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After months of deliberating we finally ordered the invitations today! Originally, we were going to do a message in a bottle to go with the beach theme, but I was really struggling to make it elegant enough. I’ve heard that the invitations should be the first hint to the guests about the tone of the wedding. The message in a bottle invitations were really cute, but just didn’t fit the type of wedding we are having.

Once we decided not to go with the bottle, I started designing a traditional invitation set and a map insert. I purchased new fonts, created my own icon and even designed a monogram for us that we’re having made into a wax seal stamper. I had so much fun doing it that I am thinking about designing invitations and maps as a business.

We had three top choices for invitations and in the end we decided to go with a more elegant, classic looking invitation with a just touch of beach rather than a very themed invitation. I really love the one we picked and it’s more fitting with the wedding we are having. I can’t wait to see them. Keep an eye out in the mail around the end of July or beginning of August!

Here are the links to the runners up: the Tropical Hoku Invitation by Hana Hou and the Serene Seaside Invitation by Encore Studios.

Today I made our cake topper. I started with two ceramic cake toppers that were all white and I got out my sewing machine and little accessories that I had purchased and put together a one of a kind cake topper! It’s so cute and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

The wedding favors came in today! Unlike the struggles I’ve been having with choosing invitations, this was an easy choice. Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t believe we only have four months to go. I have been slacking on typing my wedding planning updates for the last few weeks but I have been writing in a notebook, so hopefully I will add everything online soon. In the meantime, today I started really thinking about the honeymoon. I have been using The Knot’s Ultimate Wedding Planner (thanks to Stacy!) and I also get a monthly e-mail from theknot.com on the 21st of each month. Today’s e-mail said it’s time to start planning the honeymoon! Our top two ideas so far are Croatia and Hawaii. I started getting some ideas from my wedding chat board and Hawaii really sounds amazing. I think it would also be a great balance for us because Pete also loves the mountains and hiking, and we can do that in the same place as we can go snorkeling. I would also love to go to Croatia and see the place where Pete’s dad’s side of the family is from but the beach weather is past its prime by the end of September.

Hi. Today I had a pretty good day. It started off a little questionably though. By the end of it I was able to salvage the remainder of the day. We went to City Island for Mother’s Day dinner. We dined at a place called the Black Whale. It was great. In fact it has put me in such a good mood that it thought it best to write a bit about how things are going. One of the key things going on these days is wedding preparation. So far we have done really well with the planning. It had been a goal of mine to become more involved with the wedding planning once busy season was over. As I reflect on the month or so since the end of the season, I am pleased. We have started taking dancing lessons. We have already had three sessions. I’ll write more of that in a moment. We have gone to a tasting of both appetizers and entrées at our reception hall. We’ve met with a Catholic priest and found a church to marry in. We have visited an excellent videographer. I am really excited by the look and feel of their videos. We’ve visited a DJ and a florist. I was a bit worried that maybe we should get a band but I’ve never really liked bands at weddings. Sarah reminded me that we need to do what made us comfortable so I think I’ll stick top a DJ. Besides, I think our wedding will sound better with the original music and sound as opposed to a band’s rendition.
So, let me tell you about our dance lessons. We started taking them about three weeks ago. Our instructor’s name is Leslie. She has made it really fun to learn to dance. I have to say we picked up on it pretty well. We don’t practice much, though I would like to, but we manage to do well while having fun. I’ll admit I sometimes let the pressures of everyday life get to me. I sometimes come to lessons with the burden of these stressors weighing down on me, but by the end I feel great. I feel like it was so easy to get to steps down. When I look at video of people “slow dancing”, i.e. rocking back and forth, it looks very simplistic. I recommend everyone take a few lessons. It may be a bit pricey but I feel it is worth it. Oh before I forget, I’ll tell you what we have learned. We’ve learned the box step with a twirl and the promenade step. There you have it. Talk to you next time.

I have been doing a lot of research on videographers over the last couple of months. Like many other things, I was surprised and happy when we finally found the one that captured our attention and made the little flag go up, saying “This is the one!!”

My first idea was a to go with Michelle, from Layer Cake Films. She shoots with super 8mm film and edits in a music video style. Michelle’s motto is that the video should enhance your memories of your wedding day, rather than replacing your memories with what was captured on film (as happens with too-long videos). I still love her style, but ultimately didn’t chose her because Peter wanted to have the sound from the day, which can’t be done with super 8mm. Here’s my favorite sample of Michelle’s videography & editing: Lindsay & Nick.

We looked at many other video options including our DJ company, several recommendations from our photographer and many others that I found. Somehow I came across Silverfox. I can’t remember how I found them, but I’m so glad I did. We were totally impressed with them today. The manager was very friendly and their samples are really impressive. I think our favorite part was that the video titles make it feel like a real movie. Overall Pete and I both felt these videos really had the style we were looking for. Here’s some of my favorite sample videos of Silverfox’s: Roseann & Christian’s ceremony and Roseann & Christian’s photo session.

Today I went to David’s Bridal again, this time with Pete’s mom. She tried on a few dresses, and found one that she likes but was not ready to commit to anything yet. They seemed to have a much lager selection of mom dresses in Maryland than they did here in NY, which was unfortunate.

While we were there, I also noticed a headpiece that I liked. I got super excited because I have been looking at dozens of tiaras, headbands, combs etc and never found anything I remotely felt I could wear. I got even more excited when I realized that the band was made from a bracelet of real pearls and Swarovski crystals, which was fastened to a headband with clear wire. I think it so cool that it can be taken apart and worn after the wedding. Once I found that out, I knew I had to get it! Then I got to the register and found out it was half price. How exciting!

Today I went with my mom to look for her mother of the bride dress for my wedding and for her outfit for my brother’s wedding as well. We went to Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Talbot’s, David’s Bridal, and possibly some other shops whose names escape me. It’s really not easy to find the perfect dress, but I think my mom is really happy with what she got in the end. It’s a full satin skirt with attached crinkle chiffon fabric and matching jacket. The jacket also has nice beading around the neckline to dress it up.

Check out the new page I added to the site today. You can listen to the songs we were considering for our first dance, read the lyrics and then VOTE for which one you think we picked! Check out the new wedding songs page!

Today was the day I have been the most nervous about for a long time. During tax season, Pete didn’t have time to help with much of the wedding planning, so I did as much as I could on my own and tried not to bother him too much. One thing I really wanted us to decide together though, was the location of the ceremony. As the end of tax season grew nearer, I scheduled appointments with priests at nearby churches. I have visited a few on some of my previous trips to the Hamptons, but Pete had not seen the one church I loved more than any other. I was scared to get my hopes up until I knew for sure that Pete liked it and that we could have the wedding there on our date. I feel so relieved and excited now because Pete also loved the church and the priest was a great. We have reserved the church for our wedding date! It’s really really real now!!