Altar Decor

I'm torn on how to decorate the altar area for the wedding. It's such a pretty setting on its own, I don't really want to make it too fussy or obstruct the lake view. As a reminder, here's the wedding site video. The "i dos" will take place right in the middle of those bushes (but in front of them). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWkurrIKISQHere are the options I've come up with:

1. Wrought iron candleabras with floral arrangements in the tops. The candleabras rent for $40 each. The florist quoted me $175 each for the floral arrangements, plus tax & delivery. So...this has gotten expensive...$500 expensive.


2. Black urns filled with floral arrangements (ferns, hanging baskets, whatever we find at HomeDepot that week, etc) and doctored with some curly willow, add'l flowers, etc. The wrought iron urns are on sale for $60 each. The others are likely cheaper at Home Depot or the like. If not black, we can spray paint. Flowers could be as simple or elaborate as we can do ourselves. I think this could be done for $250, right? So half the price of option 1.
   


3. A rustic bench/table for the altar, adorned with a simple unity candle and perhaps a simple garland on the front. The minister and us would stand on the crowd side of the table (or I guess the minister could stand behind it?) This is a pic of a bench, not sure where to get a taller version. Maybe Dad could make it easily with his scrap wood so it will look weathered? Then we can have it on our porch forever, which I think is kinda cool. Who else has their wedding altar on their porch as a daily reminder of their commitment? I like this because it's so simple. This would likely be the least expensive of all, depending on where the bench came from.

Soo...what do you think will look the best without overpowering the site or overextending the pocketbook? We could combine option 2 & 3 if we needed to.

Say CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE

Our engagement pics have been posted, at least a teaser of them! We should have more in a few weeks, but check them out and be sure to leave comments on the photographer's blog.

http://www.wscottchesterblog.com/

Here are my faves...

Our flower princess

Over the weekend, J, Lula, & I housesat for Wes & Anne. Their daughter's going to be our flower girl, though we hadn't officially asked her yet. Ella is a precious little girl who is in LOVE with all things princesses. Frilly dresses, tiaras, Disney heroines, you name it.

Over the weekend, we arranged a little Easter surprise for her. When the family got home on Sunday, Ella had a card sending her on an Easter Egg Hunt throughout her house. The card told her that if she found all of the eggs, a present would await her in hopes she'd be our flower princess on our big day!

Plastic eggs were filled with her favorite candy--Starbursts (but the jelly bean kind for Easter, of course). We left her parents a cheat sheet so they wouldn't miss any of the treats (for the dogs to find later). At the end of her quest, a special present was hiding in her closet: a gigantic "Disney Princess" gift bag filled with a princess tutu, a wand, tiara, and princess gloves. Do you think she likes it??

Hey Good Lookin'

Anyone wondering what the fellas are wearing? It won't be their birthday suits...don't worry!

The cotton suits are a faint gray pinstripe, similar to seersucker...but NOT seersucker. (Jason hates seersucker, so this is VERY important!). The stripes are like seersucker, but the texture is flat, very very very unlike seersucker. Jason & Zach (best man) will wear vests. The other guys, no vest. White shirt & a mismatch of coordinated, yet different, lime green ties. On their feet? Likely Chuck Taylor converse sneakers. The guys have the suits, but the ties & shoes are still TBD... take a sneak peak...personally, i think they're pretty darn dapper.

We have a location!!!

For months we've been trying to nail down our ceremony location. The first option turned out to be WAYYY too small. The second, a lovely lakeside estate, was sold. Over the weeks, my moods swayed back & forth:

• Bridezilla moment "Jason! What if we can't find a place to get married? What will we do?!? Maybe we're not meant to be!!! Should we postpone the wedding??? This is too much!" (Bridezilla usually occured after a few glasses of wine).
• It'll-be-fine moment: "heck, if we don't find the right spot, we can just block off the road for a few minutes, i can walk along the yellow stripe, stage a quick ceremony, and be on our way. "

You'll be happy to know that both of the twin personalities have disappeared, and I'm happy with our location. Mom, Jason, and I headed up to the lake to check out a few spots we discovered online (after MUCH MUCH research). Third time's a charm, right? Here's where we'll get married. It's the front lawn of a horse barn...so if it rains, we may just tie the knot in a horse barn. So, if anyone ever asks me if I was born in a barn, I can honestly reply "No, but I was married in one." Check it out...

