"Indecision 2010" or "K and B Pick a Venue" - (Part 2)

In a perfect world, with our ceremony location decided upon, we would have immediately moved on to booking the reception venue.  Every location would have been within our budget and have our date available, giving us more options than we knew what to do with. 

In that perfect world, I would have been cool, calm and collected.  Just a serenely happy bride.

Like this:

My life is so easy, breezy, beautiful!

"Indecision 2010" or "K and B Pick a Venue" - (Part 1)

Choosing a location for our ceremony was a no-brainer.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've imagined getting married in the same church where my parents were married.  Combine that with the fact that B's parents were married there, and that our relationship grew from our mutual participation in the Cathedral Choir, and it's easy to understand why we can't imagine getting married anywhere else.  It took a bit of convincing to get my parents on board with having the ceremony at a location other than my hometown parish, but they understand B's and my sentimental attachment to the Cathedral, so they support our decision.

With that much decided, it was time to move on to the reception venue.  This was far more daunting.

Ask anyone who has ever planned a wedding and they'll tell you, the reception is usually the most expensive part of a wedding by FAR.  Any decision you and your fiancé make regarding the reception will have a major impact on your budget.  Hors d'oeuvres or full meal?  Buffet or plated dinner?  Formal affair or backyard barbeque?  Weeknight or weekend?

Well there was one decision that was very easy to make.  There was no way I was going to even consider having our reception outdoors.  Ab-so-lutely not.

No thank you.

Why Customer Service Will Always be King

{Source}

Before I start introducing you to our vendors and explain why we chose them, I'm going to cut right to the chase: for me, nothing beats top-notch service.

I mean let's face it, planning a wedding is stressful enough.  Mix in a vendor that won't return your calls or who tries to push you into upgrading beyond your budget and you've got a recipe for disaster.  Not only is it an unnecessary headache, but frankly, it's something I refuse to tolerate.

An ode to my MOH

Which sis is which?

My baby sister is pretty rad.  She's essentially a mini-me, only much funnier and far more talented than I'll ever be.  At seventeen, she's seven years younger than I am - a senior in high school.  Some might say she's too young to fulfill the duties of a maid of honor, but as far as I'm concerned there's no better person for the job.  For one thing, she's one of only two bridesmaids who live even relatively close to me at the moment, and between the two, I see my sister far more frequently.  But even if that weren't the case, I'd still have picked her as my MOH because she's one of the few people in my life who really gets me, and who I know will always support me no matter what.  We're eerily similar, and not just in looks but in personality too.  She and my brother are my best friends, which I know is a rare gift.

Update on the Cathedral's Restoration Progress

OMG OMG OMG!!!!

Apparently while I was visiting B in Michigan, our church updated the virtual tour on the restoration website.  All the scaffolding is gone and you can really start to see what the finished product will look like once the sanctuary is built and the pews and rest of the marble are installed.  I can't believe these have been up for over 2 weeks and I just found them!!  Check out these screenshots:

View toward the sanctuary

My Cyber-Monday Splurge

{Source}

Confession: I'm a bargain shopper.  I'll sniff out a good deal anywhere; bloodhounds ain't got nothing on me.  This means I rarely pay full price for anything if I can help it.  It also means it's pretty much impossible for me to resist a bargain when I come across one.  (If you've been following my posts and have read the ones about my wedding band, this probably doesn't come as a surprise to you.)

Take this year's Black Friday, for example:  Naturally, my sister and I braved the crowds, forgoing sleep in favor of scavenging for steals and deals (my body clock is still screwed up!).  But we're no amateurs: we did our homework first.  We made lists, timelines, and researched advertised prices to make sure we were actually getting a good deal.  All that work may sound ridiculous, but it kept us from running around and screaming at strangers like so many other shoppers we encountered that day.  See, getting a good deal is about more than buying things when they're on sale: it's about strategy.

