So much to update.......
The date and place are set.....contracts have been signed......non refundable deposits have been placed......no turning back now (not that I would want to) and no changing the date or place again.......we are getting married January 27, 2010 at Aldea at Tlaquepaque in Phoenix. The place is GORGEOUS!!! Check it out at www.aldeaweddings.com the people there are awesome to work with.
The bridesmaids dresses have been selected.....and they are beautiful, black and white.....they are hanging next to my wedding gown at this very moment.......I'm so glad that my dress won't be lonely any more.....I guess it really wasn't lonely, since Korin's flower girl dress has been hanging in the same dress bag for the last several months, but now there is more company. I need to find a seamstress.
The wedding band has been designed. We left my engagement ring with a jeweler for a couple of days, and he designed and carved a wax ring to compliment my engagment ring, and it is absolutely stunning. The jeweler did a really great job, and I can't wait to have it cast.....I am so glad that we went and talked to him. If you are in need of custom jewelry, go see OT Jewelers off of Alma School and Baseline, he is great and the prices are SUPER reasonable.
The tux's have been narrowed down to 2 choices, we will make a final decision in August, after wedding and prom season, that way we get the best rate possible.
The song that we will dance our first dance to has been selected.
The song that I will walk down the aisle to has been selected.
We have selected our photographer, Ila Ross, we will be scheduling our engagement photo session with her in April, so I will have some new pictures soon.
I am in the process of designing our wedding invitations.
I really feel like I have accomplished a lot, in just a few short months, and time seems to be going by so fast. It will be January before I know it......so much still to do, and so little time.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
And the decision has been made......
Aldea at Tlaquepaque is the location. The date is January 27, 2010. We will sort out the rest of the details in the coming months. All I have to do know is sign the contract, and leave the deposit........I know I've been in this same spot before with the whole Vegas thing and all but, this time it's for sure.
We have also decided on a few key and FUN elements for our ceremony/reception. We really are wanting something that is mostly modern, with a few traditional elements. I also want something that really showcases our personalities and lifestyle. We met the Photographer that we want to use, she was so incredibly sweet, and her photos were incredible. We met a really talented Florist that does amazing things with white flowers with different textures with a really wintery feel to them.
Anyways, I have all of these ideas swirling around in my head, so much of it I want to share with the world, and well that same stuff I want to keep as a surprise.
Until next time,
Stephanie
We have also decided on a few key and FUN elements for our ceremony/reception. We really are wanting something that is mostly modern, with a few traditional elements. I also want something that really showcases our personalities and lifestyle. We met the Photographer that we want to use, she was so incredibly sweet, and her photos were incredible. We met a really talented Florist that does amazing things with white flowers with different textures with a really wintery feel to them.
Anyways, I have all of these ideas swirling around in my head, so much of it I want to share with the world, and well that same stuff I want to keep as a surprise.
Until next time,
Stephanie
Monday, January 12, 2009
Falling into place.....
The getting married in Hawaii has taken a detour. I was having nightmares about hiring vendors for things like photography, food, flowers, and signing contracts as well as leaving deposits and then getting to Hawaii 3 days before we are getting married and no longer having one or more of the vendors as well as not having any time to find new ones. So we've talked about it and have decided to get married in Arizona. We are then heading to Hawaii for our Honeymoon with the kids :).
Since the wedding will now take place locally, I attended the Bridal Expo yesterday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Oh my gosh was that place packed......TONS of Brides, TONS of Vendors, and surprisingly TONS of Grooms. Bonnie and I got to talk to Daisy at Aldea at Tlaquepaque for about 30 minutes about their venue, the pricing is FABULOUS, I checked out some more pictures online last night and the place is amazing. Jim, Jacqueline, and I are going to go to the Village Affair on Sunday, January 18, 2009 to scope it out in person, as well as meet with the vendors that come with the package (ex: photographer, DJ, officiant, and wedding coordinator) as well as look at the centerpiece and floral options. I am so so so so excited. We would have to find a videographer, and I met a really nice one at the Bridal Expo as well, possibly a florist for bridal party flowers, and I think that is it. I would need to find out if we are required to hire a bartender and security, or not. The greatest thing about this place other than the absolutely phenomenal price tag is that we can bring in our own food and alcohol, my mom is looking forward to doing the cooking for the reception. I can't wait until Sunday! My favorite part is that we can have 10 guests or 200 guests and the price doesn't change.
I will post pictures from our visit next week, until then if you want to check out their website it is www.aldeaweddings.com. I think the only downside is that it is in Peoria. I was noticing that the majority of the venues on the West Side were a better value and THOUSANDS less than that of the majority of the venues on the East Side PLUS you get better deals.
Oh and we changed the theme and color scheme too.....it's going to be a winter theme with Snowflakes and the colors are going to be Black, White, Silver, and an Ice/Tiffany Blue.
