VEil pick up!

Stale content, I know, is the worst thing one for a blogger. I’ve just been crazy busy and not had a tremendous amount of time and really, I have been so focused on Christmas and have been working on so many unrelated projects (which means I am extra scatter brained!) that I haven’t had time to think about weddings.

Here’s some exciting news, once again work took me to the Big Apple for the day so I was able to carve out an hour and get some wedding schtuff taken care of. Most important -I picked up my veil today!!!! I have a sneaking suspicion (ok, he told me) that FH logs on to here every now and then so I don’t want to give too much away.

As you may recall, I posted a few weeks ago about my trip to SposaBella Lace to have a veil made (ask for Maci, she was fantastic and even tipped me and mom off to a sale down the block where we bought lots of costume jewelry for next to nothing - I am talking $3 nothing). The veil was a quarter of the price of getting one in the department store where I got my dress. I wanted something simple and could not justify in anyway paying upwards of $400 for two pieces of tulle.

I also picked up my hair piece, I really don’t know what I am going to do with it but I loved it and will bring it to my trial - which is this Friday!!!

All in all I could not be happier with the veil and would highly recommend thinking outside of the bridal salon to purchase your veil and other accessories. They get you because you are there. When you are spending a lot already it is easy to say – hey – what’s an extra $500, but really, think of what that could mean? That’s another 3.5 people I could invite! A step up in the welcome baskets, or heck, that almost covers the cost of my bridesmaids gifts. So when I was able to have the simple veil that was $450 custom made for $95 and the hair piece (just a simple comb) that I saw in Saks for $375 for $95, I think I made the right decision.

Coming this week...
Hair and makeup trials, food tasting, and everything else I can get done over the holidays!!!!

Father's Rules

Love this, from author W. Bruce Cameron’s new book “8 Simple Rules for Marrying My Daughter” offers humorous advice from dads to the new men in their daughters’ lives.

Here are his first three rules:

1. If you neglected to ask my permission before you proposed to my daughter, don’t worry about it. You can make it up to me by making sure your wedding is both beautiful and to a different woman.

2. There are many, many men your age in this world, but there is only one woman who is my daughter. She is unique. You, on the other hand, can be replaced at any time.

3. My whole life, it has been my job to make my daughter happy. Now it will be your job. My job will be to make sure you do your job. And don’t think that just because my daughter picked you, it means you meet my personal standards for what is good for her. I haven’t made up my mind yet, and will be evaluating you over a period known as forever.

This could be a great Xmas gift for Dad, or maybe a great gift from Dad to your fiance! Here's a description from its site:
"Following the stunning success of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter -- which was adapted into a TV show for ABC -- W. Bruce Cameron returns with an even more hilarious look at fatherhood, capturing the predicament of the forgotten man in the tux at his little girl's wedding. "

Two dresses? Two looks?

OK, so the two-dress trend is definitely one of the latest and greatest. I love the idea in concept. I mean, giant wedding dresses are definitely not always conducive to cutting a rug all night long. And sometimes the same dress doesn't look right in a church and then in a sleek reception setting.

The post idea came ffter reading an article in the Argus Times (it came across the wedding news ticker), in the article Mark Ingram was quoted saying he saw the trend emerge about 2 years ago and has continued on.

Here's one celeb that made the dramatic change: Christina Aguilera
Dress 1 elegant, form fitting with a heck of a train by Christian LaCroix


Dress 2 Sexy number, definitely a party dress made for dancing and showing the Xtina personality. This one was designed by her stylist Simone Harouche.

Designers are now catering to this trend as well. Go to Priscilla of Boston's website and there is a whole section of "Reception" dresses!
You could go from one of their over the top Platinum collections like this

Or maybe you have a garden wedding and you are looking for something romantic like this from the Vineyard collection?

But then you want to let loose from the tulle or drop the romance and get sexy so you throw on one of these numbers and you are ready to partay (all shown from POB)

Conceptually I LOVE this idea but for a couple of reasons I cannot fathom doing this.
1. My dress was expensive. Maybe not for everyone but for me, its definitely the most expensive thing I have ever worn. How could only wear it for the 1 hour ceremony plus some pics? Seems ridiculous (unless you are the above mentioned Xtina and the wedding dress is just another expensive thing you will don). I mean I justify buying $200 jeans by tellinng myself I will wear them again and again and again. How could I purchase something for thousands of dollars to wear for an hour?