Our trip was a success, and we got some great items, including a set of Oneida flatware for B and me (now we won't have to register for any!), a Xyron Creation Station, a fabulous pair of Bandolino leather boots, and some festive holiday decor -- all of which were at least 50% off!  I almost caved and bought myself a Cricut (there were so many deals on these this year!) but ultimately decided it wasn't quite the gadget I was looking for.  All those cartridges scared me!  I'm not a big scrapbooker, and couldn't justify spending all that money on an item that I really wouldn't use much (if at all) after the wedding.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably never find a die-cutting device that didn't require paying for a whole bunch of features, fonts, and cartridges that I'd never actually use.

But on Cyber-Monday, the stars aligned and I found the answer I'd been searching for.

Christmastime is here...

Ok, so I know Thanksgiving has barely passed, but this is just how I roll.  The Saturday after Thanksgiving, like clockwork, all the winter decorations come out and it looks like Currier and Ives
threw up holiday cheer all over my house.

It's a big deal in my family - a tradition.  Growing up, some of my favorite memories center around the Christmas tree, hanging our hodgepodge of sentimental ornaments, baking pumpkin bread and listening to Mannheim Steamroller.  So naturally, if I could pick any time of year to get married and not have to worry about logistics like the weather or driving conditions, I'd pick Christmastime, hands down.

Being Thankful

Thankful (adj): 

1. conscious of benefit received
2. expressive of thanks
3. well pleased 

{Source}

This year I'm thankful for all of life's blessings.  Most of all, I'm thankful for my friends and family, and my phenomenal fiancé (wow, that's a lot of alliteration!).  I'm thankful for my wonderful job, where I can basically set my own schedule and have coworkers I call true friends.  I'm blessed to live in a friendly community where I feel safe and have neighbors who look out for me.  I'm grateful to my wonderful parents who have been so generous, both financially and emotionally, while planning this wedding.  And I'm thankful for all the resources and luxuries I'm able to enjoy, things others may only dream about.

When you're planning a wedding, it's easy to get caught up in the superficial and frivolous.  It's important for me to keep perspective and remember what's truly important in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!  What are you thankful for?

A Belated 'How We Met' Post

In honor of our one year engagement anniversary, I think it's time to tell the story of how B and I met.

The night it all started:  New Years Eve 2004

We were just babies back then...

Whenever I get asked, I've always wanted to tell strangers that B and I met on eHarmony.  He thinks I'm ridiculous, but I have this theory that deep down everyone wishes they knew at least one couple who met online, and that we could fulfill that desire for them.  But maybe that's just me.

Secret Single Behaviors: Do I have to give 'em up?

{Reckon she's got the place to herself for the night?}

Okay - let me start by saying, I'm so unbelievably, incredibly, over the MOON with excitement about being married to B!  Starting our new lives together is something I've been looking forward to for a long, loooooong time.  We're one of those (seemingly) rare engaged couples who have never lived together, let alone gotten to see each other everyday.  In fact, our experience has been like...the complete opposite of that.  We go weeks, and sometimes even months without seeing each other.  So it might sound lame, but the prospect of something as simple as kissing him goodnight every evening makes me positively giddy with excitement.

My latest obsession

Have you heard about the paper crane wedding tradition?

If not, you're not alone - neither had I until a few weeks ago.  According to Japanese lore, the practice of a man and woman folding 1,000 cranes for their wedding is called sembazuru.  Truly a labor of love, the time and energy the couple puts into hand-folding the origami cranes is said to symbolize the patience and trust necessary to sustain a happy marriage.  Cranes are associated with fidelity because they (like lobsters) mate for life.  Completing the tradition is said to bring the couple good fortune.

Okay, sounds great!  But let's say you actually do fold 1,000 paper cranes....what do you do with them?

The possibilities are endless:

Happy Birthday, B!

Hey all - sorry for the break in postings.  I'm in Ann Arbor visiting B for his birthday, and I've been living it up since I arrived on Thursday.  As a result, I've been slacking a bit as far as blogging goes.