Reception will be held in the Lake Rabun Pavilion, an open-air stone & timber structure with lots of rustic charm!! You can see it here: http://www.lakerabun.org/080427_lra_008.htm

Martha's Seal of Approval

I subscribe to Martha Stewart's daily wedding ideas. Looky here what today's cover was (pay particular note to the hot pink dress and envision it in chartreuse!!):

Rest assured, we have Martha's stamp of approval!!! Whew. And if she only knew we got it on sale!!

At least JCrew's on our side during this recession

Apparently the BM dresses have been discounted even further. I know everyone already ordered them at the $129.99 price, but now they're $89.99. I'm trying to figure out if they'll give everyone a price adjustment. If they won't, your credit card company likely will. Depending on your card company, they most offer price protection for X # of days, so that if something goes on sale after you buy it, they'll adjust it for you. Stay tuned for the official word from JCrew...

Our Photog is #6 in the WORLD

Yep, freaking WORLD! How awesome is that? The Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (AGWPJA) just named him #12 for the last quarter, and #6 overall for 2008! I'm glad we locked him in at our price before this came out...otherwise we might be asking him to take food stamps too. Yikes.
http://www.wscottchesterblog.com/

and BAM!! the recession hits...

Jason was laid off on Monday. Got the axe. Fired. Let go. The heave-ho. Said sayanara. Was on the chopping block. Seriously? Seriously. Only 23 weeks before the wedding...sheesh!!!

He's holding up well, very optimistic about a few irons he has in the proverbial fire (not to be confused with FIRED). I was in Chicago at a conference when it went down--that was the worst part for me. Not being there to give him a hug, ya know? How lousy is that?

I wonder if our wedding caterer will accept food stamps...

the location

The reception will be at the Lake Rabun Pavilion, a rustic & elegant lakeside pavilion built of stone and timbers, surrounded by rhododendron & pines
http://www.lakerabun.org/080427_lra_008.htm
http://www.lakerabun.org/080427_lra_014.htm
The address of the pavilion is 1757 Lake Rabun Road, Lakemont GA 30552


The ceremony site is still TBD...maybe we'll just line everyone up along the road and block the street for a few minutes?

The rehearsal dinner might be at the Lake Rabun Hotel. The hotel is right across the street from the reception site, and has recently been restored. It's a very charming antique hotel with only 8 rooms.

Most guests will likely stay at The Lodge at Tallulah Falls. It's a new hotel located on Tallulah Gorge. It has about 50 rooms, and is about a 15 minute drive from the reception site. We're working on a block of rooms for a discounted rate. If all works out, we'll likely arrange a shuttle service for guests to/from the ceremony & reception since the roads are narrow & parking is limited. Stay tuned on those things...

Clayton, GA is about 20 minutes north of Lake Rabun and has plenty of other hotel options as well as restaurants, whitewater rafting, downtown shopping district, etc. Check out the Rabun County chamber of commerce for fun stuff.

the look

every bridesmaid gets nervous about what dress they'll be forced (ahem, lovingly asked) to wear...so here's a sneak peak at what i'm thinking. nothing set in stone...
dress is a silk dupioni JCrew sheath in a soft lime green with a slightly gathered skirt & v-back. the corsage-thingy is removable. to sash or not to sash?? we'll see when we try it on. no need to worry about summer tan lines though!!

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Ladies, I know you're making travel plans, so here's how I foresee the big weekend. Of course, I reserve the right to completely change my mind. :)

Wed 8/12
- Micki finishes errands
- Micki & family head to the lake in the afternoon

Thurs 8/13
- Bridal party arrives at the lake in the afternoon/evening

Fri 8/14
- Golf outing for guys in the AM (your fellas are welcome to join)
- 11:30-2:30 Bridal luncheon on the dock, followed by flower/bouquet party
- 6:00 rehearsal
- 7:00-10 rehearsal dinner
- Beauty sleep

Sat 8/15
- 9a-11 reception set-up
- 11-12:30 ceremony set-up
- 2:00 getting dressed
- 3:00 photographer arrives for getting ready shots
- 3:30-4 photos of the fellas
- 4-4:45 photos of the ladies
- 5:15 guests start arriving
- 6:00 ceremony
- 6:30-7:15 group pictures
- 7:15 head to reception
- 7:15-11 drinkin & dancin
- 11:00-till after party

