Wedding: The Planning Stages
So, I totally neglected to post here in the lead-up to the wedding detailing all the preparations, so I hereby present the following truncated description of
ENGAGEMENT:
Chris proposed 2 and a half years ago, and we knew that wedding planning took a long time, so we put it off....and put it off some more...and planned a trip to Japan instead.
SACRAMENT:
Chris and I were both baptized Catholic, although neither of us practices. For family tradition, and for lack of any other ideas, we decided to have a Catholic ceremony. I begrudgingly, chose St. John the Baptist as our ceremony site. I went to school there for 6 years, and by the time I graduated 8th grade, was fully disenchanted with established religion. (Instead of a pretty white dress for graduation, I wore black. I'm such a rebel.)
LOCATION:
We visited every damned wedding reception location in the DC area, or so it seemed. We needed a place that was near a church, with a pretty exterior, but with an interior just in case it rained. Ultimately, we chose Brookside Gardens, where we had our first date ten years ago.
THE DRESS:
I bought the dress in November at Betsy Robinson's Bridal Boutique just north of Baltimore. For those of you who don't know, couture dress shopping is unlike normal shopping. At the store they have one of every style, but all in one size (10, which is a street size 6). So, brides try on these "sample" dresses. If they are larger than a size 10, the dress does not get zipped up, smaller than a 10, binder clips hold it closed. Measurements are taken, and a dress is custom made for that particular bride. As luck would have it, I fit perfectly into the sample size, and this store was having a sale of floor models to clear out old inventory. My dress was a Reem Acra, and still donned a price tag of $6,000. With the sale, though, I walked away having spent $450 on it. SCREAMING DEAL! I actually didn't like it when I saw it on the hanger, but the sales girl insisted I try it on, and she was so right!
THE GUEST LIST:
Selecting people to invite was one of the most hateful tasks I have ever had to endure. We neglected a large number of friends and family members based on the fact that we could only fit 125 people inside for dinner. I feel awful for seemingly have overlooked many people with whom we are close, but there was no way we could seat everyone, nor afford to feed all of them. We therefore elected to do an Afters Party, in the British tradition. Even though we couldn't give everyone steak, we sure as hell could give everyone beer!
INVITATIONS:
The short version of the story: my mother and I could not decide on a style, and when we did, she didn't order them, despite telling me that she would. Paniced, and in a huge time crunch, I drove to every Michael's Art and Craft store in the DC area and bought them out of cardstock. I spent countless hours at work printing, cutting, and gluing to make my own. Had I known I was to make my own invitations, I would have given it more thought, but it was a shock to me, and so I slapped together what I could. Drama ensued over envelopes as well, but that's another story.
CATERING:
Is stupid expensive. We were quite pleased with the people at Windows Catering. They were so thorough with everything that we determined a co-ordinator was unnecessary.
TENTS:
Likewise stupid expensive. I pulled an "industry discount" at Parties Plus though, for name-dropping Atmosphere Lighting. We needed a tent for the number of people we would have for dancing and dessert.
PHOTOGRAPHER:
I haven't seen the photos yet, so I reserve my final judgment until that time.
FLOWERS:
I trusted Devers Design to make the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres, but did the reception flowers myself with the help of Chris' mom, sister, and Shruti. The vases came from Michael's, the twigs from the set of Hamlet, and the lillies from a wholesale florist in DC, McCallum Sauber, which was surprisingly much cheaper than a normal florist, or a grocery store.
AMUSING DETAILS:
I designed a monogram for Chris and I, which is a familiar symbol to anyone who has ever done theatrical drafting--it marks the Centerline of a stage. Chris' sister was awesome enough to incorporate it onto our unity candle and ring pillow.
TASTY DETAILS:
Cake is okay, but pie is awesome. Especially pie made by punk rock bakers in Baltimore at Dangerously Delicious Pies.
Likewise, champagne is okay, but Belgian Lambic Ale is tastier (and more meaningful to us).
THE BRIDESMAIDS:
...Were comprised of my favorite ladies (and one fellow) in the world! My sister, cousins, my oldest friend, 2 high school friends, and my college roomate. I let each lady choose her own within a given set of parameters. That way, they could each find something that suited their budget and style.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
I will forever be the most gracious guest of all weddings I attend in the future. I will never again take for granted a wedding program and the hours the bride must have spent in Kinkos xeroxing them.
