Yesterday, I introduced you to Valerie, our new guest blogger. Today we finish her first blog posting about her adventures in planning her wedding…
Wedding Planning – November to December 2009, Part Two
Gregg and Valerie's "Save the Date"
For me, the hardest part had been finding a venue. The best resource that I have found out there to help answer questions is www.HereComesTheGuide.com. This site breaks down everything you will need in order to find the perfect place. Gregg and I originally wanted to get married somewhere in wine country but we slowly found out that everything seemed to be a la carte (you have to find your caterer, bartender, décor, ect). We both agreed that a Hotel would be a better choice for us. We really dedicated a month to finding a place. Making a list of things that you want to incorporate and also having an idea of how many people we wanted to invite. Since our wedding will be around 225 people and we both wanted an outdoor wedding. This helped in eliminating many places.
November 2009 we booked out location at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood Shores, California. Since we will also have many guests that are out-of-town both from overseas and the East Coast, this place is perfect for us!
I also found my dress in November! I was really shocked that only two months of being engaged I had found my dress, thee dress! I had gone with my mom and dad, I knew that I wanted to share this special moment with them both. My first experience in trying on the first wedding dress, I felt really silly, in the sense that I felt that this wasn’t real. It was really hard to picture myself in a wedding dress even though as a little girl I had always envisioned my wedding. After the first 5 or 6 dresses I started to really see that this was all real and I wasn’t dreaming this up in my head!
I probably tried about 30 different dresses. The Dress Consultant from the beginning told me that any dress I loved to leave in the dressing room and any dress that I liked or wasn’t thrilled about to give back to her. This was probably the best advice I got while trying on dresses: “Love” vs “Like”. Only the dresses I “loved” made the cut…it helped with eliminating dresses.
I ended up with 4 dressed out of the 30. I tried them on for a second time and the first dress that I had originally had tried on fit perfect. I felt like a princess. I remember stepping outside of the dressing room and my dad had a “wow” look on his face and my mom just cried! As my mom and the Dress Consultant placed a veil on me, I got chills and various waves of emotion came pouring in. I knew this dress was the one!
When I looked in the mirror I knew this dress was going to wow Gregg just like it wowed my dad. From this moment forward it all hit me that I was getting married to the love of my life!
Now having selected a venue and finding the perfect dress, we booked out officiate and our photographer.
Since Gregg and I both come from different backgrounds and different religions, to us, the officiate had to be someone that could blend both of our religious and cultural traditions into our ceremony. My Aunt had recommended the White Robed Monks, who also officiated her wedding to my uncle. Together, we and the officiate are building in creating a unique ceremony that will make our exchanging of the vows memorable.
Our photographer will be our friends Rebecca and her husband Gabriel Beszeda. We selected them not just because they are our friends but also because Gabriel is an amazing photographer. After seeing much of his work, we know that he will be able to capture our special day not just through the eyes of a photographer but through the eyes of friends and knowing us as a couple.
As it is now 2010, we have finished our gift registry and we are now working on our save the dates. We have also completed our Wedding Website through www.WeddingWindows.com.
Today, I looked on our “To-Do List” to see what is next: Finding a Florist, Cake Tasting, Finalizing the Menu, Finding Wedding Invitations, and Finalizing a Honeymoon Location. We have 216 days till our big day!
Here is a list of my favorite resources:
Wedding Wire (www.WeddingWire.com)
Here Comes The Guide (www.herecomestheguide.com)
Martha Stewart Weddings
Wedding Etiquette by Peggy Post (this will help answer any and all questions regarding the wedding and the proper way to address issues that arise. This has been a lifesaver for me!)
Next month – More of Valerie’s Wedding Planning Adventures…