Invites! How Fancy.

We got so much done this weekend!!

My mother came up for a visit as well so not only is my house still clean, we visited the wedding coordinator, reception coordinator, and the photographer. We also managed to select some awesome invitations.

First stop was the wedding coordinator. This was a very nice lady from Marvin United Methodist Church. She is in charge of all of the ceremony details - which reminds me! One of the rules for the ceremony is absolutely no flash photography! At first I didn't see the big deal about it, but now that I think about it, I am relieved. The Methodists believe that the wedding ceremony is sacred and that no one should be distracted from the vows in any way. So take your pictures at the reception please. We'll still look cute. Plus my photographer will take a ton from the back pew with no flash (technology can do that now!). She will upload them to facebook so you can stalk them out on there. That was a long rabbit trail. Back to the wedding coordinator. She was a nice lady that invited us to her huge house in Tyler since the church was closed on Saturday. We went over family names, bridal party names, church music, church program, and even which cleaners to trust in Tyler. After over an hour of discussing anything and everything pertaining to the ceremony, we headed over to Hollytree Country Club.

Hollytree is a mere five minutes away from the church. There are only three turns so I hope no one manages to get lost. We met with our reception coordinator and talked over menus and bar packages. For the bar we are thinking of doing an open bar for cocktail hour and then open bar beer and wine only for the remainder of the evening. We don't want anyone to act a fool or drive home when they shouldn't. That's the plan for now anyway. We haven't done our tasting yet, so I don't know what the menu will be. We are thinking of a plated sit down dinner (hate balancing plates trying not to get food on my dress at buffets) with a dual choice entree. We also went over small details like where the candy bar will be - yes get excited about that, moving the dance floor to the middle of the tables, which chairs to use, and that sort of thing.

We had some time to kill in between appointments so we grabbed lunch and walked around the Tyler Mall. Which was a madhouse. We then met with our photographer, Brynne Owen. She is a photographer used to working with children, weddings, and likes using natural light. All perfect things. Plus she will upload some pics to facebook after my wedding so I can change my profile pic before I leave for my honeymoon!! It's the little things in life that make us happy, isn't it?

Don't think I ever blogged about the honeymoon plans yet. Our plan is to leave the day after, drive to Galveston and hop on Carnival Cruise lines for a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean. We are parasailing in Key West and horse back swimming/riding in the Bahamas. I am slightly looking forward to this more than the wedding just because it will be more relaxing. Don't get me wrong, I am really really excited about this wedding!

And lastly my mom found these gorgeous invitations from India! The peacock is also the national bird of India. Not to mention they have fabulous weddings over there. So naturally they have the best (and cheapest) peacock wedding invitations. They even have a youtube video for each wedding invite!!!! So helpful since most sites only offer a picture. It's hard to judge the quality and size by just a picture. Go to http://youtu.be/y1130U8MpEo if you want to take a look. These invitations would cost AT LEAST $7 per invite in the states but they're only $2 per invite since they are made in India. I love everything about this invitation.

I think that is about it! Less than 3 months till the big day!

Bridesmaid Dresses & Save the Dates

It's been a while since my last post! The first six weeks of my school year are all ready over! It has slowed my wedding planning considerably.

Since last time I have booked a DJ. He has experience with my reception venue. I gave him a lengthy phone interview to make sure he was legit. So that's out of the way. The church is officially reserved for us. We had to be put on a waiting list since we are not members of that particular church. They said if no member wanted it for that date then we could have it. We got the all clear September 10th. Now all I have left to do is to book a florist. I found one in Kilgore that was recommended to me, I just need to contact them.

We finally picked out a bridesmaid dress! It's a tea length cocktail dress with two straps. It has a ribbon on the waist. Its color is "Horizon Blue" on David's Bridal. The dress has pockets, so that was a huge selling point with my bridesmaids.

I went ahead and ordered my Save the Dates. I decided to get them printed out on photo cards - a super cheap option. They were like 35 cents a piece. I have some magnet tape (magnets you can stick to things).  I am planning on making all of the photo cards magnetic. The magnetic tape costs about five dollars at Hobby Lobby and will cover all of my Save the Dates. It is soooo much cheaper than ordering actual magnets which would have cost me around $2.50 a piece. Sometimes it pays to be crafty.

