Long time, no see

It's been a long time since I've posted here in the old wedding blog. Of course, up until recently, there hadn't really been a whole lot of stuff to report about. However, I am now really getting things going and posts should be more frequent.

Wedding flowers make me angry

This is something I just found out about myself last night.

I do not want to pay for wedding flowers.

As soon as I started planning, I've always trended towards bouquet and flower alternatives. I've got some pretty great paper flower options going. Centerpieces are going to be primarily flower-free. However, it wasn't until last night that I discovered that the thought of paying for wedding flowers makes me angry.

Allow me to elaborate.

I was going through a few of the suggested floral vendors from the Danversport brochure. Some of them foolishly have prices attached. Guh. I just can't see spending that kind of money for something that's not going to last very long. And as for having my bouquet preserved... there's something kind of creepy about it. One site offered such services, using the latest in freeze drying technology. They put your bouquet, one of the boutonnieres, and your invitation in a nice shadowbox. It looked so macabre. I couldn't even handle it.

So, wedding flowers make me angry. I'm still working on a way around it. I've seen a fair number of absolutely beautiful bouquets made from paper flowers, or origami ones. I've got the time to figure something out that will make me happy.

The time will fly

I just want to point out that as of today there are exactly 500 days until the wedding. It certainly seems like a lot of time, but I know that the last 120 days have flown by.

The inside of the chapel

I'm just so very excited about this. Brian took a couple pictures when we went in to visit the chapel last weekend. The quality isn't terrific, especially because of the lighting, but it gives a pretty good idea of the interior.

All of the windows are genuine Tiffany stained glass. There are windows along both walls and the two big circular windows at either end. The walls are covered in beautiful wood paneling. The facilities manager, Nancy, who showed us around had a picture from one wedding there where they had tied tulle bows around the ends of the pews. It really helped lighten up what could otherwise be a somewhat oppressively dark interior. Especially given that our wedding will be at 4:30 in the afternoon at the end of October. If it's raining, it will be quite dark inside.

Like I mentioned before, the maximum capacity is 120 people. The major advantage to this is that our small group of wedding guests won't be scattered around a big, empty church. It will be wonderfully intimate.

It's official!!

It's the first official post in my wedding blog! That must mean things are happening...

Yes, they are. Money has exchanged hands. Deposits have been made. Contracts are being signed.

Things we know for certain...

The Date
October 30th, 2010. That has been the planned for date for a while now, but with venues locked down, it most certainly is the date.

The Ceremony Location
The Chapel at West Parish. It's right across the street from the house, and Brian and I walk by it all the time. We'd never been inside, but Saturday morning we had a meeting with the facilities manager and got the tour. If we didn't want to spend a penny on decorating the chapel, it would still be absolutely beautiful. It is a bit dark, though, so I think decorations of some type are in order. I think one of my favorite things about it is that since we are having so few people, we won't wind up with a big, empty church. The maximum capacity is 120 people, and we're looking at between 75 and 85, so it's perfect. I'm going to try and get over there soon to take some pictures of the inside for planning.

The Reception Location
Danversport Yacht Club. This place has everything that we're looking for in a reception hall. They include so much in their wedding packages that we will have to worry about very little. They way they do business is also very refreshing. All of the taxes, gratuities, and fees are built into the per head price. And it all goes towards the minimum spending. That's fantastic. So many places put all that stuff in tiny letters at the bottom of their information packets. And they tend to be very restrictive as to what can go towards the minimum spending. Also, most venues don't start the off season until the first week of November. Not Danversport. We are off-season. That really only affects the minimum spending, which we would have met anyway, but it's nice to know if a lot of people wind up not coming, we won't be scrambling to buy more services or food just to meet the minimum.

As far as my priorities go, I really just want to get the photographer booked, and then I can relax. All the big stuff will be taken care of. We'll need to find a DJ also, but I am far less fussy about that than I am about my photographer. I do have one in mind right now. Her name is Lisa Rigby and I think her style perfectly matches the feel we want for the wedding. My favorite part is that you get full resolution digital files for your own personal use. This means that I won't have to pay $8 for a 4x6 print or something obscene like that. Nor am I limited to a book done by the photographer. It would be nice for me to be able to do my own.

It seems fitting that so much is falling into place the week of Brian and my 3rd anniversary.

Hooray! Planning! I'll get some pictures up here as soon as I can.