Helloooo Brides!
I have a little less than 3 months to go until our big day and a couple of things have recently been crossed off of the official “to-do list”! Yes!!
Cake…check!
The wedding cake is something that can be extremely important to some brides, but not too much of a big deal to others. I am the latter. Once again, I am on a strict budget, and this is one thing that, to me, doesn’t need too much attention. I am one of those brides who won’t go into something blindly. I have been relying heavily on friends or friends of friends to direct me to vendors whom they know or trust. I was clicking through photos on facebook one day and came upon some wedding pictures of an acquaintance. I happened upon a lovely little cake…simple design…very pretty. I immediately shot her an e-mail to find out who did the cake! To my surprise it was a Hy-Vee cake!! I had been considering Hy-Vee b/c it was economical and their cakes are delicious (you don’t think that I was just picking up fliers at those bridal fairs…hellooo)! So, I was so excited to hear all about her cake experience. There are tons of Hy-Vee’s in KC, so it was nice to be able to narrow it down. The Hy-Vee that we are working with is off of 87th St. in Lenexa. The cake decorator’s name is Brenda! I highly reccommend her so far! I was really interested in looking at other cakes that she had done and was pleasantly surprised when she had a photo book of past wedding cakes. I didn’t care too much about decoration, but wanted to make sure that none of them were leaning or uneven-looking. They looked great! She have us a ton of books to look through and we mixed and matched designs to create a one-of-a-kind cake for us!! A total bonus…she sent us home with a CAKE…if you didn’t get that the first time, I said…A CAKE!!! It was sooo extremely delicious. It was made up of different flavors and frostings…I was in wedding cake heaven! Our moms came along for the trip, which was fun, thanks moms!! Don’t be afraid to ask for exactly what you want and bring ideas and color samples! Also, an added bonus…Brenda says that saving the top tier for your first anniversary isn’t necessarily the way to go. If you are wanting to be economical, go ahead and use the top tier to serve to your guests. The cake doesn’t really taste that good and she said that you can come back and she will make you a small replica of your wedding cake for your anniversary for a tiny price! How sweet! I would much rather eat delicious, yummy cake with my hubby than eat nasty, stale, freezer-burnt frosting. Oh, and Geoff is getting a German Chocolate cake (his fave…I haaaaate coconut) for a Groom’s cake…he really wanted the pirate ship cake…yes, it’s a real cake!!
Overall, I would give the cake experience an A+!
DJ…check!
Finding a DJ was one thing that was on the bottom of “the list”! I honestly didn’t want to deal with it at all. So, I left this one up to Geoff! HA! Yes ladies, we can let then do some of the planning! You should be able to trust them to search for vendors and find some that you both may like!
My wonderful MOH got reccommendations from her coworkers which she passed on to me and then I quickly sent to Geoff. He e-mailed a few and then decided on Mobile Sounds KC. We met with Anthony this past Sunday at Scooter’s and was very pleased. He is a cool guy & really excited about what he does. They e-mail you a list of songs and a party planner for you to send back to them. You are able to choose which songs you want/don’t want, incase you are a bride who desperately hates The Chicken Dance or The Beer Barrel Polka…both of which I love…I can’t help it! The party planner allows you to set up announcements of cake cutting, prayers, dances, and toasts! It’s all very helpful! With Mobile Sounds KC, you are also able to give them a list of songs that aren’t on their list or a cd of “must-be-played tunes”! Go check out their website! I know you don’t want that crazy DJ that has an afro, wears tight pants, sweats a lot, and continues to show everyone how to do The Electric Slide (like we don’t already know…psshhh!)
I give the DJ experience an A+…good goin’ Geoff!
I hope that I have given you lost brides a little glimmer of light with these vendors! Don’t freak out if you are having troubles finding the perfect one. Don’t be afraid to ask around…coworkers, friends, and family are all valuable resources!
Still to come, in my next blog…Invitations, dress fittings, and “The Big Day” HAIR DO’s!!!
Happy Planning!
-Soon-to-be Mrs. P
I think the best way to learn more and get ideas about venues and vendors is to talk to other brides! I would love to tell you about the details of my Kansas City, KS wedding. I am not completely finished with the planning process, but I want to talk to you about the three things that were/are most important to me:
1. The ceremony venue
2. The reception venue
3. Our photographer
The Ceremony Venue
After picking the date, which wasn’t too difficult (it’s just a couple days after our “dating anniversary”!), we needed to decide on the ceremony venue. I have been in Manhattan, KS for the past 6 years and don’t really have a home parish here in KC and Geoff really didn’t care either way. We are both Catholic and really preferred to get married in a church. So, I decided to carry on a little tradition in our family! Not only did my sister get married at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in KCK, but my mother did as well! I think this just adds a little more of a personal touch to the venue! It was an easy decision really and I wanted to finalize it quickly, because most places need you to book at least 6 months to a year a head of time. Blessed Sacrament is a beautiful church in the inner city and will be just perfect for our big day!
