I Think I'm on a Roll

I talked a couple of weeks ago in this post about not being able to choose between a full service planner and just a day of coordinator. And I even weighed the pros and cons of each. After all of that, I still couldn't decide, because this little thing called a wedding budget kept lingering in the back of my mind. And I really didn't want to make a bad decision, have I mentioned that I really tend to over-think and analyze things ALOT. And this was no exception.

I really went back in forth in my mind many times over, thinking about all the extra stuff that we could do with the money that we would be using to pay for the coordinator. I mean at the very least we definitely knew that we were going to get a DOC. But should we splurge for the full service option instead? This picture pretty much sums up my demeanor leading up to this decision.

Source

I talked some more with my fiance to really try and air out my concerns one last time. And all my concerns really had to do with money, I mean when planning such an event what concerns don't. But the one thing that put everything over the edge was that, using the full service planning option could really help us to save money overall, especially on the big ticket items which we hadn't booked yet, namely the caterer.  And since we only talked with one event planning company we didn't have to make another hard choice between two companies, we knew who we were going with.

So without further ado, the wonderful ladies of DIYva Designs will be helping us organize and plan our budget DIY wedding from semi-start (since I already have some stuff booked) to finish and I can't wait for the fun to begin. We chose them because their company concept really meshed well with what we are trying to accomplish. I don't wanna get into a sales pitchy but...they specialize in helping couples design and construct their wedding on the budget that they have all the while assisting and advising you on your own DIY projects!

I can't wait to get started and see what great ideas they come up with. I'll keep you posted.

The College Years...Part II & Finale

When we last left off, I was finishing up my freshman year at Pitt and basically submitting my transfer application to UMD. That was definitely a difficult year in more ways than one. Fast forward to sophomore year, I'm now at UMD, and I couldn't be happier. I was closer to home (well actually living at home), less stressed out financially and I was with my bestfriend aka my fiance, who was also attending UMD. I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Sophomore through Junior year were seemingly uneventful. I mean there was the typical college stuff, nothing I need to go into detail about though. But senior year would prove to be the best year yet. We were both getting senioritis and were just ready to be done with the whole thing. I was lucky enough to have found a job early on and was sitting pretty for the final semester. And a couple weeks before graduation, I knew something was up...he had something up his sleeve, but I couldn't really put my finger on it and he didn't cave under my pressure tactics. Until one day when we randomly ventured out into DC for a day, and he planned everything, start to finish. I mean he does these things now but back then, this was a first.

African-American Civil War Memorial, learn more

We strolled around U St., ate at the famed Ben's Chili Bowl and topped the day off with a wonderful dessert from Cake Love, you know, the one that was featured on the Food Network sometime back (yes, I'm slightly obsessed with that channel). Even though we are both from the DC area we had never taken the time to explore the city like we should have or wanted to, so this was perfect. Just when I thought we were heading back to campus, we stopped at the African-American Civil War Memorial and that's when/where it happened...he proposed! It wasn't crazy romantic, but it was totally him, and perfectly us. And like I said before, I'm horrible with dates, so yeah, I just know it's around the time of April 2007. So there you have it folks the quick and dirty of how we met, stayed together through college and found ourselves engaged.

The Road to the Perfect Photographer

You've gotten a glimpse into the type of photography that I adore and get frequent crushes on and I've also mentioned how we couldn't make up our minds regarding two fabulous photographers. But now I'll tell you how we reached that point.

Like any other wedding related task it starts with google. I wanted to learn everything there was about wedding photography - what are the prices, what does it entail, what am I in for...you know the typical stuff. But I also wanted to know what some other regular people like me were doing in terms of choosing their photographers, so I headed over Weddingbee. I searched the boards many times over, local boards, general boards, blogs, etc reading any and everything that I could. I came across a local post on a DC board which was really helpful where many brides talked about who their photographers were and their photography budgets. It really helped me to see who people were using and research portfolios. I quickly learned what type of photography I was into and wasn't into. That's where I discovered my local photography crush which would prove to be out of my price range. And believe me I was convinced this person was the end all be all, I had even setup a meeting with the woman. But I eventually canceled when I talked some sense into myself and came back to reality. 

I found the following websites to be a great resource and I'll go into more detail on how they helped me in a later post. So for now, that's it.

