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!