2. I love my dress. I really love it. I want to wear it for as long as possible.
Besides, I didn't go too over the top and I moved around a lot when I tried it on to make sure it was danceable.

However, when I started planning my day, I did want to add some sort of costume change in there. The ceremony is during the day at a traditional Catholic church by the beach. The reception is in the evening in a formal setting, The Woodlands mansion. Wouldn't it be the perfect wedding for a dress change? I think so, but again, not really in the cards.

So here's my plan-
For the church I am going to do pearl studs, pearl strand necklace, veil. Not exactly like this - well not really at all but you get the idea, classic bride wearing classic pearls.
(pic from BridalfashonMall)
Then, once I am ready to get to the evening reception and want to sport a more nighttime look, my plan is to get a pair of "wow" chandelier earrings and go drop both the necklace and the veil. I'll also have in a hair "spray" that I got from here.

What's your thoughts on the dress change phenom? Do you plan to do anything to differentiate the ceremony and reception? NOT that you HAVE to, you spend months figuring out what to wear to one!

Ring Bearer- Pillow Alternatives

Dear FH has an 8 year old son that is very much a part of our family and we want to have play a big role in our wedding. We thought that he would be an usher and stand alongside the bestmen (yes I said men, there are two) but when we told him about the wedding he said, "Cool, can I be the ring dude?"

LOL, sure, you can be whatever you want. I think when we get to the rehearsal though, he'll want to stand with all of the guys. He's a guys's guy, and he's 8. There's no question he is a rough and tumble sports fanatic (his father's son.)

Here's the dilemma. While doing all of this wedding obsessed Internet surfing I kept finding the most gorgeous ring bearer pillows.

Like these from blogger extraordinaire, Brooklyn Bride who started Brooklyn Pillow:


I mean, can't you totally see throwing this on a chair to funky it up after the wedding?

Or I love the elegance in a pillow like this from Etsy seller Emici Bridal:



Well, everytime I almost bought them I thought of the face I would get when I told future stepson he had to walk down a church aisle carrying a pillow. It just seems wrong to make this boy's boy carry a dainty pillow.

I started wondering if there were alternatives to pillow carrying. Here are some cute things I found:

Maybe carry a banner like WeddingBee Mrs. Radish did?


HOw about a bell ringer? I had a cousin do this and it was adorable. Although, I'm not sure he would go for this either. If he did, I can assure you it will be quite the ringing. Here's a cute pic from Bridal Party Tees Blog. She also has a nice post on this option.



Do you have any ideas? PLEASE share!

BTW- 8 down, 50 more to go!

Just as a quick update, with the Save the Dates out about a month now we have heard about 9 people that will not be able to make the wedding (4 couples, 1 child). It is awful but I am relieved. One couple I am sad about but they have a VERY good reason. The Save the Date went out to 259 people (meaning number of people that would be invited with those STDs, dates, etc) and my dream goal is exacty 200 people which is what our minimum is (yes, I included FH and I). I think we are in good shape because so many people are from out of town. If, by chance we get a lot of "no's" I am not worried, we are well prepared with a b-list of people that definitely should have been on an a-list if we didn't both have such huge families.
Anyway, just something I was thinking about and thought I would share.

Fancy Find #9 - PaperZest, Wedding & Christmas!!

OK, yet again I have been an absent blogger, this darn work thing always getting in the way. I totally thought I would coast between Thanx and Xmas but that has definitely NOT been the case.

Nevertheless, I have a great FANCY FIND for you today!!!

My friend Sara, (you may remember her beautiful wedding details from this post) had some of the most beautiful, fun and funky stationery I have seen in a long time. She ordered her customized suite through PaperZest. Which, I have seen recommended on such sites as Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book and others.

Here's some pics of her fun stuff:






I love how everything is coordinated but nothing is too matchy matchy- something that lots of people strive for but not always achieved.