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, KCK (The beautiful bride in the photo is my sister, Jen!)
I love the interior of this church! The stained glass windows and arches are amazing!
The Reception Venue
I don’t really know where to begin with this category! This part of the planning process was definitely the biggest issue. I originally wanted a smaller, more intimate reception on our big day, but you know how things go…well, they just change! Geoff and I also have very different taste…we love anything and everything vintage (50’s), swanky, or modern. We wanted something that would definitely represent us and celebrate our style. I had found a place called Bacchanalia in Overland Park, KS. I LOVED this place! It had a very Tuscan feel (I was thinking Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane…I LOVE that movie) that was cozy and different! Well, after almost being sold on the idea, I noticed that the venue seated 150. I thought that that was a great number…exactly what I wanted! Well, it was perfect until I realized that 150 people meant 150 individual people. I was completely forgetting about guest+1 or +2 or even guest+gigantic family (not Duggar family gigantic, but more than 2 individuals)! So, I had to scrap that. Our small-ish wedding is now looking more like 270-300 people…I wasn’t being very realistic. I decided to research swanky clubs, theaters, or even lofts in KC. I don’t know about any of you, but I found it really hard to find anything online. I kept finding the same ‘ol things. It was annoying. I decided that I liked Club 1000 & The Uptown Theater. So we checked into them. Yes, they would have been perfect if only it hadn’t been for the ridiculous price tag (see title of this blog)! One place was acutally $60/head. Ok, mental math here people…$60+300 people=Geoff & Beth living in a box FOOOOOREVER!! I was lost. Where could I find something cool, but affordable??! My mom suggested Painted Hills Golf Course to me and I wasn’t too keen on the idea. Geoff & I are definitely not golfers, but I decided to take a look! I am soooo glad that I did! “The Room With A View,” their banquet room, was so nice! It isn’t that swanky club/theater that I wanted, but it wasn’t a school a big empty space either! The room has windows all around, looking over the course, which I will admit, is beautiful! The thing that definitely did it for me…the patio! They have a wonderful patio overlooking the course and they give you the option of renting a tent for more seating! I was sold! It also worked out great that it is pretty close to the ceremony site, family’s houses, and The Legends (there will be time to kill in between, so why shouldn’t my guests shop??). They provide catering as well…a package deal…less stress & mess for you! The banquet room is extremely accessible for handicap guests or elderly guests…no stairs whatsoever! Done deal…YES!
Painted Hills Golf Course, KCK
Once again, for you new brides, I will remind you that a lot of places want you to book way in advance…a year to the date sometimes! For my sister’s wedding, she chose George Meyn Hall in KCK for her reception site! It is definitely a great option for large receptions! My dad had to stand in line a year before…and draw numbers…can we say intense? Woah! So, keep that in mind!
The Photographer
This was one of the top things on my “To-Do before it’s too late” list! I honestly had no idea who to contact for pictures! I had attended a bridal extravaganza and picked up different fliers from photographers, but really felt helpless! Pictures are so important and being on a budget, I wanted to leave room to spend what I needed to so that I would have the BEST pictures! I can’t tell you how many countless hours I spent online looking at people’s pictures…crazy. Just looking at pictures wasn’t making my decision any easier…I wanted to be able to trust my photographer…really know and trust them! This is where fate stepped in…(I know you are all in the mood for a story:).)
I attended a bachelorette party back in October for one of my really good friends! It was a great time and I met a lot of awesome ladies! A friend of “the bachelorette” drove with us from KS to NE and we talked a lot about weddings, since she was recently married herself! I told her that I was having an awful time finding a photographer and she proceeded to tell me about her nightmare of a situation with her photographer. She NEVER received her pictures…NEVER. How awful! (This is what I am talking about when I say “trust your photographer!” You want to be sure that they are going to be around to give you your memories!) We chatted a little more and she said “You should check out my friend, Erica! She’s amazing!” Usually I forget to follow up on things like these, but once I arrived home after a fun weekend, I hopped on the net, and there she was…my photographer! It took me a matter of minutes to decide…”Yep, this is it!” I could see in her photos that she was really capturing moments and memories, not just poses and fake, forced smiles! This was a characteristic that I was looking for. I love creative and personal shots…ones that are candid… Ericamay Photography definitely provides that! One of the best features is that she provides you with a cd of all of your photos…this is AWESOME ladies! Not a lot of photographers do this! Make sure you ask when you make an appt.! If you don’t get the cd how will you share your pics on facebook? If I didn’t have them I wouldn’t be able to share them with you now!
