This has always been one of my favorite segments or contests on The Today Show. Thousands of couples send in their applications basically stating why they deserve a wedding and then fans pick which couple wins the dream wedding. The Today Show along with many generous vendors make the wedding happen! I love it! The couple chosen weds during The Today Show on Rockefeller Plaza. Fans (that means me and you) get to help "plan" their wedding from the rings, to the dress, to the honeymoon, and more. Today, I casted my voted for the Neil Lane wedding bands. Gorgeous!
This year's lucky couple are Missouri natives (and high school sweethearts)Melissa and Jeremy. Jeremy is serving our country in Afghanistan while Melissa is working on her Nursing Degree. What a truly deserving couple! They look like the sweetest couple! They will wed in October.
For more info visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38838949/ns/today-today_weddings/?GT1=43001
To vote and to take a look at ten years worth of Today Show Weddings visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37765605/ns/today-today_weddings/
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Bridesmaid Dresses
This past Wednesday 2 of my bridesmaids and I went shopping for dresses. The trip was a success. We found a beautiful romantic and elegant dress! We were in-and-out of Bridal & Formal in 1 hour. We are master shoppers!
The consultants at Bridal & Formal were very helpful and we had a pleasant shopping experience. They even gave us a discount on the dresses (who doesn't love saving money!).
I knew I wanted my bridesmaids to wear a blush or light/pink elegant dress. I was initially open to both long and short dresses (sometimes short dresses are less expensive). We started looking at short dresses first. We quickly ruled those out. Either they weren't elegant enough or they didn't make my girls look their best (tea length dresses don't look quite right on petite girls). My wedding is pretty formal so we decided long dresses would be best. The styles of the long dresses appealed to us more anyhow. Sarina and Colleen only tried on a few dresses before we found "the one"!
We decided on the Belsoie L2021 (from the Jasmine Bridal label). The dresses will be in the New Shell Pink color. The dress is very figure flattering. Sarina and Colleen really loved the sweetheart neckline and how the dress elongated them. Don't you think a single strand pearl necklace would be just innately charming with the dress?!
So here is the dress (I've also included some pics of other contenders)...
Let me know what you think!
The consultants at Bridal & Formal were very helpful and we had a pleasant shopping experience. They even gave us a discount on the dresses (who doesn't love saving money!).
I knew I wanted my bridesmaids to wear a blush or light/pink elegant dress. I was initially open to both long and short dresses (sometimes short dresses are less expensive). We started looking at short dresses first. We quickly ruled those out. Either they weren't elegant enough or they didn't make my girls look their best (tea length dresses don't look quite right on petite girls). My wedding is pretty formal so we decided long dresses would be best. The styles of the long dresses appealed to us more anyhow. Sarina and Colleen only tried on a few dresses before we found "the one"!
We decided on the Belsoie L2021 (from the Jasmine Bridal label). The dresses will be in the New Shell Pink color. The dress is very figure flattering. Sarina and Colleen really loved the sweetheart neckline and how the dress elongated them. Don't you think a single strand pearl necklace would be just innately charming with the dress?!
So here is the dress (I've also included some pics of other contenders)...
Let me know what you think!
Bridesmaid Cards
Choosing your bridesmaids is a pretty big deal in my opinion. It's something that shouldn't be taken lightly. You should never feel obligated to ask someone to be in your wedding because you were in theirs, or because they are are family (however, it is a nice gesture), or because if you ask this person, than you have to ask this person.... These are the people that will standing up with you at the alter and supporting you and your marriage. These people you ask to stand up with you should be the truest of friends. I am very lucky to have a lot of great friends but 4 wonderful gals quickly came to mind: Emmy, Sarina, Kim, and Colleen.
Instead of just asking them over the phone or in person to be my bridesmaids, I decided to do something special. I made them very personalized cards and baked them my famous sugar cookie cut-outs. A lot of love and hard work went into these gifts!