Sara and Christina from PaperZest hit it off so well they decided to collaborate and do some Christmas cards together!!!They have an Etsy shop where you can buy these sassy little greetings. I think they are great if you are giving a gift certificate or something like that where you need a special card for your fun friend. Maybe order a few and add them to a hostess gift. You'll love the fun designs and the witty sayings that are perfect for the stylish and saucy gal pal or boy toy.

I love this one:
"All I want for Christmas is you"
"And something from Tiffany's but that's neither here nor there"


How great! You know you all love it! There are more fun cards so check them out!

I'm Back! Custom Veil Shop

Hey Ladies!!! I am back and back to a semi-normal work schedule where I can blog a bit and more importantly read some blogs!

I got a lot done in a short period of time but there's still a lot to do, I cannot believe I only have 172 days left. Whoa, once you take out the holidays, it will really be here tomorrow.

Let me tell you about the great veil experience I had! I should start by telling you that when I found my dress the sales woman gave me the perfect simple veil to try on. I loved it, just two pieces of tulle, not very puffy and a simple ribbon edge. As I was signing my bill I thought, wait, this does not add up. Oh, because she threw in the $450 piece of tulle. "My dear, this is a very good price for Manhattan", which made me think to myself "listen skinny little NYC socialite wedding fashion authority, then I will look someplace else!" (I say this with the disclaimer that I love and adore her, I just wasn't about to pay $450 for tulle that you can buy at Michael's)

Enter my mom who works in the garment district in NYC. There are fabric and trim stores everywhere. She works close to the famous Mood from Project Runway. My mom started looking around on her lunch breaks and stumbled upon Sposabella Lace. She told them I was looking for a fingertip length two layer diamond white veil with a simple trim. No problem! So I told my mom just to go ahead and order it and they told her that I had to come in, "your fingertip and her fingertip will not be the same length" duh, we didn't think of that!

So, when I had about 2 hours free in NYC last week we went in.
Here's the front of the store, nothing special, just a small fabric store. Its got some really bad flourescent lighting but you are paying a quarter of the price while getting it made specifically for you so you get over it.


I turned the corner and there were two rows of veils.

Its not overwhelming at all, just the perfect amount. See, there really are just a couple of basic styles and you work from there. You pick your length or general style (I wanted simple tulle) then started adding trim, picking the amount of "poofiness" by how much it is gathered, adding layers and the way it falls. The sales girl was great, I, of course, forgot her name but I didn't get the impression that there were too many people that work there.

I went with a simple double ribbon edge, which shockingly is the one I do not have pictures of! But, here's all of the trim you can look at! You can even bring in samples of your dress if there is lace and I can gaurantee that you will find a match.





In the end I went with a simple, two layer, simple gather (middle amount of "poofy", the technical term they used and wrote on my order form) with a double edge satin. It is like two thin rows of trim and just adds something to it. It is fingertip and diamond white. It is almost identical to the $450 one from Saks, instead it has a little extra with the edging. You know what I paid for it...$95!!! Hooray!!

Now, I haven't picked it up yet so I don't want to give them the ultimate glowing review but so far definitely so good, choices were vast, price was right and service was really friendly. I have to be back in NYC for work in a couple of weeks and will pick it up then. I imagine you can get it in about a week and you can have it shipped to you.

Here's the address and contact information for you NYC brides:

Tel: 212-354-4729
Fax: 212-391-4208
Email: Sposabellalace@aol.com
252 West 40th Street, New York, N.Y. 10018


Oh, one more thing before I forget. As tried on the different styles we (me and sales assoc.)would look at my mom for an opinion. She gave subtle opinions but nothing overwheming, the perfect amount of guidance a girl would want. The sales woman was so amazed by this and kept telling me I had a great mom. As if I didn't know that!:) :) And funny enough there was a girl in the store getting a lace and satin dress custom made (you can do that too!) and the mother was being SOOO pushy they were both almost in tears. I could not imagine!!! So yes, I know, I have a great mom!!!

More to come, I did get a beautiful hair piece, tried on my dress (no pics of that) and my mom got her dress! For now, I have work to catch up on but glad to be back!

Quick update!