After Geoff & I met with Erica, we knew that she was perfect for the job! She is not only my photographer, but someone who I can trust and who I look to for advice about my big day…I am a lucky bride! NEW BRIDES: GO TO HER WEBSITE (and check out her blog)…EMAIL HER…DO NOT MISS OUT!!!!
I absolutely LOVE this photo of my ring! We did our engagement photo shoot in downtown KCMO and she found the coolest backdrop for my ring!
I think that Erica definitely captured our style in this photo! I LOVE IT!
Good luck with this stage of your planning process, ladies, wherever you are in the planning process! Feel free to contact me about any of the venues or vendors that I mention!
Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
-Soon-to-be Mrs. P
One of the first (and best) pieces of advice that I was given when I got engaged last November was from my sister Jen, who was recently married. She said, “Beth, be prepared for anyone and everyone to give you their opinion. People will give you all sorts of ideas and opinions, but you don’t have to listen, just do what you want to do, but be gracious and thankful for their advice.” One of the first congratulatory e-mails I received was from her and it said, “No matter how stressed you get planning or mad or excited always remember why you have that ring -You love Geoff and he is going to be your hubby. I love you beth and remember that I’ll help with all I can and back off when I am suppose too. :)” This advice is something that I think about when I feel overwhelmed by people trying to “help”. I really have to say that I’ve been lucky..I haven’t been completely bombarded with everyone else’s thoughts and comments [crossing my fingers...knocking on wood].
Being a bride myself, I know how important it is to make your wedding “your own” and keep your “identity.” While this IS important, that doesn’t mean that we should discount our loved one’s advice. I know after a while it gets to be overwhelming, but if we just take a minute to relax and really listen to what they say, then we might just learn something new or really get a “helping hand”. If the advice is completely whacko, like, “Oh my gosh, you should totally get those roses that they spray paint blue and then decorate your reception with matching blue ribbons and blue garland and sprinkle blue feathers and blue angel dust all over and paint your nails blue…you know…to go with the “something blue” theme!!!!” Yeeeeeeeah…just go ahead, smile, and say, “thanks so much, I will keep that in mind!” (You can of course do a mental eye roll while saying that statement!) Whoever would give you that awful advice will still think you are the sweetest bride & their feelings will never have been hurt. PERFECT!
You are probably going to be approached by a lot of family & friends offering to help out as well. This is not necessarily a bad thing. When I first started planning our wedding, I was okay on my own & didn’t really feel like I needed any assistance. Now that there are only FOUR MONTHS until our wedding day, I am feeling a little more stressed out about “our big day”. I have become more open to having my bridal party & family members help out. My sister has been looking into DJ’s & one of my best friends has been checking out salons! This is what we, as brides, have to think about… We chose these women to be in our bridal party for a reason: We TRUST them…they know us. If I trust my MOH & bridesmaids, then why shouldn’t I have them help me check out DJ’s, salons, or venues? Think about it! I used to find myself dismissing their offer, but not anymore…no way. I need the help! I’m too busy to plan a wedding alone. I know some of you might not feel that way now, but you will!
So, the next time your mom says, “Honey, I don’t think you should do that…” or your sister says, “Well at my wedding I…” or your first cousin says, “Hey! Have you ever thought about having a foam machine at the reception…,” just remember: Keep your cool. Be gracious and remember…You have your ring, your fiance loves you, and he is going to be your hubby…that’s what it’s all about!
Congrats Ladies!
-Soon-to-be Mrs. P
(Photo by the extraordinary ericamay photography www.ericamay.com)
I want to share with you all that I’ve learned about choosing a wedding photographer. For Matt and I, this was our number one priority. Our photographer was the first vendor we booked, and we booked them 1 year and 9 months before our wedding. That’s how high of a priority it was!
I am proud to say that the photographers we chose were the amazingly talented Josh and Jenny Solar (who, by the way, just had their third beautiful child! Definitely go check out the cute baby pictures on their blog!). Unfortunately we haven’t even gotten to work with them yet, since our engagement pictures won’t be until March. I am so excited for our pictures though, and I know they will be able to capture our love. I also love that they like trying things out of the box. Matt and I play tennis together, so we’re thinking about going to a court for some pictures. What do you think? We’re not sure if we will yet, but we know that the Solars would be up for it.