Ceremony Details

I found my DJ! He has nine years of experience and has done weddings at Hollytree Country Club before. I also managed to snag my friend and one of my TBS sisters, Amanda of Stressed Desserts to do our wedding cake! I am so excited about that. EVERYTHING she makes tastes awesome. That's my first priority in a wedding cake - taste. So many of them look awesome and then taste terrible to mediocre. 

Yesterday Brady and I went to our first pre-marital counseling session. We both learned a lot and enjoyed it. In addition to talking about our relationship, we went over some of the ceremony details. One of the ceremony options was to serve communion to our guests. I thought that was really cool. I would obviously be the one holding the bread, since the grape juice needs to stay away from my dress. But serving the communion would be a nice way to pay tribute to God and also a cool way to see all of our guests. We have not decided officially yet.  The communion table for all Methodist churches is an open table. That means you can be any denomination of Christian to partake. Ultimately the decision is ours to make, but we were also wondering what everyone else thought.

Engagement Photos

Brady and I took our engagement photos over the July 4th weekend! Since then I have had a job interview, bought my wedding dress (you have to wait until March 10th to see it!), got a job teaching middle school, and bought a car. So this month has been wonderfully busy!

Back to our photo shoot. My dear and talented friend, Cara Schrader, took photos of us all day Saturday. She did such a great job! It was a blazing 102 degrees for the majority of the day. Our first location was at Vargo's. It's a restaurant in Houston that has live peacocks. We showed up in our formal attire around 11 AM and started stalking some peacocks. To those of you that are not familiar with peacocks, they are not super outgoing creatures. We spent the first hour chasing around the same peacock who kept on jumping up on the roof to avoid us (and peacocks can fly by the way for short distances). The second thing you may not know is that they are very loud. Have you seen the movie UP? Peacocks sound exactly like Kevin. Very loud, obnoxious, and quite startling if you're not expecting it.

Here is one of our favorites, again taken by Miss Cara Schrader. The grounds there (all though very hot) were also very pretty. This was one of those swingy bridges and Brady had too much fun swaying the bridge back and forth violently to freak me out.

After the first hour, we went inside for maybe five minutes and then came back outside. We found that some of the other peacocks weren't as aloof as the first one. In fact, the peacock that hung out by the gazebo, was just plain helpful. Look at the amazing amazing amazing picture Cara got!! After she took this one she cheerfully called to us, "Ok, we got it!"

We then went back to Katy for lunch and a cool down. Our next location was the Houston Water Wall by the Galleria. After the playing the stressful game of "Find a Parking Spot" we were off again to capture some water wall shots. Everyone on facebook likes this shot the best.

We took a lot more, but it takes too long to upload them all to blogspot. The best thing about the water wall was that we could just stand really close and get misted. Definitely helpful with the heat.

Our last location was George Bush Park on Westheimer. We didn't take as many here but the ones we did take I really love. Here is my favorite shot.

Basically, July has been an awesome month. :)

Wedding Dress!

FOUND IT!

Just kidding. But to start off my wedding dress search, I tried on my mother's wedding dress from 1982. It actually fit pretty perfectly, it was just super long. Krista, my maid of honor, and Lauren, my cousin were meeting at my house to accompany my mom and I on our dress search. I answered the door in this dress. I wish I took pictures of their faces. 

So after I made a quick wardrobe change, we set off for three different bridal appointments. The first stop was at Weddings by Debbie. It's about 5 minutes away from my house on the Katy Freeway. It was a huge bridal salon. I had a helpful consultant and I tried on six different gowns. I liked two of them. 

We stopped for lunch before continuing to the second appointment at Parvani Vida. It's a smaller store off of Highway 6. Here we had more success. I found three dresses that I really loved. Two were by the designer Casablanca and one was by a designer called Symphony. 

My mom, Lauren, and I continued to our last stop, Houston Bridal Gallery. It's also on the Katy Freeway, but  closer to Memorial than Katy. It was the smallest store of the three. We found two dresses that are so so gorgeous, both by Justin Alexander. 