So, I'm here in NYC and working like a dog but on Wednesday I had 2 hours of wedding shopping, my mother and I took this city by storm!
Heres what I got done:
Had a veil custom designed (which is a little bit of an exxaggeration considering how simple it is)
Bought a hair comb that I am in love with.
Tried on my dress and LOVED it.
Got a great idea for my flower girls.
My Mom got her dress and she got her dress for my stepbrother's wedding in August!

Anyway, I am off to a meeting but wanted to give a quick update so you don't forget me. I'm off to LA after this so I won't have much time until late last week but I did take pictures!

One good thing about business trips...sneaking away and wedding planning!

Traveling for work can be fun, it can also be exhausting. Next week I am hitting the road on Wednesday and over 10 days will stay in three hotels on two sides of the country and carry around a giant binder with all of the plans and telling people with large egos and high pay grades where to go and what to do, and most importantly what to say and what NOT to say (I am in PR).All while trying to remain flexible and smile (Good bride training, don'tcha think?). I'll also pop over to Long Island in between for some family fun!
Here's the good news. My travels are taking me to the Big Apple and I just happened to have worked in an hour or two in the afternoon to go and try on my dress! Not for a fitting, they just want me to come in for a "try on", I guess to make sure it is the right size and assess how dramatic or simple the alterations will be.

Two other things I am going to try and fit in:
Veil- there is a custom veil maker in NYC by my mom's office. They start at $100 and since I want the simplest of veils, I hope it will be right around that. I'll try to bring a camera and will report back on the process.
Flowers- when I head to LI and try and get some sleep on Saturday I am going to see if my florist has time to meet. We've never met- crazy, I know.

Anyway, you can understand that I am completely swamped prepping for this trip and my posts will be limited. When I get back, however, I should have lots to report.

To make up for my sparse posts over the next couple of weeks I thought I would leave you with something to watch.
I have fantasized about this countless times. My cousins and I have danced to this at a million weddings and parties. Its a dream - LOL. Can you believe how serious this guys takes this? I am impressed. OK, I'll stop talking you just watch!!!

A New Fad Diet

OK, I know all of you brides are looking to be at your fighting weight on the big day. I think I found the secret this morning. Before I headed out to wait in line and fulfill my civic duty I was going to head to Starbucks. Eh, it was cold out and in the wrong direction so I went to the drive-thru at McDonald's. LET ME TELL YOU- It is 3 PM and I am still shaking and not the slightest bit hungry. What on EARTH do they put in that stuff, crack??? Now, to be fair, I am not a regular coffee drinker, I average about 3 cups per week and one nice cozy one on Saturday mornings. So, I am not a regular caffeine person and its been known to hit me harder than others but this is ridiculous! I have made no less that 15 phone calls and sent at least 50 emails today, 2 blogposts, and not an ounce of food.

LOL, I think I found the cure for the common hips! Now, I am wondering if I am going to crash at like 6 PM today or if I am going to end up staying up all night?

Fancy Find #8 - For the Princesses

My undeniably cutest flower girls in all the land are the twin daughters of my cousin, who also happens to be a bridesmaid. She's got fantastic taste so I am just going to let her figure out what the girls should wear. The great thing is, we'll be right after Easter so there will be tons of little girls dresses available. We checked last year in March or so and there were tons of options. they are twin 3 year olds, I could put them in seagull outfits and they would be the stars of the show!

But, just because I need a break from the craziness that is my job right now, I did some online searching and found these beautiful dresses from Malley & Co.

The downside is you have to buy them at a boutique and I can't tell what the prices are. But, at least I know there are really adorable styles out there.

I think these two are my favorite:

especially since I could get them with a blue ribbon.

But I really love these ones also:



To see a list of boutiques where you can purchase them, click here:

Where are you getting your flower girl dresses from?

What's the proper etiquette here?

So the Save the Dates went out - check. We have heard from 3 couples that they will not be able to make it (wheew, we way over booked that flight!). Here's my question: do I still send them invitations?

I don't want it to seem like I am now just asking for a gift but I didn't know if for some reason it is rude not to send the invite now?


Oh yeah, and Happy Halloween! I am working from home today and just realized that I have NO candy. Eeek!