Until next time,
Steph
Since the wedding will now take place locally, I attended the Bridal Expo yesterday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Oh my gosh was that place packed......TONS of Brides, TONS of Vendors, and surprisingly TONS of Grooms. Bonnie and I got to talk to Daisy at Aldea at Tlaquepaque for about 30 minutes about their venue, the pricing is FABULOUS, I checked out some more pictures online last night and the place is amazing. Jim, Jacqueline, and I are going to go to the Village Affair on Sunday, January 18, 2009 to scope it out in person, as well as meet with the vendors that come with the package (ex: photographer, DJ, officiant, and wedding coordinator) as well as look at the centerpiece and floral options. I am so so so so excited. We would have to find a videographer, and I met a really nice one at the Bridal Expo as well, possibly a florist for bridal party flowers, and I think that is it. I would need to find out if we are required to hire a bartender and security, or not. The greatest thing about this place other than the absolutely phenomenal price tag is that we can bring in our own food and alcohol, my mom is looking forward to doing the cooking for the reception. I can't wait until Sunday! My favorite part is that we can have 10 guests or 200 guests and the price doesn't change.
I will post pictures from our visit next week, until then if you want to check out their website it is www.aldeaweddings.com. I think the only downside is that it is in Peoria. I was noticing that the majority of the venues on the West Side were a better value and THOUSANDS less than that of the majority of the venues on the East Side PLUS you get better deals.
Oh and we changed the theme and color scheme too.....it's going to be a winter theme with Snowflakes and the colors are going to be Black, White, Silver, and an Ice/Tiffany Blue.
Until next time,
Steph
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Change of Plans.........
So we narrowed down the Casino choice to Mandalay Bay, beautiful, amazing chairs, it is modern and perfect. All I had to do was reserve the date.........NO PROBLEM! Everything is ready right? Wrong!
Jim spent a manual labor filled week in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. He was there working with Matt and a couple of other guys installing a bunch of bubble walls, bar, and VIP acrylic tables in a club called Oceans 808. He'd spend his days/nights working with acrylic, and then spending time at the beach (I think he is still cleaning sand out of his ears :) ) and he fell in love with the place. The owners of the club said that we can have the reception there, and the beach house that they stayed in has like 8 bedrooms, so we are thinking about renting out the house and having everyone stay there and splitting the cost instead of everyone renting hotel rooms, plus it's ON the beach, can we say perfect?? I will post some of the pictures that he took soon, the place is gorgeous, I haven't been there yet, but I'm ready to move there :).
So we are postponing the wedding ONE year, and the new date is January 27, 2010 the location is TBD for right now. We are heading to Hawaii in January to price out getting married on the beach there, if that is a no go, we will get married in Arizona, and head to a Hawaiian filled Honeymoon with the kids :). Rest assured, the details will be provided here. I am also going to put together a wedding website after the holidays.
I am not sad, I am not disappointed, in fact I am excited. I am starting the whole wedding planning process all over, and I am excited. While I would have been happy getting married in Las Vegas, I think we'd have looked back and felt that we had settled on something less than what we wanted.
Why wait you ask? Hell, we've been together for almost 6 years.........one more isn't going to change things......especially since we are planning to spend the rest of our lives together anyways. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Jim........I can wait another year to change my last name ;).
We are planning on hosting an Engagement Party, probably the 1st or 2nd week of February, we will have a better idea of what the final plan is going to be then, as well as a couple of amazing tans :). I will send out the invitations as soon as I'm sure of the exact date.
I have a whole year to plan the wedding of a lifetime, and a lifetime to be married to the man of my dreams.
Steph
Jim spent a manual labor filled week in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. He was there working with Matt and a couple of other guys installing a bunch of bubble walls, bar, and VIP acrylic tables in a club called Oceans 808. He'd spend his days/nights working with acrylic, and then spending time at the beach (I think he is still cleaning sand out of his ears :) ) and he fell in love with the place. The owners of the club said that we can have the reception there, and the beach house that they stayed in has like 8 bedrooms, so we are thinking about renting out the house and having everyone stay there and splitting the cost instead of everyone renting hotel rooms, plus it's ON the beach, can we say perfect?? I will post some of the pictures that he took soon, the place is gorgeous, I haven't been there yet, but I'm ready to move there :).
So we are postponing the wedding ONE year, and the new date is January 27, 2010 the location is TBD for right now. We are heading to Hawaii in January to price out getting married on the beach there, if that is a no go, we will get married in Arizona, and head to a Hawaiian filled Honeymoon with the kids :). Rest assured, the details will be provided here. I am also going to put together a wedding website after the holidays.
