my mom that I wanted a big tiered wedding cake with staircases for our at-home reception. I had been keeping it quiet because I figured she would think it was ridiculous. It might have had something to do with us being at a bridal show (or that she loves weddings--especially the cakes--or that I'm her little girl), but she was all for it. I didn't even have to tell her it was the cake I'd dreamed of since I was little.

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Congratulations on being two years away!!! It's your -2 anniversary!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

At-home reception update:

I shared some of my OCD plannings skills with two DJs today. I had one picked out, but as the food prices at our selected venue doubled, I need to find one that's less than $600. This has also set me on the search for a new venue, but I'll dish more on that later.

I've been reading reviews on any site I can think of (brides, the knot, wedding bee, wedding channel, etc) for DJs in the Milwaukee area. I found two other ones that had tons of reviews and were ranked at 5 stars. So, I filled out the event forms for March 2014.

I actually already got an email back from one of the owners saying he would pencil me in and personally would be available to do my event. And, I can book in September 2012! I think I may have scared him.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I heard back from the second DJ, and got off-season pricing for the first. Both are pretty much on target with the pricing of our current DJ choice, so no saving there. Yet. I still need to talk pricing with the second DJ. But, all three are available (go figure) and reasonable.

I got pricing from the two new venues today. This is where I started seeing some savings. Kind of.

Option one:
Food - $3800
Drinks - $1200
Usage - none
Decor - not available
Service - $900
Tax - $400

Total - $6300 (compared to $4000 before the food increase)

Option Two:
Food - $2900
Drinks - $1300
Usage - $250
Decor - $55
Service - $800
Tax - $300

Total - $5605

That's almost $700 in savings AND I get decor and won't have to buy centerpieces. The third one has rentals as well, but I'm still waiting to hear back on if they offer bar packages. The only options on their price pack were open (@ $70 pp), hosted (we were going to pay for soda/beer only), or cash (we want to pay for something). So, we'll see.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I re-read the info from the third place, even though I haven't heard back on package options, but I figured out a build-your-own type plan. We're going to get 4 half barrels and pay for unlimited sodas. So with that, I give you the full price comparison:

Option one:
Food - $3800
Drinks - $1200
Usage - none
Decor - not available
Service - $900
Tax - $375

Total - $6275 (compared to $4000 before the food increase)

Option Two:
Food - $2900
Drinks - $1300
Usage - $250
Decor - $55
Service - $800
Tax - $275

Total - $5580

Option Three:
Food - $2500
Drinks - $1300
Usage - none
Decor - $300
Service - $725
Tax - $275

Total - $5100

One vs Two: 695 in savings w/Two
One vs Three: 1175 in saving w/Three
Two vs Three: 480 in savings w/Three

I like Two better for openness. I like Three better for dance floor size. I like both Two and Three for their appearance and atmosphere. I've heard great things about both. It might come down to it being a choice of which has better food, and that will be one tough choice. One is definitely not an option anymore.