Standby for future posts of the wedding day itself!
ENGAGEMENT:
Chris proposed 2 and a half years ago, and we knew that wedding planning took a long time, so we put it off....and put it off some more...and planned a trip to Japan instead.
SACRAMENT:
Chris and I were both baptized Catholic, although neither of us practices. For family tradition, and for lack of any other ideas, we decided to have a Catholic ceremony. I begrudgingly, chose St. John the Baptist as our ceremony site. I went to school there for 6 years, and by the time I graduated 8th grade, was fully disenchanted with established religion. (Instead of a pretty white dress for graduation, I wore black. I'm such a rebel.)
LOCATION:
We visited every damned wedding reception location in the DC area, or so it seemed. We needed a place that was near a church, with a pretty exterior, but with an interior just in case it rained. Ultimately, we chose Brookside Gardens, where we had our first date ten years ago.
THE DRESS:
I bought the dress in November at Betsy Robinson's Bridal Boutique just north of Baltimore. For those of you who don't know, couture dress shopping is unlike normal shopping. At the store they have one of every style, but all in one size (10, which is a street size 6). So, brides try on these "sample" dresses. If they are larger than a size 10, the dress does not get zipped up, smaller than a 10, binder clips hold it closed. Measurements are taken, and a dress is custom made for that particular bride. As luck would have it, I fit perfectly into the sample size, and this store was having a sale of floor models to clear out old inventory. My dress was a Reem Acra, and still donned a price tag of $6,000. With the sale, though, I walked away having spent $450 on it. SCREAMING DEAL! I actually didn't like it when I saw it on the hanger, but the sales girl insisted I try it on, and she was so right!
THE GUEST LIST:
Selecting people to invite was one of the most hateful tasks I have ever had to endure. We neglected a large number of friends and family members based on the fact that we could only fit 125 people inside for dinner. I feel awful for seemingly have overlooked many people with whom we are close, but there was no way we could seat everyone, nor afford to feed all of them. We therefore elected to do an Afters Party, in the British tradition. Even though we couldn't give everyone steak, we sure as hell could give everyone beer!
INVITATIONS:
The short version of the story: my mother and I could not decide on a style, and when we did, she didn't order them, despite telling me that she would. Paniced, and in a huge time crunch, I drove to every Michael's Art and Craft store in the DC area and bought them out of cardstock. I spent countless hours at work printing, cutting, and gluing to make my own. Had I known I was to make my own invitations, I would have given it more thought, but it was a shock to me, and so I slapped together what I could. Drama ensued over envelopes as well, but that's another story.
CATERING:
Is stupid expensive. We were quite pleased with the people at Windows Catering. They were so thorough with everything that we determined a co-ordinator was unnecessary.
TENTS:
Likewise stupid expensive. I pulled an "industry discount" at Parties Plus though, for name-dropping Atmosphere Lighting. We needed a tent for the number of people we would have for dancing and dessert.
PHOTOGRAPHER:
I haven't seen the photos yet, so I reserve my final judgment until that time.
FLOWERS:
I trusted Devers Design to make the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres, but did the reception flowers myself with the help of Chris' mom, sister, and Shruti. The vases came from Michael's, the twigs from the set of Hamlet, and the lillies from a wholesale florist in DC, McCallum Sauber, which was surprisingly much cheaper than a normal florist, or a grocery store.
AMUSING DETAILS:
I designed a monogram for Chris and I, which is a familiar symbol to anyone who has ever done theatrical drafting--it marks the Centerline of a stage. Chris' sister was awesome enough to incorporate it onto our unity candle and ring pillow.
TASTY DETAILS:
Cake is okay, but pie is awesome. Especially pie made by punk rock bakers in Baltimore at Dangerously Delicious Pies.
Likewise, champagne is okay, but Belgian Lambic Ale is tastier (and more meaningful to us).
THE BRIDESMAIDS:
...Were comprised of my favorite ladies (and one fellow) in the world! My sister, cousins, my oldest friend, 2 high school friends, and my college roomate. I let each lady choose her own within a given set of parameters. That way, they could each find something that suited their budget and style.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
I will forever be the most gracious guest of all weddings I attend in the future. I will never again take for granted a wedding program and the hours the bride must have spent in Kinkos xeroxing them.
Standby for future posts of the wedding day itself!