I am not sad, I am not disappointed, in fact I am excited. I am starting the whole wedding planning process all over, and I am excited. While I would have been happy getting married in Las Vegas, I think we'd have looked back and felt that we had settled on something less than what we wanted.
Why wait you ask? Hell, we've been together for almost 6 years.........one more isn't going to change things......especially since we are planning to spend the rest of our lives together anyways. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Jim........I can wait another year to change my last name ;).
We are planning on hosting an Engagement Party, probably the 1st or 2nd week of February, we will have a better idea of what the final plan is going to be then, as well as a couple of amazing tans :). I will send out the invitations as soon as I'm sure of the exact date.
I have a whole year to plan the wedding of a lifetime, and a lifetime to be married to the man of my dreams.
Steph
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
the next three....
So back to the Pro's and Con's....
The Luxor
Pros-
The wedding packages are reasonably price
Almost all of them contain the specifics I am looking for
It's shaped like a Pyramid :)
Cons-
I don't like the chapel or the chairs
The chairs are HIDEOUS....
The Mirage
Pros-
NONE
Cons-
I'm not sure how this casino ended up on my list, I don't remember what it was about it that I liked.
Planet Hollywood
Pros-
All of the wedding packages are named after movies (okay so not really a PRO, but a cute fact)
The packages all are reasonably priced
They all come with 7 days of webcasting the ceremony
Cons-
The webcasting quality isn't that great
There are no pictures of the chapel on the website, and the view in the webcasting doesn't show much
The female minister irritates me
So there are the next three, all thats left is Circus Circus and Mandalay Bay. We should have a location by the end of the week. Yay!
Steph
The Luxor
Pros-
The wedding packages are reasonably price
Almost all of them contain the specifics I am looking for
It's shaped like a Pyramid :)
Cons-
I don't like the chapel or the chairs
The chairs are HIDEOUS....
The Mirage
Pros-
NONE
Cons-
I'm not sure how this casino ended up on my list, I don't remember what it was about it that I liked.
Planet Hollywood
Pros-
All of the wedding packages are named after movies (okay so not really a PRO, but a cute fact)
The packages all are reasonably priced
They all come with 7 days of webcasting the ceremony
Cons-
The webcasting quality isn't that great
There are no pictures of the chapel on the website, and the view in the webcasting doesn't show much
The female minister irritates me
So there are the next three, all thats left is Circus Circus and Mandalay Bay. We should have a location by the end of the week. Yay!
Steph
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
And the search begins....
So like I mentioned before, I have 8 casinos that I'm checking out wedding packages at, they are in no particular order:
The Stratopshere
The Monte Carlo
The Luxor
Circus Circus
The Mirage
Planet Hollywood
Hard Rock Hotel
Mandalay Bay
So what I am going to do is list out the Pros and Cons as I get through them.....
The Stratosphere
Pros-
I'd get married on the 103rd floor with a view over most of Las Vegas.
The photography and DVD of the ceremony are included with the package price
The wedding cake and champagne toast are included in the package price
Cons-
I don't like the pictures of the chairs in the chapel or the chapel itself
I have a limit of 25 guests including the wedding party, or there is an additional fee
Did I mention I don't like the chairs???
The Hard Rock Hotel
Pros-
I LOVE the Rock n' Roll wedding theme
They have a whole brochure of chairs in various colors to choose from
The wedding coordinator I spoke with was a LOT of fun to talk to on the phone.
The guest list limit is 100
Cons-
Almost nothing is included in the package price
The package prices are EXPENSIVE, like seriously EXPENSIVE
I have to hire a photographer, videographer, and officiant
The Monte Carlo
Pros-
Reasonably priced
The photography and DVD is included in the package price
The guest list is a limit of 100
Cons-
I really don't like the chapel or the chairs (the chairs are a big deal for me, don't ask, I don't know why)
The wedding coordinator I spoke with was kind of rude, and short to answer questions
Their reception brochure pricing is misleading
That is all I have for today, hopefully I will get through a few more tomorrow.......I'd really like to get through the list this week.
Until next time,
Stephanie
The Stratopshere
The Monte Carlo
The Luxor
Circus Circus
The Mirage
Planet Hollywood
Hard Rock Hotel
Mandalay Bay
So what I am going to do is list out the Pros and Cons as I get through them.....
The Stratosphere
Pros-
I'd get married on the 103rd floor with a view over most of Las Vegas.
The photography and DVD of the ceremony are included with the package price
The wedding cake and champagne toast are included in the package price
Cons-
I don't like the pictures of the chairs in the chapel or the chapel itself
I have a limit of 25 guests including the wedding party, or there is an additional fee
Did I mention I don't like the chairs???
The Hard Rock Hotel
Pros-
I LOVE the Rock n' Roll wedding theme
They have a whole brochure of chairs in various colors to choose from
The wedding coordinator I spoke with was a LOT of fun to talk to on the phone.