I'll update you on some of the planning we've accomplished once I get back to the Sodak.  Just wanted to let you all know I haven't forgotten you!

Here we are having a blast in Michiganland!  More updates soon!

Vendors vendors everywhere, and not a-one to book

I think I've mentioned a few hundred times how the distance and our long engagement complicated our planning process.  Well just in case you're not sick of my whining yet, here's another example.

As you can imagine, going eight months without a wedding date was beyond frustrating.  I bore it pretty well for the first few months, what with the excitement of the holidays and the new blang-blang on my finger and all, but after the novelty of the engagement wore off I started getting antsy.  I wanted to start PLANNING!  Unfortunately, literally every major decision hinged on that wedding date.

In January (of 2010, mind you), I thought I had found a way to scratch that wedding planning itch and registered to attend a local bridal show, certain that the event would cheer me up.  Boy was I wrong.  If you've never been to a bridal show before, let me set the scene for you:

Other Dresses

I'm going out to visit B this upcoming weekend, and I'm so so SO excited!  It will be great to get to spend more than just a few hours together like last time!  I'm going to have to try really hard not to get all wedding crazy over the weekend - but in reality, it's one of the few times we're going to have together to do some intensive planning, so it's not going to be an easy topic to avoid!

I figure I'd better try to lighten up, though, so in an attempt to be less Bridezilla and focus on lighter and more fun wedding things, I've been looking for dresses for my bridal showers, rehearsal dinner, and the morning-after brunch.  I've never been too keen on white dresses, owing partly to my complexion, partly to the rural environment where I grew up, and partly to my own personal preferences.  I guess I just never understood why a girl would want to wear a white poofy ball gown to her high school prom... but to each her own, I guess!  Either way, as incredibly unreasonable as I've found white dresses in the past, I'm definitely loving the idea of wearing various shades of white to my bridal-related events!

Celebrity Crushes

       

No, not those celebrity crushes - although I have to admit it's kind of fun seeing them all together like this...it reminds me of what my bedroom walls looked like in middle school!

No, I'm talking about celebrity wedding crushes.  The weddings that make your breath catch in your chest.  The weddings whose pictures make you stop in the supermarket checkout and pick up those ridiculous magazines you would normally never let yourself buy.  The weddings you know probably cost millions of dollars, but you can't help but obsess about anyway.

Le sigh.

Attention Sioux Falls area brides!

Just in case you haven't heard, Envision Wedding Studio is having their annual post-wedding season clearance sale next week!



I'll definitely be there when the doors open Friday morning - excited to snag what are bound to be some fantastic deals!  Let's just hope I'm not too exhausted after my incredibly nerdy midnight viewing of the upcoming Harry Potter film!  Priorities... :)

See you there!

So...when's the big day?

You know the story: girl meets boy, they fall in love, get engaged, everyone celebrates, and about thirty seconds later the couple is inundated with questions from family, friends, and strangers alike:

When are you getting married?  Have you picked a venue?  What are your colors?  What style of dress do you want?  And my personal favorite - Am I invited?

Ugh.  It's enough to make any bride feel like this:

Kill me now!

Weddings and Politics

It's election day in America, a day that to some means victory, to some means defeat, and for the rest of us means that those mudslinging political ads will finally be off the air.

As people across the country are heading to the polls, I couldn't help but think about how much politics is involved when you're planning a wedding.

(And I don't mean those politics)

Let's play dress up

So fetch!

In light of Halloween's premise of dressing up to look like someone else, today's post is all about celebrity hairstyles.  More specifically, about how this rural bride can achieve red carpet locks for her wedding day.  Lately, it's all I can think about - especially now that I've got my dress picked out.  I want to look effortlessly elegant, soft and romantic.

"In Loving Memory" Ideas

I know this post is a bit of a downer, but it's a really important aspect of my relationship with B, and I thought Mike's story was worth sharing.  If nothing else, maybe someone will relate to our story and know that they're not alone.

