Blog Wedding Planning, an update

Posted this the other day, so I am just moving it here.

I've actually been wanting to do this for awhile, but never got around to it. So I'm going to do it while I have the chance.

We set our wedding date, and I am going completely crazy trying to get everything together. It really seems like time is flying by and I don't have near enough even though we aren't getting married til October 5. So far, we've booked the venue. The pictures aren't the greatest, but it's an amazing place if you use your imagination.

From the outside



Inside the grand ballroom


The view of the river with the fountain that will be running during the ceremony


The windows from inside


We have the venue for 8 hours, so we are going to use it for both ceremony and reception. It's right on the river, and the grand ballroom is on the 3rd floor with a balcony overlooking the fountain and the river. It was one of our top two venue choices. The other venue never returned my 3 phone calls over the last month or so, so we went with this one.

Even though we have the venue, I'm going crazy and feel like I don't have any time to relax and get my mind together to think things through. Well, between trying to plan this with Kyle pretty much leaving everything up to me ("Whatever you want, honey." When what I want is his opinion), working 40 hours a week, and my mom's health declining again. She had another surgery last week because she lost feeling in her left hand, foot, and developed a blind spot in her left eye. The blind spot is likely permanent but post surgery, she's re-gained use of her hand and foot. We are still waiting for the pathology reports.

I've been to one bridal expo, and I'm going to another on Sunday in another town hoping to get more ideas. We have the caterer narrowed down to two, but I have yet to speak with either of them because Kyle and I work different shifts and we both want to speak with them. Ugh, I'm glad I'm not a wedding planner. This isn't easy, and I definitely don't envy someone who does this all the time.

All in all, I am excited (and a bit overwhelmed) to do this. Kyle's mom is going to let us use her timeshare in Orlando for a honeymoon, which is nice. I just can't wait til all the planning is done, but I am sure it will all work out. In the meantime, I am willing to take any advice or suggestions haha. I'm tired of feeling like an energizer battery.

I like the venue, I'm sure it will look great inside when it's all ready to go.

Cool

Looks beautiful! I looked at that fountain part and thought, damn an outside wedding here would be great

I really think the venue is amazing for the price. It's costing $800 to use it for 8 hours. And their staff sets up and takes down.

The fountain is part of what sold me on it. When I am at a computer and not my phone I will get a picture of the place at night. It's usually beautiful here in October so the fountain will make for great pictures.

Are you getting married in New Bern? It looks similar to a lovely facility there, although similar in that I saw it once and these pictures resemble that vague memory. its very nice!

Awesome! I want to see the picture at night

I am not romantic and i will never be romantic. liking buildings and fountains isn't romantic, lol

Nope, it's in Peoria,IL. Relatively new building too. Built in '97 I think.

I love the wood ceilings.

Pretty and very excited for you! Love the fountain idea and I do think the whole setting has a romantic feel to it.

Are you serious!?! That's a freaking steal. There's a place in my town with a similar looking "venue", but it was like $1200 for four hours. I ended up paying $275 for my ceremony location and $475 for the reception hall (I think).

And you can do it. I planned my wedding in...about three months. And it turned out beautifully, I thought. Having a wedding planning book really helped me just to have some sort of organization. I made my own invitations that I bought at Hobby Lobby, and we made our own centerpieces and toasting glasses to save more. Plus, I just bought my bridesmaids nice dresses from Macy's instead of spending a ton of money on actual, marketed bridesmaids dresses.

okay, not my picture but this is the building at night with the fountain going

Kyle's mom thought the venue's price was outrageous and was mad that we didn't shop around more. I was planning on making our invitations and centerpieces but didn't think about the toasting glasses. What did you do for them? I'm not a very creative person. My bridesmaids are going to buy their own dresses, and I told them that I don't care what they look like (to an extent ) or how much they spend as long as the colors match the scheme. I'm just going to pick their dress colors. I think the photographer, caterer and maybe the dj are going to take most of our money. We did find a dj who needs help with a computer program, so we may try to barter with him since Kyle has an idea of how to make a program to do what he wants it to. I honestly have given almost no thought to a florist, though.

I would imagine that by making your own champagne flutes, she meant you buy plain ones and then decorate them yourself. Although that seems like such a minor thing to worry about, I really doubt guests are going to care what their glasses look like.

The venue looks really beautiful, congrats! If I were getting married, I'd save all my money for a reception with an open bar, but I'm a lush, as are most of my friends, nothing says celebration like getting three sheets to the wind and dry humping no fewer than 6 wedding guests on the dance floor.

1. $800 for 8 hours is a steal
2. That lady sounds bonkers
3. Don't know if this helps, but there are some pretty rad, customizable FREE printable invitations on this site.
http://www.weddingchicks.com/freebies/invitation-suites/

Just decorated them myself. I'll post a photo when I am not on my phone. Might be a minor detail, but, hey, must think of everything! Oh, and we made our bouquets, too. Just bought fake flowers from Walmart and put them together. Worked for me since i didn't care much about flowers at all. Catering did suck, but we ended up going with a full meal for the same price as some of the places that would just have served appetizers. As for booze, we had a keg and a couple random other things. Open bar.

I figured she meant she decorated them herself. I wanted to know what she used for decorating them. We aren't having an open bar, but we will have alcohol. I've never been to a wedding with an open bar, and didn't stop people. At my friend Gabby's wedding back in September, I was a bridesmaid and Gabby's dad got so toasted he was trying to do the macarena and he didn't know the dance and was talking to Kyle and I about how much he likes us even though he couldn't remember our names.

The caterers here charge about $19 a person for buffet type meals, which is what we wanted. I went to an expo yesterday and got some great ideas for the cake, dj, and photographer. I was most happy about the cake and the dj. We found a girl that makes beautiful and yummy 5 tier cakes for $300, and we don't need one that big. There was a DJ there from Peoria who charges $100/hr but he also DJs at two of the clubs here and Kyle was going to help him with a computer program to help organize his songs. I introduced myself and told him that I know his brother in law and that Kyle wanted to help him, and gave him Kyle's phone number. I'm hoping he cuts us a deal. I think the photographer is going to be expensive no matter what we do.

That venue is amazing for that price, it'll look great decorated. Do you have a theme or colour scheme worked out yet?

I'm thinking a fall theme. Something like this