It was a really awesome experience. Now I have to make the tough decision of which one I want! I have 5 favorites, although I keep on thinking about three in particular. All of them are within my budget (so don't let those snooty Klienfeld's consultants from Say Yes to the Dress make you think you have to spend $5,000 on a wedding dress).

Although trying on wedding dresses is more tiring than you would think, I still really enjoyed it. Everyone was complimenting me, telling me I have a tiny waist, or that I have the perfect body for bridal (my height paying off for once!). Now I have to go back to my real life of teaching pre-school, changing diapers, and being normal. 

WE CHOSE A VENUE!

FINALLY!  We chose a venue! I am so excited. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The plan is to get married at Marvin UMC. After the ceremony, we will travel a mere five minutes to Hollytree Country Club. 

When we saw it, it was sectioned off, but the room will be a lot bigger when we get married. It has these really tall ceilings with big wooden rafters. There are two large fire places and a wine cellar. I am really excited! It also includes a cocktail area with a bar and a piano.

Now that the huge decisions are made, I can move on to the details.

Tyler Venues!

My mother and I made a trip up to Tyler this weekend. With Brady's new job in Henderson, Tyler is an easy and sensible choice for location. My mom AKA wedding planner made up a detailed spreadsheet of locations around the Tyler area. I went in and rated the venues based on their photos and accommodations. We toured four locations this weekend. It was pretty fun. I got referred to as "the bride" several times which never fails to make me smile. 

Stop One: Lake Tyler Petroleum Club

Three walls of windows, right on Lake Tyler. Bar and dance floor included. Buffet style for dinner. Outdoor cocktail space. Ideal for reception only.

Stop Two: Centaur Arabian Farms

Gorgeous grounds and landscaping. Reception area will only seat about 110 in the barn comfortably.

Ceremony location for Stop Two. Gorgeous as well but no bad weather plan. They have a tent available but for all we know March 10th could be really freezing.

Stop Three: Villa de Felicitia

Gorgeous venue in the middle of the country. This is the one we are all leaning toward. It has a ceremony and reception location. There is an outside spot AND a back up spot.

The lovely reception area from Stop Three, Villa de Felicitia.

The outside location for Villa de Felicitia. GORGEOUS. The aisle is really long though.

Marvin United Methodist Church, over 100 years old!

Stop 4: Tyler Womens Building 

Also historic. It was build in the 1930s. We visited it the morning after a wedding, so it was still super messy. It would be difficult to seat all of our guests and have a dance floor. :(

The outside of the building. It had a lovely little garden in the back.

So those are our options. We still have a lot of things to consider and numbers to crunch. But plan on March 10, 2012 in Tyler, Texas!

Where are you registered?

Brady and I registered this last weekend! Let me just say that registering was the best thing thus far about being engaged. Picking out all of this stuff for my future household makes this more real and more exciting.

This last weekend I went to visit Brady and his family in Mount Vernon, Texas. It's a nice five and a half hours away from Katy. Brady and I had previously registered at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond online. While I was in town, we registered at a local shop on the town square. It's called Coe & Company on Houston Street. They were closed for the Memorial Day weekend but we managed to squeeze in an appointment. Luckily, Brady's family goes to church with the owners of this tiny antique and house goods shop. She graciously opened up the store for Brady, Brady's mom, and I to shop around for my bridal shower (by the way, his hometown is all ready planning me TWO bridal showers!). It was really awesome, shopping in a closed store. I felt like a celebrity, or a contestant on What Not to Wear. We got to register for sheets, towels, table linens, glass ware, and miscellaneous home decor.

So in conclusion, you may now find Brady and I on the following registries: Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Coe & Company (no website). For the Target and Bed Bath and Beyond registries, you click on the wedding registry link and type in either my name or Brady's to search for our wedding. It is easier to search for Brady Hunnicutt, since he has the more unique name of the two of us. It cuts down on the search results.