• www.wpja.org
• www.weddingwire.com

The College Years...Part I

We left off at senior year of high school...yes, we went to prom together, and that summer was the best summer EVER up to that point. We literally spent every waking moment together. This was primarily because at the end of summer I was moving away to Pittsburgh to start my freshman year of college at Pitt and he was staying local. To say the least we were dreading my departure day.

Leaving for Pitt, I felt a new sense of independence, I was starting something new, going to meet new people and have lots of new experiences. And those first couple of months were just that really fun and exciting. But I started to get homesick and maybe even lovesick. Traveling home for the holidays (on Greyhound...I could write a whole post about that experience) was always bittersweet because it seemed like as soon as I got there it was time to go back north. There just wasn't enough time. We probably spent wayyy too much time talking to one another; our phone marathon sessions as I'd like to call them. They probably contributed to my first 'C' ever! Needless to say, I was planning my transfer back to MD before I even hit my second semester (believe me it wasn't all for love...that out of state tuition was a killer!). I transferred to University of Maryland and our story continues...

Wedding Indecision

I'm torn. My brain is mish mosh. I just don't know what to do. All this indecision has to do with our wedding photography. We have two photographers that we are seriously considering and therein lies the problem, they are both pretty fabulous. And they are both within the same price range! I love both of their portfolios and their personalities are great as well. I've done a pros and cons list and there really aren't many cons for either one. Why couldn't one of them just have a serious deal breaker so that this decision would be a little bit easier.

Another part of the problem is that my fiance and I were only able to meet with one of the photographers together. For the other, I was the only one that could make the meeting, so we have a little bit of a lopsided perspective here. I've asked both of the photographers if we could see one of their weddings from start to finish. I know we should have done this during the actual sessions but my brain wasn't working properly. So hopefully they'll oblige this request and we will be able to really compare apples to apples.

Stay tuned for how this ends...

How We Met

Long story short, were high school sweethearts who have lived in the same MD suburb for a majority of our lives only to cross paths once we get into high school land. But I know you want the back story so here it is...

We had classes together every year, however, neither one of us ever showed an interest in the other...I guess we had other ideas. It wasn't until our 11th grade year that we really began to build a really great friendship...he was funny, silly, easy to talk to and it just worked. But the fun of the summer ensued and we lost touch, not because we were busy doing other things...but as we would both later reveal to one another...because we were stubborn. Yep I said it, stubborn. We were both waiting on the other to call and we both refused to be one to make the call. As senior year rolled around, I think we both wanted our telephone time back and the silence was broken.

We talked and talked and it's not like he never showed an interest in building a real relationship with me but for some reason I couldn't let him out of the dreaded "friend-zone". I don't know whether I didn't take him seriously (did I mention he can be really silly) or the fact that I actually liked him too but didn't want to be vulnerable. Anyway you spin it, we didn't really make our relationship official until senior year was almost over. So for all the guys out there persistence does pay off...at least in our case.

You Are My Photo Crush

While surfing some of my go-to wedding blogs Style Me Pretty and the like, I found some great photo inspiration which quickly turned into another wedding obsession AND my first wedding crush. I love the emotion captured in these photographs and I love that they show the love between the couple on their big day. So it's my mission to find a photographer to provide crush-worthy photos for us. Photo's below...I know I'm not the only one with a wedding crush.

All photos from Style Me Pretty & Jubilee Events

The Perfect Date

Photo Sources: this, this, this

I'm sure that picture makes no sense right now, but it will shortly... let me explain. When we finally decided that 2011 would be our year, we had three rules that helped us narrow down our date selection.

• Rule #1 - The date wasn't significant, I mean, seriously, we don't remember our engagement date so it wouldn't be the anniversary of that event
• Rule #2 - can not coincide with major sports events (March Madness, Superbowl, blah, blah, blah)
• Rule #3 - Wanted a summerish wedding; warm weather but hopefully not scorching (fingers crossed)
• Rule # 4 - Couldn't clash with other important family dates such as birthdays, long-celebrated holidays, etc

Based on rules 1-3 we narrowed it down to the months of August-October and we were convinced that we wanted either a September or October wedding, until Rule #4 put the kabosh on that idea. And here's why. Both of our families really love to celebrate birthdays with dinners, activities and the like. And for some reason all the  central family members are born primarily in the months of September - October. To get the real gist, here's a breakdown:

• September birthdays - me, my dad, his mom
• October birthdays - fiance, my mom, his sister-in-law

There's literally a birthday every week in each of our preferred months, so after doing this mapping we knew that August it was going to be, so August 2011 it is!