I thought it would be funny to find pictures online of hideous bridesmaid dresses and paste those on a card and cut-out the faces of my friends with the saying "If I promise not to make you wear this"..... open the the card.... "Will you be my bridesmaid?" I also put a sentimental poem/note inside each card. Needless to say, the cards were a huge hit. My ladies loved the cards and we had a lot of laughs.
How did you ask your gal pals to be in your wedding?!
Instead of just asking them over the phone or in person to be my bridesmaids, I decided to do something special. I made them very personalized cards and baked them my famous sugar cookie cut-outs. A lot of love and hard work went into these gifts!
I thought it would be funny to find pictures online of hideous bridesmaid dresses and paste those on a card and cut-out the faces of my friends with the saying "If I promise not to make you wear this"..... open the the card.... "Will you be my bridesmaid?" I also put a sentimental poem/note inside each card. Needless to say, the cards were a huge hit. My ladies loved the cards and we had a lot of laughs.
How did you ask your gal pals to be in your wedding?!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Teff/Carlson Wedding
This past weekend (08/14/2010) I assisted at the Teff/Carlson wedding. It was beautiful! Both the ceremony and reception were held at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. The couple were so cute - they met at Miami University and thus, were college sweethearts.
We had a great team of vendors, the food was great, the cake delicious, and people were still partying on the dance floor past midnight. All in all, it was a successful event!
Their reception decor reminded me a lot of my own upcoming wedding so I thought I'd share some pics. Enjoy!
We had a great team of vendors, the food was great, the cake delicious, and people were still partying on the dance floor past midnight. All in all, it was a successful event!
Their reception decor reminded me a lot of my own upcoming wedding so I thought I'd share some pics. Enjoy!
Reception Centerpiece Mock-Up
The other week we met with our floral designer, Kevin Ford (Ford-Ellington) to finalize our floral budget and further discuss floral details. Kevin was working on a wedding for that upcoming Saturday and since that bride had similar flowers as I have chosen, Kevin did a quick mock-up for us.
Now our floral centerpieces won't look exactly like the pic below, but you get the general idea... I really love varying shades of pink roses, hydrangea, and green hanging amaranthus (our centerpieces will not contain orchids). Lucky for Kevin, I knew exactly what type of flowers/design I wanted (inspired but the utterly fabulous Preston Bailey). I will elaborate more on my reception decor/inspiration in a later post.
We will be having a mix of varying heights of centerpieces: low, medium, and high. We'll be doing quite a few high because Music Hall has really high ceilings and higher centerpieces help frame the space. We will also be doing a mix of candelabra, vases, and flower bowls. We will also be using a lot of candles! Kevin's mock-up features the tall candelabra.
Now our floral centerpieces won't look exactly like the pic below, but you get the general idea... I really love varying shades of pink roses, hydrangea, and green hanging amaranthus (our centerpieces will not contain orchids). Lucky for Kevin, I knew exactly what type of flowers/design I wanted (inspired but the utterly fabulous Preston Bailey). I will elaborate more on my reception decor/inspiration in a later post.
We will be having a mix of varying heights of centerpieces: low, medium, and high. We'll be doing quite a few high because Music Hall has really high ceilings and higher centerpieces help frame the space. We will also be doing a mix of candelabra, vases, and flower bowls. We will also be using a lot of candles! Kevin's mock-up features the tall candelabra.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Our Getaway Car
Transportation is usually one of the last vendors brides/grooms book for their wedding. David and I decided to book early because we knew exactly what kind of car we wanted and we also knew that May is a busy wedding month and May is still borderline prop season.
We really wanted a vintage white Rolls Royce or Bentley. I searched and searched and searched for said car in Cincinnati and could not find one. We did find an old 1930 something black Cadillac. It was lovely but just not what we wanted. I'm not one to settle, so I decided to take my search outside of Cincinnati and look in Columbus, Louisville, and Lexington. I found a 1959 white Bentley in Louisville from Person To Person Limo (http://www.persontopersonlimo.com/m_20.asp). Because we are so far out from our wedding date, we were able to get the car for a great rate even though we're having to rent the car longer than the standard 3-hour minimum (it will take about 2 hours each way for the car to drive to-and-from Louisville to Cincinnati).