We actually met with a lot of great photographers. Out of the five we met with, there was only one that was an absolute no for us. Some other photographers I love, based on meeting with them, recommendations from other brides, and loving their blogs, are Jason Domingues Photography, Heather Cole Photography, and Kelley Photo and Design. Although these are my favorites, I know that there are many great photographers in the Kansas City area. Once you find ones whose work you like and who are in your price range, here are some tips that I was so thankful I was given:
1. Make sure you see an entire wedding. It’s pretty easy to get a couple of good shots from each wedding, but you want to know that your photographer can get many good shots when it’s your wedding. If proofs are up on their website, look through those (or ask for some passwords if they are locked). Otherwise, make sure when you meet with the photographer that you can see a whole wedding.
2. Once you narrow it down, meet with as many photographers as you need to in order to find “the one.” Just because you love their work doesn’t mean that you’ll click with them. I learned this when I met with a photographer who was completely my style according to the pictures, but who Matt and I just didn’t think we could picture sharing in our day. Since we wanted a full day package, it was really important to us that we found a photographer who we would be comfortable sharing such an important day with.
3. Think about your needs for photography. We really needed somebody that we could forget was there. We are a very private couple, but we didn’t want our pictures to show that. We needed photographers who we could really be ourselves in front of. Also, Matt is about a foot and a half taller than me, so we needed somebody who could work with that!
4. Think about your wants for photography. We wanted two photographers (one male and one female), a copyright release, and a professional album. We got a package that included both the first two and credit for the last one. Our photographer also makes great albums, so that was a plus for this as well.
5. Make sure you ask all your questions so you understand everything. Take time to make your decision. It’s a big one! Photos are what you’re going to have to remember your wedding forever. I know that I bombarded Jenny Solar with questions through e-mail. She always told me what I wanted to know even though I was convinced I was driving her insane! But I was so glad that I knew everything I need to in order to make a decision.
I hope that helps you in your journey to find a photographer! It can be pretty overwhelming, but once you decide, it’s such a relief! Now if only I had the secrets to choosing a videographer! Any tips for me?
I’ve finally gotten organized, and I will share pictures next time! I think you’ll be impressed. My 5 year anniversary (of dating) with Matt is coming up next Friday (October 10th). I’m so excited for it! It will also be our -1 year wedding anniversary, since it will mark exactly one year until our wedding. I can’t believe it’s almost a year away!
Have fun planning and please let me know if there’s anything you want me to blog about!
I attended a wedding a few weekends ago. Here is what I learned:
1. If you choose a site where the dance floor is in an awkward place, it will make a difference. Very few people watched the first dance, and it made the bride and groom feel separated from the guests who weren’t into dancing.
2. This goes with the end of number one, but make sure you pay attention to all of your guests at some point. Yes, you are the bride (or groom) and they could easily come up to you, but they did come to see you and celebrate your marriage. If you plan on spending the night on the dance floor, make sure you take the time to first visit with your guests who don’t plan on that. Also, everybody has best friends, but there are other guests at your wedding too! Keep that in mind.
3. It’s your first day being married. Enjoy it! Don’t worry about the small stuff! It’s ok to be around your new husband (or wife) during the entire reception. People will understand!
4. Photography is more important than you may realize. Don’t skimp out! That’s all I’ll say for now, as I think my next post will be about this.
5. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a dress, but try not to just “settle” on one. It’s the only wedding dress you will get, and you will regret it for a long time if you don’t get the one you really want. Many brides don’t get the feeling of finding the one, but you know what you love and what you don’t. It doesn’t have to give you an amazing feeling, but it should still make you feel good!
6. If you decide to write your own vows, make sure you actually take the time to do it. You only get one chance, so don’t wait until the last minute and forget to add things you wanted to say! And brides, if your groom isn’t comfortable with writing and reading his own vows it will show. Don’t force him into it. Guests will know if his vows are a modified version of something he found on Google!
7. I’m all for budget-friendly weddings, but you might want to think twice about a Sunday wedding. If you want a certain feel for your wedding that a Sunday can achieve then go for it! However, if you want a dance-all-night “traditional” wedding a Sunday just might not cut it. Guests have to work on Monday and their kids might have school, so they won’t stay as long as they would for a wedding on a Friday or Saturday. That’s just something to consider when choosing what day of the week you want your wedding on!
I hope that some of that advice helps one of you! As always, these are just my observations and obviously not everybody will agree.