Bridal Savings Alert!

Source: Ideeli Bridal Boutique Sale

Ideeli is a website similar to Gilt Groupe and if you're not familiar with either here's the lowdown: ideeli is a site that provides designer labels at a deep discount and occaisionally they feature great bridal sales, like today!

Use this link www.ideeli.com/invite/ToBeWedDC to gain access to the Ideeli. There you will find their Bridal Boutique sale which is featuring beautiful weddings gowns from the likes of Davinci and Jacquelin Exclusive for just $299!!!

Full vs. DOC Services...How Does a Girl Choose

Back to the wedding planner situation...the fiance and I had a chance to meet with one of the "real" wedding planners this weekend that we've been exchanging emails with over the past couple of months. And their company and concept is just what I'm looking for and its definitely what I need.  Going into the brief session I was pretty sure that we were just looking for a day of coordinator (DOC). But after the meeting and hearing all the questions that she asked us, I sort of felt like a fish out of water AGAIN (for like millionth time). And I'm beginning to think that this is another part of the process that should also be left to a professional.

But again, the practical part of me is saying we shouldn't spend so much of our money on said professional and just stick with DOC services. But this is the exact reason why I having another opinion in this whole process is so critical because my fiance played devil's advocate and really helped me weigh out both options and consider the full picture, not just $$. Here's what we came up with...

Full Planner vs. DOC Pros:

• Takes care of negotiations - fiance doesn't negotiate and I'd like to think I have the skills but they're honestly sub-par at best
• Can save us $$$ - so the ROI could potentially be the key thing in this whole process
• Help us craft our vision - really brings our vision to life
• Provide great alternatives that we would have never thought of

  
Full Planner vs. DOC Cons:

• Financial investment - did I mention I'm on a budget
• I don't like to give up control  - over anything

We still have some thinking to do before we definitely decide one way or the other, but I do know for sure that they're the company we will be using. Once a firm decision is made, I'll reveal who we chose, so you can see how wonderful they are for yourselves.

You're a Wedding Planner Too!?!

Have you had the dubious experience where every family friend, neighbor or new acquaintance is a wedding planner as soon as you utter the words...we set a date.

Ok, maybe it's just us, but they've come out of the woodwork. And for the most part we just don't like the idea of mixing friends/family with business, because in our experience and others it just doesn't turn out well in the end. And for something as important as our wedding day, there are just some things I don't want to take a chance on. And for the position of organizing and running our wedding day, we would prefer an unbiased opinion and not someone who we have to see and interact with at every future family function if for some reason, their performance isn't up to parr. Were keeping our wedding day and our future drama free from beginning to end.

I'm Not Good With Dates

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So... if you looked at this then you probably noticed that I don't have an actual date for when we became engaged. Please believe, this was not intentional, our date is not shrouded in secrecy...it's pretty simple actually... I don't remember AND neither does he. He's generally very good about remembering our important dates and reminding me of them if I ask, because those milestone dates just aren't ingrained in my memory. I'm just not good with that type of thing. I know what you're thinking "how could she not remember such an important date in her relationship?"

Well I do remember, and I remember it vividly, including all the details and emotions of the day and how happy we both were and where we were and what we did. I just don't remember the calendar day...and that's fine with me and it's fine with him. Because in the end, it's the happiness that I love and cherish about the day he decided he was ready to spend the rest of his life with me.

Don't worry, you'll get all the details of the infamous day in a later post :)

Allow Me to Introduce Myself..

So I've been thinking about how I should start THE VERY POST that will kick off the very existence of my entry into the blogosphere...just a little pressure right? Well here goes nothing...

I am a native Marylander who hails from a small suburb right outside of Washington, DC and Northern VA..I love the convenience of being near so many great cities. I'm doing a stint in the nonprofit world focused on early childhood education and I'm a lover of all things dessert related. We've been engaged since 2007 and for many people that's an eternity and believe me at every family function for the past 3 years I've gotten the "so when's the big day" question. But for the fiance and I, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

I wanted to start this blog because I've been scouring the web looking for both inspiration and advice on this whole wedding planning stuff and I felt as though this would be another great way to add more stress into my life...sarcastic much. But seriously, I just want to chronicle my newbie attempts (both successes and failures, I know they're coming) at planning a wonderful wedding on a very tight budget within the DC area.

So stay tuned...