We are very fortunate here in Cincinnati to have great wedding vendors but if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, shop elsewhere! Don't be afraid to push the envelope so-to-speak. Happy Planning!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Say Yes To The Dress Update
I did get a casting call to be on Say Yes To The Dress! I was totally stoked and flattered. Unfortunately, the timing was just bad. And as such, it's not going to work out for me to do the show. :(
They are shooting for their 6th season at Kleinfeld in NYC now through mid October. This is just a crazy time of year for me. I already have 4 trips planned for this fall and just didn't think a trip to NYC would be doable. Not to mention that I really do not need to be spending money on another trip(they do not pay for your travel or accommodations). Really need to save money for the wedding! I thought long and hard about this decision.
Furthermore, I am happy to annouce that I have recently purchased a wedding gown!!! (Another reason I am not doing the show!) You'll have to wait until the wedding day to see it. I will tell you it's a Reem Acra gown though!!! <3 It's gorgeous and is just so elegant, simple, and timeless - so me!
They are shooting for their 6th season at Kleinfeld in NYC now through mid October. This is just a crazy time of year for me. I already have 4 trips planned for this fall and just didn't think a trip to NYC would be doable. Not to mention that I really do not need to be spending money on another trip(they do not pay for your travel or accommodations). Really need to save money for the wedding! I thought long and hard about this decision.
Furthermore, I am happy to annouce that I have recently purchased a wedding gown!!! (Another reason I am not doing the show!) You'll have to wait until the wedding day to see it. I will tell you it's a Reem Acra gown though!!! <3 It's gorgeous and is just so elegant, simple, and timeless - so me!
Status Update
My apologies for not blogging in a while, I know I promised you I was going to be better at this! Things have just been so busy around here! No complaints though!
David and I are head deep (head deep, not knee deep!) into wedding planning and loving it! To date here are our current vendors/checks off of our to-do list:
Church: Knox Presbyterian Church
Rehearsal/Welcome Dinner Venue: Ault Park Pavilion
Rehearsal/Welcome Dinner Caterer: Village Pantry
Reception Venue: Cincinnati Music Hall
Reception Caterer: Funky's Catering
Floral Design: Ford-Ellington Floral & Event Design
Band/DJ: Leroy Ellington & The E-Funk Band
Photography: Kortnee Kate
Videography: Studio Z Films
Linens: Connie Duglin
Lighting: Music Hall
Cake: Maribelle Cakery
Rentals: All Occassions
Wedding Gown: Reem Acra
Make-up: Jean Folchi
Rings: Richter & Phillips
Transportation: Person-To-Person Limo (Louisville)
Invitations/Collateral Materials: Most likely Cheree Berry Paper (St. Louis)
Planning: ME - Atelier Renee (day-of coordination by i-do! Weddings)
July was a very busy month for us. We got a lot accomplished in terms of our wedding, did a little traveling, and also enjoyed some "us" or couple time.
David and I are head deep (head deep, not knee deep!) into wedding planning and loving it! To date here are our current vendors/checks off of our to-do list:
Church: Knox Presbyterian Church
Rehearsal/Welcome Dinner Venue: Ault Park Pavilion
Rehearsal/Welcome Dinner Caterer: Village Pantry
Reception Venue: Cincinnati Music Hall
Reception Caterer: Funky's Catering
Floral Design: Ford-Ellington Floral & Event Design
Band/DJ: Leroy Ellington & The E-Funk Band
Photography: Kortnee Kate
Videography: Studio Z Films
Linens: Connie Duglin
Lighting: Music Hall
Cake: Maribelle Cakery
Rentals: All Occassions
Wedding Gown: Reem Acra
Make-up: Jean Folchi
Rings: Richter & Phillips
Transportation: Person-To-Person Limo (Louisville)
Invitations/Collateral Materials: Most likely Cheree Berry Paper (St. Louis)
Planning: ME - Atelier Renee (day-of coordination by i-do! Weddings)
July was a very busy month for us. We got a lot accomplished in terms of our wedding, did a little traveling, and also enjoyed some "us" or couple time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