Tagged!

Oh man, I have been tagged again! This time by East Coast Wedding and Peony: Love . I am still a little on the fence about being tagged. I don't think I like to play but I also love to be invited and thought of! Its definitely the chain letter of the blogosphere.
So here goes
6 things I value:
1.future husband 2.family 3.friends 4.career 5.reality tv 6.wedding planning

6 things I do not value:
1. wedding planning (its a love hate thing) 2. Laziness 3. head colds 4. candy corn 5. traffic 6. being late

Six Quirks-
1. I lose everything 2. I hate scented lotions 3. I despise buying anything before its first markdown 4. I am a meal time purist: I could never eat pizza for breakfast or eggs for dinner 5. I prefer blue pen and hate to write in black 6.I keep a million windows open on my computer at the same time. Rows of them.

Fancy Find #7: A Find for Him!

I found these great cuff links on Thistle and Bee. Now, they are a little expensive (OK, I think really expensive) but that is why they are a fancy find, not for your everyday shopping. These fun guys range from $195 to $295 for the enamel animal ones but I thought they would be fun as a groom's gift, or maybe for the best man or even for your dad. There are tons more on the site with everything from fox to frogs, different color patterns and your classic silver monogrammed ones.

Just like I think every woman deserves at least one piece of knock your socks off fancy jewelry, I think guys should at least have one pair of nice cuff links.

Poem, By the Seaside

I was looking around for some classic poems or passages to put in our program (looooong Catholic ceremony, I'd like to give people something to read :)) and came across this beautiful poem. I think it is perfect since our church is across the street from the beach. We're not getting married on the sand (this is PERFECT for anyone who is) but we're close enough and our pics will be on the beach.

By the Seaside
As we stand beside the ocean tide,
may our love always be as constant and unchanging
as these never-ending waves that pour beneath our feet,
flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea;
your love came softly upon my heart,
just as the foam comes softly upon the sand,
and just as there will never be a morning
without the ocean's flow,
so there will never be a day
without my love for you.
I pledge myself to you this day.
Our love will be as unchanging
and dependable as the tide;
as these waters nourish the earth
and sustain life, may my constant devotion
nourish and sustain you
until the end of time.

I'm wondering if there are other uses I can come up with other than in the program. Thoughts?

The Church's Approval

We finally are booked for our pre-cana schtuff. We elected to go to an all day conference instead of committing to a certain night of the week for 6 weeks. With our schedules at work, that would never do. Besides I think we are more of the rip the band-aid off type people. Both FH and I are Catholic and went to Catholic schools our whole lives so we are not strangers to this sort of thing but spending a full day at a Conference for the Engaged sounds like torture. On a positive note, they let us in. I have to say I was a little worried about that (we live together, FH has a son, we're not long time members of the parish and are not even getting married in the diocese) but in good church fashion, when the donation is big enough, your sins are absolved.

I hate to sound so negative. I actually love the priest that is marrying us and it was really important to me to get married in my hometown church. He was the first calming factor after the engagement and the first person who was able to get me to take a breath and realize what the whole thing was about, our marriage, not the big party on the perfect date with the perfect venue and the right colors.

Any one have good experiences at pre-cana? I really have heard only stories of how boring it is and out of touch. Or, has anyone not passed? Whoa, never even thought about that!

Make Mine a Mojito- Jewelry Giveaway

Hey, I love a good blog giveaway!
Make Mine a Mojito (could you think of a more fun blog name?) is having a giveaway for her 100th Post. I signed up, you should too!
Enter here

Smarty Had a Party

Don't you just love the name? Smarty Had a Party is a website I stumbled upon that sells disposable plates, platters, etc. I was thinking this would be great if you were having a casual rehearsal dinner or day after brunch. If these events are going to be at a house the day before or after a wedding, who wants to clean dishes? I get that you can rent them but thought this was another good option. Heck, even if you were having a casual wedding. Some of this stuff is really chic and would look great at any type of affair.

For shrimp cocktail or an amuse bouche?



How about a trendy triangle plate for the entrees?


Coffee and saucer?