The guest list limit is 100
Cons-
Almost nothing is included in the package price
The package prices are EXPENSIVE, like seriously EXPENSIVE
I have to hire a photographer, videographer, and officiant
The Monte Carlo
Pros-
Reasonably priced
The photography and DVD is included in the package price
The guest list is a limit of 100
Cons-
I really don't like the chapel or the chairs (the chairs are a big deal for me, don't ask, I don't know why)
The wedding coordinator I spoke with was kind of rude, and short to answer questions
Their reception brochure pricing is misleading
That is all I have for today, hopefully I will get through a few more tomorrow.......I'd really like to get through the list this week.
Until next time,
Stephanie
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wedding Blog vs. Wedding Website?
So here's my dilemma, do I want a Wedding Blog or a Wedding Website, or both? I like this whole Blog idea, the ability to share the details as they become available is really appealing to me, especially since the whole thing has kind of changed, and changed, and just when we thought we had it all nailed down, it changes again :). I guess the best way to explain this would be to give some background about the whole wedding planning process.....
First we were going to get married in February 2009, at some location in the Phoenix Metro Area, I spent several hours a day for several weeks trying to find the perfect place that would fit our guest list as well as our budget.....except we didn't really have a budget, I don't know how to come up with a freaking wedding budget. But I did know that this was VERY exhausting, as well as stressful, especially since everything was going to cost several thousand dollars each. I was losing my mind. For as much as Jim loves me (and believe me, he does, especially after he put up with this particular time frame) he wasn't thrilled with the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, he wants to get married, he just didn't want the whole several thousand dollar ordeal.
So, we started talking and we really liked the whole backyard BBQ idea, so switching gears and dates, now we were planning to get married in March 2009, I spend several hours a night, for about a week looking at vacation rental homes in various parts of Arizona. I found this beautiful cabin in Payson, and was in love. We made an appointment for the following weekend to check it out, and it was PERFECT, except it was also for sale, go figure. Then we were right back at square one, and time was running out.
The thing for me was that I wanted to get married on our anniversary, but it fell on a Tuesday and in January. But it seemed that with all the "roadblocks" in the way for the other dates, we finally decided that our anniversary was the perfect date for us to get married, and that Las Vegas was the best option. So I spent about two hours on the computer looking at hotels (3 to be exact) and decided on the Stratosphere. So the date is set, the location is set.
Until now, I spent several hours online last night, and found about 7 other casinos that I wouldn't mind getting married at, in fact it's going to be a hard decision for me to make. I'm going to have to break out the Pro's and Con's list, and enlist the help of my Maid of Honor......rest assured the date isn't going to change, just the location might.
Now back to my original dilemma, which is better a wedding blog where I can keep everyone updated on the whole planning process, or the wedding website, where I can just put the finalized information in, and a little bit about how we met?
Who am I kidding, I'm going to have both........I'll let you know when the website is done :).
-Steph
First we were going to get married in February 2009, at some location in the Phoenix Metro Area, I spent several hours a day for several weeks trying to find the perfect place that would fit our guest list as well as our budget.....except we didn't really have a budget, I don't know how to come up with a freaking wedding budget. But I did know that this was VERY exhausting, as well as stressful, especially since everything was going to cost several thousand dollars each. I was losing my mind. For as much as Jim loves me (and believe me, he does, especially after he put up with this particular time frame) he wasn't thrilled with the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, he wants to get married, he just didn't want the whole several thousand dollar ordeal.
So, we started talking and we really liked the whole backyard BBQ idea, so switching gears and dates, now we were planning to get married in March 2009, I spend several hours a night, for about a week looking at vacation rental homes in various parts of Arizona. I found this beautiful cabin in Payson, and was in love. We made an appointment for the following weekend to check it out, and it was PERFECT, except it was also for sale, go figure. Then we were right back at square one, and time was running out.
The thing for me was that I wanted to get married on our anniversary, but it fell on a Tuesday and in January. But it seemed that with all the "roadblocks" in the way for the other dates, we finally decided that our anniversary was the perfect date for us to get married, and that Las Vegas was the best option. So I spent about two hours on the computer looking at hotels (3 to be exact) and decided on the Stratosphere. So the date is set, the location is set.
Until now, I spent several hours online last night, and found about 7 other casinos that I wouldn't mind getting married at, in fact it's going to be a hard decision for me to make. I'm going to have to break out the Pro's and Con's list, and enlist the help of my Maid of Honor......rest assured the date isn't going to change, just the location might.
Now back to my original dilemma, which is better a wedding blog where I can keep everyone updated on the whole planning process, or the wedding website, where I can just put the finalized information in, and a little bit about how we met?
Who am I kidding, I'm going to have both........I'll let you know when the website is done :).
-Steph
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