Over the course of our relationship, B and I have been through a lot together.  He’s lost one aunt to cancer, and has another aunt battling it right now.  My grandpa passed away, shortly followed by the unexpected death of my uncle.  The biggest hurdle we’ve overcome, though, came in June of 2006.

B and I had been dating for a year and a half the night his brother died.  To say that our relationship changed in an instant would be a huge understatement.  Everything changed...for all of us.

Does the color scheme even matter if he's color blind?

Here's yet another example of my frequent urge to just chuck out all my planning and start afresh.  I've been engaged for almost 11 months now, and I thought I nailed the perfect color scheme AGES ago:

Purple and gold.

         

Sources (1, 2, 3)

No, not that purple and gold. 

J'adore Martha

The undisputed queen of DIY.  A Happy Homemaker for the modern age.  The true Domestic Diva.  Martha's is a household name, and while many admire her for all she's accomplished, others became disenchanted with her during the infamous insider trading debacle.  But whether you love her or hate her, the fact remains: this woman knows her stuff.  She's a self-made legend, and has gotten to where she is by always knowing which way the winds are blowing and acting accordingly, whether it be in the financial realm or in the world of crafts and domesticity.

After I got engaged (and, let's be honest, throughout the many months preceding my engagement) I started collecting bridal magazines.  Brides, The Knot, Bridal Guide, InStyle Weddings, Modern Bride, Real Simple Weddings, I had 'em all.  They were fun, with all their glossy pages, not to mention more pictures of pretty dresses than a girl could ever want or need, but when it came down to it, they weren't all that helpful when it came to actually planning our wedding.  Enter Martha.

Wanna be a Disney bride?

I'll admit it: I'm a huge sucker for Disney movies.  My friends tease me about it all the time, but I'm not ashamed!  I sing along with all the songs, swoon over all the gallantry, and still get that girlish rush of of glee every time they all live happily ever after.

So when I heard that Alfred Angelo was coming out with Disney Princess inspired wedding gowns, I was intrigued.  Okay, intrigued is an understatement: I was obsessed.  Check these beauties out!




I watched the video over and over.  I LOVE the fact that they're not just replicas of gowns the princesses wore themselves, but are in fact inspired by their personalities and the settings of their stories.  So imagine my excitement today when I found out that they've come out with engagement rings inspired by the princesses too!

Inspiration: Candlelight

So, last night's post was a bit of a downer; for that I apologize.  To make up for it, here are some inspiration pics of one of my very favorite reception elements: Candlelight.  Classic, romantic and elegant, it's simply stunning. 

I can't wait to find ways to incorporate it into our wedding, like these fab weddings below!  Enjoy...

Sources (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

I'd climb inside the swirling skies to be with you...

I heart Norah Jones.  Seriously.  Her sultry, soulful voice makes me all nostalgic and miss my man like crazy.  She's in a league all her own.

I actually got to see B this past weekend - he flew in for my cousin's wedding and we got to have some quality time together (even if he was only on Dakota soil for less than 24 hours - more on that later).  Now, let me just say, we've been doing this whole *Distance* thing for a while now, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that the distance almost seems more manageable when there's more time between each meeting.  It might sound crazy, but think about it:

I'm on my own, I'm making my peace with it, I'm finally starting to establish a routine, and then --BAM-- my world gets completely shaken up!  He's here!  Life is grand!  Everybody's happy!  ...and then he leaves, and I've got to go back to the real world.  There is no opportunity for sanity that way - I'm either elated or depressed, no time for in-between!

Don't get me wrong - I love our quality time, but as strange as it sounds, I find dealing with the distance much much easier when there are fewer goodbyes to deal with.  So as great as it was to see him, this is the part I hate, and I'll probably spend the next few days with Norah.  But don't feel too bad for me; she makes for pretty good company.

What do you think?  Agree?  Think I'm nuts?  And do you have songs that make you close your eyes, sigh and just listen?  Sound off in the comments!