Domestic Goddess in Training

I had visions of me being this fantastic wife who could whip up some chocolate chip cookies on a whim. The sticky looking solid deflated mess you see here is me attempting to do just that!!!! Good thing I have a paying career to fall back on!!!


In my defense I did make a blackberry-apple crumble on Sunday night that could be entered into a contest, but the cookies, well, I'll definitely have to work on those!

Fancy Find #6 Porcelain Ring Bowl and more!

While surfing through Etsy on a road trip this past week I came upon these lovely little porcelain dishes. I can't really nail down what it is I love about them, I think just their simplicity makes them beautiful and makes the words just that more important. This one here says "Love conquers all" in Latin.


There are tons of things you can get from Paloma's Nest on Etsy but it was this personalized ring dish that jumped out at me and made me explore her store further.



At some point, I am going to purchase something from here, just not sure what yet! I think they would make a really nice gift for someone.

Real Wedding: Real Fun, Real Fab Part 2: Place settings, etc

OK, here are some of those details that in my mind, really bring it all together. But, they also maybe the type of stuff that only a wedding obsessed person would appreciate. (Like would FH actually tell his friends how nice their menu and place settings were? I think not)

Either way- looked fantastic to me and I certainly appreciate it all. Actually, while FH may not remember all of the details, I think the likes of him remembers that they were there and how lovely everything really was. OK, he would probably say "Cool" or "top notch" definitely NOT lovely, but you get it.



Let me tell you, I ate that macaroni and cheese like a champion. I was actually embaressed that others could see how much I had on my plate but I couldn't help myself!
How delightful! Love and good fortune to you guys too!

Bad Blogger

Ok, bad, bad blogger. I know, I have been absent, its that little thing I call a job that's been keeping me busy and given the market these days I'd like to keep the one I have! I have a lot of halfway done posts and some fun updates I will share this week. I'll be back!

Real Wedding - REAL FUN, REAL FAB (Flowers)

So yesterday I went to a fantastic wedding of great friends, Nick and Sara. Nick and FH work together and we became fast friends. I'll start off by saying that these pictures are taken by me and I barely know how to use my new camera! Also, I have like NO pics of the bride and her gorgeous dress. Mostly because every time I saw her I was too excited that I forgot to shove a camera in her face.

First off - her flowers were great and she had little touches of feathers - how fun!!!

this was outside the church doors - so pretty! I love how she didn't go to overboard with the fall colors. I love rich fall colors but I don't feel like you have to be a slave to your season, I also don't feel that you should totally deny it either. This was perfect!

Here's some more -
This stunning arrangement/s looked fantastic at the altar and again as decor for the cocktail hour flanking the arched courtyard entryway. And- she's a crafty one - it was again repurposed as decor for the buffett line! GREAT JOB!!! And, of course, only someone planning her own wedding would notice the repurposing, to the average eye they were gorgeous arrangements seen everywhere! It was done very much on the sly which I loved.





The reception flowers were a fantastic complement without being exactly the same - I loved it. There was a mix of high centerpieces and low ones. The high ones were set on the outside of the room and the low ones in close, this was great - you never had to worry about a blocked view! How smart! Oh- don't you love those peacock feathers!!??




Things I don't have - the bridesmaids or the brides boo-k or the really fun boots the boys wore - feathers!

So, more to come, I even have some video, I just have to figure out how to get it on here.

Garter - to wear or not to wear?

So under no circumstances am I going to have FH take my garter off on the middle of the dancefloor. I'm not against kitchsy wedding things; we are going to cut the cake, be announced and have our first dance - I just have NO desire to have my father watch my FH run his legs up my thigh - NO THANK YOU.

Shoot me for being a non-conformist but I am not tossing my boo-k either. Having dated FH for nearly 7 years before getting engaged - I was the victim of the boo-k toss many times. My one friend threw hers at me like a spiral football, I panicked and ducked! It made a scene and I was red with embarrassment- lol, I told her not to throw it at me! I was actually hiding when they called the ladies up and the waited and searched for me!
You know what happened to the girl that ultimately caught it?
Yep, they got married next, they also got divorced! Glad I ducked now, right?

