Recent Happenings: Part II
Written by Sara on October 13, 2009 – 10:01 am -
Hello everyone!
I believe that I am reaching the stage in my wedding planning when I don’t want to be overwhelmed by wedding inspiration. I know this because I’m actually getting sick of clicking every day on the (count ‘em) THIRTEEN wedding blogs I frequent. I’m actually proud of myself for reaching this point, because to me, my frustration over centerpieces only involving flowers means that I know I don’t want to throw money at using large amounts of flowers that will simply die one week later. In other words, the frustrations I feel when I look at wedding blogs is simply me pushing back against the “do-it-yourself” wedding arena. It’s me saying, “Yes, I will do-it-myself, but I’ll do it my own way, thank you very much.” It feels good!
Now, to update you all on the issue of my wedding dress: I’m in the process of coming to terms with my love for all-satin gown. Just because I didn’t expect to fall in love with it doesn’t make it wrong that I did; it simply makes the very act surprising, which, to tell you the truth, is a lot like how I fell in love with J. I didn’t expect to fall in love with him, and I could never have imagined how he makes me feel every day, but here we are, getting ready to celebrate and formalize our love through marriage. Strange, isn’t it!
So, my plan: there’s a possibility that the Pronovias gown that I love will be on sale in the month of January (trunk sales are a wonderful thing!). However, it needs to be significantly on sale for me to open my heart (and my wallet) fully to the gown, so in the meantime, I’m going back to ever-faithful David’s Bridal to try on their selection of all-satin gowns (a selection I avoided in favor of lace my first time there). I fully expect this experience to feel painful and to feel like I’m chasing after a gown that I can’t afford, but at the same time, I hope to find a simple, suitable (and beautiful) gown to serve as a back-up for the Pronovias gown.
Secondly, the issue of the venue has been weighing heavily on my heart. J and I really loved Vintage, and we’re very sad that we couldn’t use it for our wedding reception. However, I’ve gone back over the initial research I did on venues in Sioux Falls, and I toured two possible venues last week. The first was the banquet room in the basement of Cherry Creek Grill, a restaurant on the east side of Sioux Falls. While the size is right (150 people) and the room rental is exactly the right price ($150 total!), the overall look of the room (and, ahem, the smell: smoky) left a lot to be desired. However, they are available on our date, and, if my gut feeling is correct, will probably remain available for some time, as it’s a relatively unknown space.
The second venue, however, surprised me much like the Pronovias gown. I have placed a 30-day hold on the 3rd floor lobby space at the Washington Pavilion Museum of Arts & Science in Sioux Falls. The lobby is a grand space with columns, a huge maple stationary bar, and plenty of space to accomodate both our wedding guests and a dance floor. On top of that, rental of the space is $700, a steal as compared to what we’d have to spend for a similar location. We’re currently awaiting word from Leonardo’s Cafe, who would cater the event, on price quotes for food, and as long as the quotes are in line with our budget, I fully expect us to host our wedding reception here.
Tags: Cherry Creek, David's Bridal, Pronovias, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Budget Weddings, Fashion, Our Wedding, Venues | 1 Comment »
An Update on Recent Happenings
Written by Sara on October 12, 2009 – 9:58 am -
Hello all,
I like to think that some of you readers miss my regular posts, which is why I usually begin a blog post with “I’m sorry I suck at posting regularly,” but this time, I really do sincerely apologize for my lack of posting. My life has been rather busy these past two weeks, first with the GRE test (which went well, yay!) and then planning and executing a baby shower for my future sister-in-law (pictures forthcoming!).
To update you on the last post I published, I have been struggling with how exactly I want to interpret the “vintage-inspired” theme at our wedding next July. When I first imagined our wedding, I saw me in an all-lace gown and J in a charcoal grey tux with moss, birdhouses and family abound.
However, I went wedding gown shopping last weekend with my Mom and one of my bridesmaids, Jordan’s very pregnant sister Larissa, and I literally fell in love with a Pronovias gown that (to put it simply) didn’t have one stitch of lace on it. Since then, this gown has sent me on a tailspin, both because of the price tag (too expensive for my budget, I’ve decided) and because it’s something that I didn’t expect to love so dearly or want so badly.
On top of that, J and I went to meet with Chad at Vintage, the site we were looking at for our wedding reception, and he notified us that he’s no longer planning to add a pavilion to his current event space. The current space can only hold 120 people indoors with the remainder of guests seated on the patios flanking the property, and since we will most likely have more than 120 guests attending and will have to have guests seated outdoors, I felt especially uncomfortable banking on good weather. So, J and I sadly decided to cancel our hold on the space for next July; it was sad for us because we really love the space and wish that we could have utilized it!
So, to sum: The dress I love has sent me on a tailspin, and we’re back at square one with the reception venue (a task that seriously is the most frustrating part of wedding planning for me).
Don’t be concerned: stay tuned later tonight for my optimistic (and hopefully not too idealistic) response to these two frustrations!
Tags: GRE, Pronovias, Vintage
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Fashion, Our Wedding, Venues | No Comments »