My life is finally calming down. I am done with the big move, and I’m about all settled in. When I was packing, I collected all of my wedding stuff from throughout all of the rooms, and I started putting it in a big trash bag so I could move it to the new place. Well, I ended up filling up the whole bag! So, please, make sure you are more organized than me! I finally got a big plastic tub with drawers. I’d show you a picture, but for some reason I can’t get it to post. Anyway, that has helped a lot! I definitely recommend something like that to stay organized.
I better go finish unpacking. I feel like the boxes are reproducing every time I turn around! Good luck planning!
Sorry it’s been a while. I am in the middle of moving into a new place, so life has been a little crazy! Wedding planning was put aside for a while, but I’m planning like a madwoman again!
Being at the beginning of planning a wedding can be a bit overwhelming. Getting started can be difficult, but hopefully some of the advice I have will help you out.
1. Choosing a Wedding Date – This can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Just take it one step at a time, and the date will soon be clear. First decide a general date frame that you would like to get married in. Choosing the year is usually pretty easy, and from there you should choose a season or even a specific month you would like to be married in. Then you should decide what day of the week you’d like to be married on. While Saturday is a popular choice, Friday and Sunday are gaining recognition.
Now you could make a list of all the dates of specific days that fall within your time period, such as all the Saturdays in August and September of 2009. Maybe there is a specific day that means something to you, like your dating anniversary or the anniversary of the first day you met. You could choose a date close to that. If not, then start the process by eliminating dates. If one of the dates is close to a holiday, you can either take it off the list or make it the date depending on your preference (some choose to get married on holiday weekends, while some choose to avoid them). Then think about your schedules and calendars. Is one date close to a family member’s birthday? Is one date already taken by a prior engagement? Keep eliminating dates until you can’t delete any more. Now that you have the dates narrowed down, you can see what your chosen vendors have available to help you decide on that one special date!
2. Creating the budget – You need to decide an overall number that you would like to keep the total cost under. Talk to everybody who will be contributing to the budget before deciding upon this number. Do some research on the cost of vendors that you are interested in and the cost of weddings in Kansas City. A wedding can be done on (almost) any budget, but make sure you are realistic about the costs and realistic about what you can afford.
3. Setting your priorities – When choosing vendors, it’s good to have an idea of what’s most important to both you and your fiancé. For us, photography mattered a lot, while music wasn’t too important. So we met with photographers before any other vendors, and we were more willing to dedicate more of the budget towards a great photographer. Try to figure out what your top priorities are, and start choosing those vendors first. You’ll be glad you did!
4. Deciding what you want – You may have no idea what you want in a cake maker besides “good cake,” but sometimes there’s specific things you want in your vendors. Take the time to discuss these with your fiancé and write them down (I swear by lists if you couldn’t tell by now!). This will really help you narrow down vendors based on what you want and what you don’t want. It will be a big help as you decide which vendors you want to meet with!
Of course, my advice is all based on advice I’ve been given or things I’ve had to learn myself. Every person is different, and every wedding is different. I certainly do not have all the answers. I just hope that what I have learned will help other soon-to-be brides. Please keep all this in mind for all of the advice I offer. Good luck, and as always, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions or there’s anything you would like me to blog about!
Hi! My name is Megan, and I am a soon-to-be Kansas City bride. My fiancé, Matt, proposed to me at a romantic picnic in the park. It wasn’t too fancy, but it very much suited our personalities and our relationship. He purchased my beautiful engagement ring from Helzberg Diamonds. Here is the picture of my engagement ring and its matching band.
Matt and I will be getting married on our six year anniversary, Saturday, October 10, 2009. Our colors will be pink and green. Pink is my favorite color and green is Matt’s. Our theme will be circles, because we both like the “Love is like a circle – it never ends” idea. I’ll share my vendors with you as I share advice I have for choosing each vendor.
I hope I can pass onto you what I’ve learned so far in the wedding planning process. I definitely suggest you check out the vendor reviews in The Kansas City Bio, a place for vendor reviews from real Kansas City brides. I also recommend that you think about joining The Real Brides, a group of former and future Kansas City brides who share advice and wisdom. Please let me know if there’s anything in particular you would like me to blog about. Have a great time planning, and congratulations on your engagement!
This is the first post in the KC Brides’ Blog! Check back for our regular bloggers soon- brides and couples in the Kansas City area, blogging about their wedding planning experiences (the good, the bad, AND the ugly)! They will fill you in on everything from cakes to reception venues, from bridal gowns to videographers, and everything in between. They will also have the opportunity to post pictures, share advice, and direct you to the resources they have used.
No worries! Like something a blogger has posted or have a question for one of them? You are welcome to leave comments, ask questions, or make suggestions.
Hope to see you back soon!
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