Table Decor Sketches

I was in an artsy mood today and decided to break out my prismacolor pencils from high school. I was having trouble explaining exactly what I envisioned for the reception decor. Now I'm decent for an amateur artist, so you'll have to bear with me on these sketches. I didn't have the exact shades of colors that I needed, so use your imagination.

Here is a close up of the flower arrangements. I want a super tall and skinny vase so my guests can see and talk to each other across the table. A peacock feather could be attached to the outside of the vase. Inside will be a mixture of white peonies, green spider mums, and blue hydrangeas.

I didn't have the colors I wanted, so use your imagination. I want the table cloth to be cerulean blue, the color of the font. I want the table runner to be celery green. The tea light candles will be a light teal.

This is a quick sketch of the place setting. I want a menu on each plate describing what the guests are eating. My cousin, Clark, had some at his wedding and I really liked them. Another peacock feather will accompany each guests' menu.

So those are my ideas. What do you think?

Venues Venues Venues - Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond

Brady came to visit me for the long Easter weekend. We managed to squeeze in an appointment to look at venues between sailing, Easter egg hunts, eating, and visiting family. We went to see Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond, Texas. It's about a 30 minute drive from my house in Katy.

We toured this sprawling ranch's facility and liked the Safari Room. It is paired with an outdoor gazebo overlooking a lake and real wild life. There were deer and zebras on the other side of the lake.

The indoor area is pretty country. It matches Brady's style and I think the decor would match my style. I would add a bunch of Asian paper lanterns at different heights to create visual interest.

So this facility was nice, reasonably priced, and it was all ready booked for March 10, 2012. March 3rd was open, but the problem is we can't book anything till we both know where we'll be living next year. It's frustrating. But at least we managed to find some reasonably priced venues.

Farewell Briscoe

One of the options Brady and I were leaning toward for our wedding and reception was Briscoe Manor in Richmond, Texas. It is really close to Houston but it is on this huge ranch. It is one of those places that have the chapel and reception room in one location.

Brady and I all ready really loved it but one of the coordinators emailed me back today with upsetting news. Apparently if you are getting married on a Saturday evening (who isn't?) it will cost a minimum of $16,600. And that is not even including any alcohol. Needless to say, that's too much to pay.

Although being engaged is a really exciting part of my life, I can't help but feel like people in the wedding industry are constantly trying to take you for every penny you have. I'm just frustrated! It's making a destination wedding look really great right now.

We still have a few more front runners that we have to go see when Brady is next in town. Texas Safari Ranch looks very promising. We used to have our band banquets there in high school. They have a BUNCH of rooms to choose from. Plus their food was good!

Nacogdoches Venue?

IF IF IF we get married in Nacogdoches, this is our home church. Perrite Memorial United Methodist.

My mom and I took a short trip up to Nacogdoches to look at venues. On our way up to Nacogdoches, we slowly eliminated venue by venue until we were left with the Pine Creek Country Inn. It's a hotel in the woods by Lake Nacogdoches. We could not see the location until Sunday because they had a wedding there on Saturday. The wedding decor and mess was still left over when we swung by after church.

I wouldn't do the whole peach theme, but that can be changed.

It has a back patio connecting to the reception room. This couple opted to hold the ceremony here.

So this is one of the best options for Nacogdoches. I am not a fan of Fredonia Hotel, in case any of yall were about to suggest it. It's all right, but I think this place has more personality. 

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this venue at a 7. It has the qualities we are looking for: space, full bar, multiple rooms for a cocktail hour, outdoor and dance space. 

The drawback is that the reception room is a little dated looking. I am sure that with all powers combined we could totally transform it with curtains and lighting.

Bridesmaids!

I asked three of my best friends to be my bridesmaids! Brady and I wanted to have a small wedding party. It gets really confusing (and pricey) trying to have a large bridal party. I am still planning on asking a lot of other people to be part of our day, but the three girls that will stand up with me at the alter have been chosen.

That being said, none of them have been a bridesmaid before. Although I had been a bridesmaid once (in the 5th grade for my cousin's wedding), I did not know exactly what it entails either. I looked it up on the knot.com - the website that is becoming more addicting that facebook for me, and there was this helpful article of bridesmaid etiquette. 

