Jessica and Kesar

This past Saturday Kesar and I ventured off to Jacksonville Beach, which is about 15-20 minutes away. It is one of 5 beaches that are in the area. There was an overcast and it was not very hot so it wasn’t exactly perfect beach day material but we were excited to see what the beaches down here are like. It was an easy drive to the beach, like most things are here, and it was neat seeing all of the different stores that are located 5 minutes along the beach. I read online that the closer you are to the beaches the more there is to do, and that was definitely right. There were golf courses, putt-putts, go carts, water parks, shopping, everything.

There is public parking for $5 near the beach but right away we noticed locals finding other means for free parking. Still, I felt safer paying to park, which proves I’m no local just yet. The beach is very different than up north. The sand is super soft, practically white, (not quite as white as you will find in Miami or further south) and it was CLEAN! The water was soo warm and you can see your feet through the water- until you get 3/4 ft deep. You can definitely tell you are at a beach “down south”.  Jacksonville Beach seems to be the hang out for a lot of young people, which Kesar and I have heard before. And there were lots of bars and clubs along the beach. Not too many restaurants though.

Next weekend the weather is supposed to be a lot nicer so Kesar and I are going to go check out Ponte Vedra Beach. It’s about the same distance as Jax beach, but it’s a little bit more private. We are very interested in seeing this area though since Ponte Vedra is a city we are interested in buying a house in possibly next year.

Hello Everyone!

Since this is the first blog I just wanted to take the time to share with everyone why we decided to take the time to start a Blog. As you all know, we recently got married August 7, 2010 in the DC Metropolitan area. Three months ago Kesar got a great job opportunity in Jacksonville, FL, which is where the headquarters to his job is located. We have always talked about one day moving somewhere warmer, and we knew JAX was the best option since this is where the most jobs are within his company. Out of the blue, Kesar got offered a job so we decided that shortly after our wedding we would move to FL! It was so sad to say goodbye to all of our family and friends but we are very excited to start our life down south near the beaches

Let me talk about the actual MOVE. It took us 13 hours (with few stops) to make it down to Jacksonville. We did end up staying overnight in Savannah because of Lacy (our little 3.5 lb daughter) was stressed out by the whole thing but we definitely could have driven the whole way otherwise. The first couple days have been rocky. My (Jessica’s) car started acting funny, the movers were late and on day 3 a swarm of ants were found all over the inside of our car. Talk about a warm welcoming! We have gotten pretty much everything unpacked, we just have to dump all of the empty boxes. All and all, it’s slowly starting to feel a little bit more “homey”. Yesterday we ordered a living room set, so once that comes in approx 2 weeks things will look and feel, even better!

On a side note- we just want to remind everybody that our wedding photos should be ready and uploaded  by August 28th. They will be viewable at http://proofs.softboxmediaphotography.com/ and the Password is: Florida

I’ll leave you with the most recent photos of our new apartment, mess and all from the unpacking!

[View with PicLens]

Wow, consistently writing in this blog is a tough thing to do! I took a long break from doing things for the wedding. I did so much in the beginning I guess I decided it was time for a little break! These past 2 months I have slowly gotten things done. One of these things is finally booking my DJ! I have known for awhile now who I wanted to go with (Kirkabee DJS using Greg)but I just now finally sent in my deposit. I am really happy with who I choose and I have faith that everything will go very smoothly. Before planning the wedding I had no I idea that picking the DJ involves deciding the time line for the entire reception, so I was forced to decide when I what to do what (cake cutting, dances, bouquet toss) I still haven’t decided these things, along with the choice of songs and I have a feeling that will defiantly be the last thing I do! Picking the DJ was tough though, I had no idea what to do. Thankfully websites like weddingwire.com and dcknottiereview.com provide reviews of vendors from actual sources. This makes my life so much easier!

Though past my deadline, I am finally sending out my Save the Dates TODAY. I was waiting on round return address labels that took forever to find, but I finally found them at zazzle.com (what a nifty little website)I have a feeling I’ll be using them a lot. They were completely DIY- with the paper bought at Michael’s as long as the little flower. I’m still deciding if i want the invites to be DIY as well.

Upon my planning I have come across my first hurdle of disappointment. Originally I had my heart set on doing cupcakes. I love the cute, fun, whimsical idea they portray. This is something that before I was even engaged I knew I wanted to do. But after talking to a caterer at a bridal show and doing some online research, cupcakes are not the most practical desert to have at a wedding. Apparently they dry out fast. Which means they have to made the night before which in turns increases the cost. Otherwise, you risk having dried out cupcakes. Other caterers who do not raise the cost are the ones who risk having the dried out cupcakes. Now I have to decide if I want to take the risk, or settle with cake.