How sweet is this proposal?!?!!

I'm literally on my way out the door to head north for my cousin's wedding this weekend (B is going to be there too - squee!), but I just HAD to share this adorable proposal video I found.

Soooooooo cute!

The big reveal!

Well...sort of.


I’d really like my dress to be a surprise on my wedding day, so I’m not showing anybody pictures except my immediate family (parents, brother & sister). I did talk to all of my bridesmaids and gave them a few tantalizing hints about the style I decided on.  They all agree it sounds gorgeous, and I’m so excited for it to come in (in 8-12 weeks, according to my consultant).  Whether I’ll manage to keep the dress a secret remains to be seen.  I’m notoriously bad at keeping quiet about the things I’m excited about!

Days later, I can still hardly believe I found the dress!  I was not planning on deciding so quickly - especially after only trying on dresses at one store! But I’d been doing my research, and I had a general idea of what I was looking for.  So when I walked into David's Bridal with my mom and sister yesterday, I was prepared.

Still, I wasn’t expecting to find my dream dress so soon, let alone that it would be the first dress I tried on!  But when it’s right, you just know.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here are the dresses I tried on, but ultimately decided against:

Too much hype?

Well ladies, in a move that surprised even myself, I ordered my wedding dress!  

I still can’t believe it - when I walked into the bridal store yesterday, I was not planning on making the actual purchase: this was just supposed to be that initial “moment” of trying dresses on for the first time, and having the emotional experience with my mom and my sister.  Throughout this planning process, however, I have realized that the way I plan things rarely come to fruition.

Case in point: the “emotional experience” I was supposed to have when I found the dress.

(Source)

Sigh...

The ultimate inspiration for any upcoming wedding, but especially for me and mine.  I listen to it whenever I really miss him, and it makes him seem much closer.  Enjoy...



The Wedding Song (There Is Love)
-Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul and Mary)  

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubador is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. There is Love.

Well a man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now and until the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love. There is Love.

Well then what’s to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it Love that brings you here or Love that brings you life?
Or if loving is the answer, then who’s the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you’ve never seen before?
Oh there’s Love, there is Love.

Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. Oh there’s Love.

Another update...

...about the wedding band this time.

A few posts ago, I was debating about whether or not B and I should purchase my wedding band online...well, I just wanted to post an update on the topic:

I ordered it, and IT'S HERE!

Again, the pic was taken with my cell phone, so the quality's not great.  I'll post a better pic soon.
  
So, how did I decide to make the purchase, and am I happy I did?  Well, here's my logic: I'm seeing B soon, and so he'll be able to look at it with me and we can decide what we think.  The return policy will allow us to return the ring if we decide it's not what we want.  At the end of the day, I just knew that if I didn't get it, I'd always wonder, and I didn't want to have any regrets about something as important as my wedding band.

And now it's here, and it's BEAUTIFUL!  I can't stop looking at it!  My only concern is that it doesn't quite fit around my engagement ring - the settings just don't quite complement each other.  So before we decide whether we're keeping it, we'll need to talk to our jeweler.  But I absolutely love it, and I really hope we'll be able to make it work!

What do you think?  Were we crazy to buy my wedding band online?  Or do you think it was the right choice?

Veil Update

I DVR'd the episode which re-aired today, and caught a still with my cell phone.  Not great quality, but you get the idea.  Look at that gorgeous beaded embroidery at the bottom of the veil!  Ahhh it's so beautiful, I can't get over it!

I'm so excited to go dress (and veil!) shopping!

If you like it, then you oughta put a veil on it

Like most brides-to-be, I love me some reality wedding tv.
 

(Source)

Case in point: I’ve spent the last several hours watching a ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ marathon on TLC.  As I was watching tonight, my jaw suddenly dropped.  For about four seconds, the tv screen in front of me showed sheer perfection.

