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!