Next on my list: find and book an officiant. This should have been done in the very beginning but for some reason I thought flowers seemed so much more practical

My deposit for my photographer is officially in! After meeting with a few photographers I was quickly discouraged as I was not happy with any of them. I lost all hope until I met with Lisa and Ian of SoftBox Media. Kesar and I immediately fell IN LOVE with them. They are very laid back and down to earth and had so many great ideas. Unlike the other photographers I met with, they were totally flexible with their packages and what they offer. I met with some where they said you had to pick a package and couldn’t add anything else to that package unless you upgraded packages for $1,000. Ummm, no thank you! Lisa and Ian were anything but and let us pick what ever we wanted. We also clicked with them very well, which was important to me because they are going to be around Kesar and I all day and we wanted to get along with them. I love my Florist and Venue but I think I am most excited about my Photographers!

On another note, I am still finishing up my Save the Dates and hope to have them out in the mail in two weeks. They are completely a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) project, as pretty much all of the paper products will be. OH! Also, I decided to change up my colors a little bit- especially regarding the flowers. Originally I was going for bright blues, pinks, and oranges but am now going to stick strictly with a light blue and shades of pink color palette. There are going to be no orange flowers any more. Instead, the flower colors will be white, dark pink, and light pink. I’m much happier with this decision.

Last update: I have chosen my bridesmaid dresses! (and the bridesmaids love them too!) The color is pool and will be bought at Davids Bridal. I am very happy with the classic design. The only downside is that the color may be discontinued at the end of November. If that is the case I will either have to 1. Change the color or 2. Find another bridesmaid dress at a different store. So, now it’s a waiting game and I will just have to see what happens!

So I am thrilled to say that I have found the perfect florist for the wedding! After meeting with four different florists I have decided to use Hilary from Fleurtations Floral Design. She is WONDERFUL! I had met with three others and just didn’t feel like they really understood where I was coming from or they charged way too much. When one lady tells you it will cost almost $3,000 for a rose/gerbera daisy wedding and another one tells you almost half of that you know something is wrong. It just goes to show you that you really need to shop around for the right florist and price. From looking at a bunch of different florists I learned that the ones who run out of a florist shop charge a bit more than those who do it privately from their own home. Also, I feel as though that those that run out of their home do it for their love for flowers, not for the money! Here is a glimpse of my inspiration,:
Prior to this experience I had no idea about flowers, but thanks to theknot.com, weddingwire.com and other websites I really learned a lot. For instance, some flowers are just not possible to get during a certain month! I really love peonies but they are out of season in August and not available! I decided to go with roses as one as the main flowers because they are so classic. I chose gerbera daisies because the come in bright, bold colors and most importantly they are fun and flirty. Which all of those things fit me perfectly! There are going to be some orchids here and there but it defiantly will be a gerbera/rose wedding! During the ceremony there are going to be some flower arrangements that I will do myself as they are very simple. Also, I have to think how I am going to decorate some of the trees on the ceremony site. I’ll be walking through them so I need to think of some ideas to make them POP!

Love,
Jessica

Ps: I am currently interviewing TONS of photographers so expect an update at the end of this month!

So, welcome to my Wedding Blog! I’ve never done a blog before but I figured it would be a neat idea to record the planning process of probably one of the most important days of my life… MY WEDDING! The date is set for August 7, 2010. I have been super excited about planning I got a lot of things done already. The venue is booked at the Sheraton Reston. Our ceremony and reception will be held there. Both Kesar and I really wanted an outdoor ceremony and the space they have there is absolutely beautiful. It’s a gorgeous rooftop patio space that is very modern and nontraditional. We are very happy to be holding it there!

I have started meeting with florists. (Kesar puts this in my hands and trusts me which is one of the reasons I love him.) I have met with 3 already and still have 1 more I want to meet with. All the flower arrangements are already decided, its just a matter of finding someone I want to work with and of course, fits my budget.

(inspiration)

As you can see from the picture above the colors are aqua, bright pink and orange. I really wanted aqua and pink, but figured I needed another bright color to include with the flowers, so that’s where most of the orange is. The bridesmaid’s dresses are aqua and will be long and flowly! My dress is already bought. It was a very easy shopping experience because it was the first place I went, last dress I tried on and was 70% off. It’s picture perfect so who couldn’t pass up on that?! Also, it was the last one they had and it just happened to be my size and color… umm, fate?

So I know exactly what I want for everything now it’s all about actually finding people to do it. I already decided that all the paper products are going to be DIY, as well as some of the more simpler flower arrangements. This will save me some money but let me have fun with the crafty parts too! I’ve gotten a lot of comments about how I’m really getting a lot of this stuff done fast, and I guess that’s partially right. But also, I figure if I do it at a steady pace I won’t have so much to worry about later Plus, it’s tons of fun!

Till next time! <3
ps- you can visit our wedding website by clicking here