What was this vision that had captured my attention?  Not the strapless Marina gown that Nnenna, the indecisive bride, was wearing.  No, what I couldn't tear my eyes away from was the gorgeous veil that Nnenna's consultant put on her to help make up her mind. Fumbling with the remote, I rewound, pressed pause and just sat there, gazing at it.

I need that veil.

Unfortunately, I know virtually nothing about veils, and thus have absolutely no idea how to describe the style.  I've suddenly realized that I’ve been spending so much time researching and getting inspiration for dresses, and yet I know very little about the dress’s most important accessory. 

What is that gorgeous embellishment at the bottom of Nnenna's veil? I thought.  Is it lace?  Possibly crystal beading?  Embroidery?  Applique?  I have absolutely no idea.  But I’m going to find out.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be diving head-first into some veil designer galleries, and probably won’t be resurfacing for several days… :)

I love wedding planning!

In the meantime...

While I'm stressing over what to do about the wedding band situation, I think I'll distract myself by watching one of my all-time favorite FRIENDS episodes:

The One With All the Wedding Dresses - always a classic!

Temptation

So the wedding band I've been drooling over online has recently gone on sale - it's less than half price! Unfortunately, B and I were not anticipating making such a big purchase this early in our planning, and the sale only lasts another week or so.  Plus, we really weren't planning on making such a personal purchase online.  I'd always imagined picking out our wedding bands together while he was home for Christmas...really making an event of it.  I mean, when you think about it, the table linens, the wedding cake, those are things that seem to matter on the day of, but don't really matter years later.  Your wedding band, however, is something you carry around with you for the rest of your life!
                
I don't want to regret such an important purchase, and I know it's risky to buy something without ever having seen it....but I can't imagine regretting this!  It's GORGEOUS - I'm in love with it!

(Source)

I am completely torn as to what I should do!  Brides, have you ever found yourself tempted to make a purchase you weren't ready for?  How did you handle it?  Any advice?

Patience is a virtue.

Some important dates:

Jan 1, 2005 - started dating!
Nov 21, 2009 - got engaged!
Aug 13, 2011 - getting married!

Now you may be wondering, why the long engagement?  It's a valid question, especially after nearly 5 years of dating (and it's certainly a question I've gotten a LOT over the course of our engagement).  Well, as you may have guessed, there are SEVERAL reasons.  We're fairly young, B is still in school, plus I'm a control freak who intends to plan this wedding down to the very last detail.

But the most significant factor delaying our upcoming wedding can pretty much be summed up with one picture:

(Source)

Welcome to our church.

We’re having our wedding in the cathedral where both my parents and his parents were married.  It is special to us, not only for that reason, but because singing in the choir there is how we really got to know each other.  Our involvement in the Cathedral Choir meant we saw each other twice a week, every week, which inevitably led to stolen glances across the choir loft and prolonged goodbyes every Wednesday night and Sunday morning.  We can’t imagine getting married anywhere else.

Unfortunately, the church is under renovation right now, so having our wedding there meant sitting patiently through what felt like the world’s longest engagement before we could even get a date from our priest.  Thankfully, they finally have a firm completion date, and our wedding will be a few weeks afterward (just in case!).  We will be the very first wedding in the newly-renovated cathedral and we simply can’t wait!

But we're going to have to.

About this redheaded bride

Hello, Blogger world!  I've been blogging for a while now over at Tumblr, but I just wasn't feeling it. Blogger seems like a much better fit...it just feels like more of a community over here, so here I am!

It will be a nice fresh start, and I'm looking forward to a new blogging experience.
Now, allow me to introduce myself!

I'm a 24-year-old bride to be, living in small-town South Dakota.  My future hubby is in the second year of his Master of Music at the University of Michigan.  We're a quirky couple, trying to manage planning our wedding while dealing with the 900 miles of interstate that separate us.

This blog will serve as my outlet for all the ups and downs that I'm bound to encounter along the way. Hope you'll join me for the ride!

-KMS