Now, I am in my 30s and 99.9% of my friends are married. Why am I going to single out my 3 single friends, who are also in their 30s, and point out to everyone that they are single? They are happily single too! Its not like they are sitting around hoping they will catch a boo-k and one day, they too can plan an overbudget, over crowded wedding!

Back to my question- the garter. Should I still wear one? Why? Is there a tradition assigned to it that I don't know about? Does it itch? Its not like it is going to be holding up my pantyhose, which I don't plan on wearing either. Also -I don't think it is going to be flattering cinched around my thigh, doesn't it have to be relatively tight to stay on all day even through dancing? I am not conjuring up a cute image here -

If I were to wear one, I think the first place I would look would be Etsy. (Funny side thought: I don't know why I am in love with Etsy, I just am. I have NEVER been a fan of anything crafty or homemade but it just seems like there are such awesome finds on here with funky styles!) Here's some beautiful ones I have found there.

(both from seller GarterLady)

But again, why would I wear one? Help a bride out...

Rehearsal Dinner - Setting the Tone

When it came time to think about the location of the rehearsal dinner, one very convenient place came to mind. Let’s call it Vinny Gumbatz’s or VG’s. VG’s is around the corner from the church, has a parking lot (important in the small parking spot limited beach town), good food, well priced and a private room. What more could you want?

Well, atmosphere.

This place is a local establishment that serves traditional Italian and has no shortage of three piece suit wearing men who all want you to think they are “connected” when really, their only connection is that they may have once served the nephew of Gotti some ziti. FH loved it! He thought it would be great to see his family’s reaction to the kissing Eye-talians as they hug and kiss the men and women and serve you cheap wine out of a jug. Thinking of our rehearsal here, I was somewhat nervous. But, like I said above, it had all the criteria!

The private room…


The private room was decorated with mirrors, marble, rope lighting and fake flowers which hung from the ceiling. Oh! And there was a dance floor made out of marble tiles glued to the floor. Think about that, tiles glued to a carpeted floor.

Enter the voice of all things local and reason…

My cousin's husband sat my FH down and said, VG’s is a great place. A great place to get a good plate of macaroni and gravy; but this is not the place to set the tone for your wedding weekend. He pointed out that the rehearsal dinner really sets a tone for the rest of the weekend, and when I thought about it, I agreed. And after thought, FH agreed too. My cousin and her husband had an amazing wedding in Cape May a few years ago and they are right, their awesome but casual rehearsal dinner definitely set the tone for the weekend - a tone of laid back fun, good music, good people, good fun, and which fab touches of class. The dinner doesn't need to be fancy but there needs to be an element of class. VG’s has everything needed logistically, but, no element of class or anything that matches the "feeling" of the wedding.

We have now booked our rehearsal dinner, and since the contract was signed and deposit delivered today, I can talk about it! I could not be more excited and my gratitude towards the future in-laws runs deep. This will not be the cheapest thing but they have a lot of people from out of town and they wanted to do it right. Kudos to them!

We booked our dinner at the new posh hotel where are guests are staying. And we got the rooftop lounge! I don’t think we’ll get the massive amounts of food that we would at Vinny G’s but we’ll have enough and it will be trendy and great. We are having stations with salads made to serve, tapas, carving station, pasta made to order and kabobs. I think it will be great! And, the best part, it will be on the rooftop deck over looking the ocean.

The place isn’t finished yet but here’s a rendering:


This the view of the Atlantic we will have:

The dinner will be for invited guests from 7-9 and then at 9 we are inviting all guests that came to town for cocktails on the roof. I think it will be perfect! It is very different from the wedding’s dinner at a mansion but still has the same level of style and sass!

Here’s what I have to think of now, let me know your thoughts…What to wear? (We’ve had this rehearsal dinner dress discussion already)
Do I need centerpieces or any decor? (a good friend that I trust with this stuff told me not to waste the time, money or headache, I am starting to lean her way but was thinking of some sand filled hurricane glasses with pillar candles?)
Do favors come to play at a rehearsal dinner?
Anything else I need to think about for the rehearsal?

Do tell, I've been focused on the wedding and since most of those logistics are booked, I am thinking about all of the little details that bring the whole weekend together and focusing on how to make it special for everyone!