Sun 8/16
- farewell breakfast (tentative)
- lake play time, head back to ATL

say cheese!

we put down the retainer for our photog last night. we met with 4 different people, and with each meeting the photographer seemed to impress us more and more. twice, we thought we'd made up our minds but were having the courtesy interview. each time, we walked away liking that person more than the previous.

until we met christen & scott chester. we LOVED them (that's them dressed up for a vegas photography convention last month--hah!). loved their work, loved their personality. they were a little more than we'd originally anticipated spending, but worth the splurge. and they were great at working out a package for us that meets our needs!! we cannot wait!

asking the girls

Because several of my bridesmaids live far (and not so far) away, I wanted to ask them in a unique way instead of just a phone call. So...I created a little puzzle that went like this...

• Unsuspecting bridesmaid-to-be receives an ambiguous brown box in the mail (or at her doorstep)
• She opens the box to find a note atop green confetti & filler
• The note reads:

Dear (name):

This is a test. In this box you will find a puzzle. If you are able to solve
the puzzle, an exciting adventure awaits. If you are unable to solve the
puzzle,
well, then nevermind. BEST OF LUCK!!!

Clues:

1. There are 6 wordes represented in 6 clues
2. Put the clues together to form a phrase
3. The completed phrase will be a question

-----STOP HERE AND SOLVE THE PUZZLE------

Once you solve the puzzle to complete the question, if you choose to accept
this mission...

1. Take a photo of yourself with clues #5 & 6
2. Text or email the photo to me to confirm your acceptance of this
   mission
3. Save the date for August 15, 2009!!!!

What was inside the boxes, you ask?

photo of myself

a handmade veil (a hotglue creation of a child's headband and layers of tulle)

CAN YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE???

will ewe bee my brides maid?

i said YES, but will THEY???

Sometime on Thursday, my sisters will each receive a special delivery. One in Texas will receive a vase full of tulips, her fave flower. The other in San Francisco will receive a grow-your-own herb kit. Both will have messages attached, asking them to stand beside me on the BIG DAY as my maids of honor. I sure hope they'll say YES!!! I can't be there to ask them in person, but I hope these little somethings will bring smiles to their faces. They are truly the best girls in the entire world, and I'm a lucky girl to have 'em as sisters.

DIY Projects

So here's a short list of the projects I plan to undertake for the BIG DAY...is it too much??

• Invitations & Save-the-Dates
• Programs
• Website
• Bridesmaid bouquets
• Groomsmen bouts
• Reception centerpieces
• Reception & ceremony decor
• Ring bearer pillow
• Favors
• What have I left out???

This week's update...

HOUSTON...WE HAVE A BAND!!
We've booked a band for the BIG DAY! Check out Bobby & the Aristocats. They played a friend's wedding last spring and were a LOT of fun.

MONEY TALKS
The anxiety is over, at least for now. Jason and I both had positive conversations with our folks and with each other about how much we can afford for a wedding. That's a relief after hearing so many horror stories from previous brides. It definitely eases my mind about some things. The best advice to future aisle-walkers...go in prepared. Build your budget and figure out what you can afford on your own. Going in with a plan and line item estimates is so much better than asking for thousands of dollars on a hunch!

BRIDE-TO-BE IN NYC
We spent Valentine's weekend in New York City to attend my college pal's wedding celebration. What a place to spend Valentine's as newly engaged!! It was great. On Saturday, I even went to try on a few dresses at a designer's salon. When I made the appointment, the designer herself emailed me back. Thank you Coren Moore! I don't see Vera or Carolina or Priscilla answering their own emails!!!

Will one of the NYC dresses be "the one"???? You'll find out in August.

SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED
Well, the date is official now. We've sent the deposit for the reception venue. Wow, it's all so real!!

Update

On January 29, Jason dropped to his knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. As you can tell, I said yes. Actually, I started laughing because he looked so cute on his knee!

So...here's the scoop thus far.

Date: Aug 15, 2009

Place: Lake Rabun, Georgia

We're TBD on the ceremony site, but the Lake Rabun Pavilion is great for the reception. We fell in love with the lake during a camping trip in Sept 2007. Eventually we fell in love with each other, so it just make sense to get married there!