The bridesmaid is an integral part of any wedding, on hand to comfort, console, multitask, and party hearty at all bridal events. Whether it's your first bridesmaid gig or your 50th, here's a cheat sheet of your to-dos.

• Offer to help with prewedding tasks. Try to be specific when you volunteer. For example, say, "Would you like me to help you shop for bridesmaid dresses/stuff invitations/pack for the honeymoon?" instead of just, "What can I do?"
• Scout out bridesmaid dresses, shoes, jewelry, and other wedding accessories. Pay for the entire ensemble. (Break in your shoes before the wedding day -- that will minimize slipping, blisters, and aching tootsies.)
• Help to plan, cohost, and pay for the bridal shower and bachelorette party with other bridesmaids.
• If the maid/matron of honor isn't already handling this task, keep a record of all the gifts received at various parties and bridal showers (so that the bride/couple can write thank-you notes); maintain RSVP lists.
• Attend the ceremony rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. (Keep abreast of all prewedding parties, and go to as many as possible.)
• Run last-minute errands. On the day of the wedding, be on hand to confirm flower delivery times, meet and greet the ceremony officiant, or satisfy junk food cravings.
• Stand in the receiving line at the bride's request.
• Serve as auxiliary hostess at the reception by introducing guests, making sure they know where the bar is located, and inviting them to sign the guest book.
• Hit the dance floor when the music kicks in. Dance with groomsmen during the formal first-dance sequence. Also, be on the lookout for toe-tapping guests who might need encouragement and/or a dance partner.
• Give the matron/maid of honor a break by helping to carry the bride's wedding gown train whenever necessary. Bustle the train before dancing begins, and be ready to help fix it if it comes unhooked. Accompany the bride on visits to the restroom, if asked.
• Purchase a wedding present perhaps with one or several of the other bridesmaids. This provides more buying power, and two heads are better than one when it comes to wedding gift ideas. Sometimes the entire bridesmaid troupe pitches in for one knock-her-socks-off wedding gift.
• Be a trooper, no matter how stressful the ordeal becomes. Try not to complain about the bridesmaid dress -- even if the color is horrendous. Be gracious and tactful.
• Provide plenty of emotional support during the planning and on the wedding day.

-- The Knot

Read more: Bridesmaids: Bridesmaid Duties in Detail - Bridesmaids Mother of the Bride - Bridesmaids - TheKnot.com http://wedding.theknot.com/bridesmaids-mother-of-the-bride/bridesmaids/articles/bridesmaids-duties-in-detail.aspx#ixzz1HpHpKPh0

Now for the big question - dresses. What will they wear? It's difficult to say since my gown hasn't been picked yet (although I have narrowed down my style!), but I have picked out three different styles of dresses that I really love. this first one is a classy v-neck choice. I love the shade of deep blue, the color of the peacock's body.

Here is choice number two. A nice sweetheart neckline, strapless dress in teal. I like how it gathers at the side, creating a strong waistline.

And choice number three. It's kind of a marriage of dresses one and two. It has the v-neck with straps, but a more defined waist. I have been really gravitating toward flower details lately. 

I am not planning on making any decisions until 1) my dress is picked out and 2) I see the dresses on at least 2 of my bridesmaids.

And I'm trying to keep the cost down on these dresses, btw. It's hard finding pretty dresses that aren't ugly and that don't cost an arm and a leg!

Theme! Only decision thus far.

Although we have to wait for the summer to make any concrete decisions (like the wedding date and location), we have decided on a theme. PEACOCK!

Besides having an awesome color palette that Brady and I both love, the peacock has held symbolic importance in cultures for centuries. As I learned in Rome, the peacock was once the sign of immortality. Peacocks have a very long life span. In ancient times, these exotic birds often outlived humans, when life expectancy was very low. Peacocks were used in art to represent immortality. Brady and I are choosing this to symbolize our immortal love.

So let's get down to the colors. Navy/cerulean blue, teal, purple with an accent of green. Ever since I saw Monsoon Wedding as a teenager, I have always admired Indian weddings for their celebration of colors. I feel this plethora of colors fits our personalities and yet will not look crazy since it is a combination found in nature.