Engagement pictures

We finally (almost a year after the proposal) got to take our engagement pictures! We did some more formal ones and then some in jeans and tees. We went for a downtown feel and even took some "up" inspired pics (with lots of balloons because it's my favorite movie- and I hope we can be as in love as Carl and Ellie when we get old :) we had so much fun taking them because sam kept saying silly things and making me crack up.

I'm so excited to see them all finished and I'll post a few when they're done. Stay tuned!!

Bridal Party

So I officially have my maid of honor, Meredith and my 2 bridesmaids- Keeley and Samantha. I've also asked the cutest little boys in the world to be my ring bearers- Rhys and Kyan. Im not really having a flower girl because my sisters will be a little too old so they might be junior bridesmaids or something like that. Sam still hasn't asked his guys officially yet but things are coming together. We're both so excited to share our special day with all of our family and friends and really appreciate everyone's love and support!

Tasting!

We had our cake tasting on the wednesday before Christmas. It was sam, me, our moms and my maid of honor, Meredith. It was so much fun!! Not to mention how delicious everything was!! I'' not going to give away our whole menu but pretty much everything we had picked was awesome. The only thing that didn't blow away our tastebuds was the edamame falafels. We tried something new but it didn't really work for us so were going to change that out for something else. Sam was happy with pretty much everything and agreed to go with the caterer a few days after. The food even impressed my future mother in law (so excited!!) so we sent them a check today! I'm so happy to be working with Kristen at Royal Fig catering- they're going to do an awesome job. Next step is meeting with her to pick out linens (at 1/2 price!)hopefully sometime around the second.

Royal Fig Catering

So after several attempts to be sneaky and get around the Austin traffic (totally failure btw) we made it to our meeting with Royal Fig Catering. She was so gracious and didn't even seem phased that we were late (the extra little take out box of flowers from Park Crest Floral we gave her had to have helped!) Kristen was great! She talked us through setting up a menu and gave great suggestions about what would go well together. One of the great things about Royal Fig is that they only use locally grown ingredients so you go by whatever is in season (which of course makes your food taste amazing!) Everything they create is made from scratch AND they take care of day-of coordination AND will order (and set up) all the linens we need too. They provide waitstaff and bartenders and best of all they have worked with our venue several times (which most people have not since its new). Overall I was blown away.

They also allow you to set up a tasting so that you don't have to book anything until you've actually sampled their food. We set up a tasting for December 22nd so Sam could be here (ONLY 4 MORE WEEKS BY THE WAY!!) and at that time they'll let us sample all the appetizers, main dishes, side dishes and even the signature cocktails they are going to make for us. 

I was really excited as we left that meeting and she sent us our quote later that evening... that was when the trouble started. We had told her we would have a certain number of people because we weren't really sure, so when the price came back there was a little bit of sticker shock! However, when broken down- it's really not expensive compared to a lot of other places I've seen when looking at some of the all-inclusives and things. Plus its totally customized and so much more than just the food!!! Nevertheless we actually looked at our guest list and we're looking at closer to 100 people so I email Kristen back and she gave me a quote that was much more palatable (and realistic). 

My mom and I are ready to go ahead but we're encountering some trouble from the peanut gallery. Needless to say we're still on the rocks a little bit about it but hopefully things will all work out like their supposed to!!  

Wish me luck!!

What do you mean you're a florist and your not going to show me actual flowers?

About a week ago my mom and I had a big wedding planning day!! We scheduled several appointments in with vendors in austin over the course of the entire afternoon.

Our first stop was Just'in Blooms and Roses in Round Rock. Our visit started out pretty rocky and didn't improve a whole lot. First we barely found the place because there was no sign outside or anywhere. Then we walked up to a door that said closed and met a woman who left a lot to be desired... We were then ushered to another door and greeted by another woman. She was really nice as she had us go through a sheet deciding what we wanted and how many people would be involved, etc. but she didn't really listen to the whole "we're on a budget" thing. She also never showed us an actual flower or anything she had put together. She just had sample cards with the flowers on them that any florist can have. Needless to say,  when I got the quote she emailed me later with a ridiculous price tag.. I laughed and deleted the email.

After we left there, we made the trip to downtown austin to meet Chris Howard from The Photography Shoppe. We left in plenty of time but did run into a few problems along the way. A) we had a hard time finding the place because its in an office building and none of the buildings downtown seem to have numbers on them and B) I don't have a whole lot of experience parallel parking so that was an adventure all in itself... (luckily after a few tense moments we found one I could just pull forward into). After we found his office we let him go through his whole speech but we had already decided we were going to book him when we met him at the bridal show the week before. Their packages are unbeatable and his portfolio was great (added plus he looks a little like Heath Ledger from 10 things I hate about you... and don't worry I'm about 98% sure Sam doesn't read this)

So we officially have a photographer (wahoo!!)

Next I introduced my mom to Pita Pit for a quick lunch before we headed over to ParkCrest Floral Design. LOVED THEM! We actually walked into a flower shop with pots of flowers everywhere (imagine that?!) and she kept picking up flowers until she created a mini bouquet that I actually liked and could hold in front of a mirror (which was super exciting!) We spent most of our time there putting stuff like that together and she really "got" that we didn't have a huge buget for flowers and showed us some great centerpieces that aren't super expensive. She did give us a cute parting gift with some of the flowers we'd been talking about (see picture) However, we had to rush off to make our caterer appointment, which we were 30 minutes late to because of stupid Austin traffic : (


(I'm going to make the caterer a separate post because I have a lot to say about it : )

Consultations

The meeting with the DJ went great! We got an awesome package for 1/2 price so of course we had to take advantage! We're going to have cool lights and they are going to MC the whole night too, which is important! Its going to be great too because our guests can request songs via their website!

If you want to put in a song request go to Infinity Audio DJ (click the link)
Then click on Client Login & Song Requests and choose Guest Song Request from the drop down menu
Put in "morris" in the group name  (no password) and then pick your songs!

Before the meeting my mom and I decided to go (completely last minute) to a bridal show I heard about on the radio. It wasn't the same as the usual ones I've been attending... It was kind of like the red-headed stepsister of the regular one, meaning it was a lot smaller and there were only 2 cake vendors!! It turned out to be good though we met a photographer and a florist that we set up consultations with. I'm really excited about the photographer and the florist is to help us get an idea of how much things cost. We also planned a catering consultation from one of the places Danny (at the Hummingbird House) recommended. I want to try to set up one more consultation for next week too just to round it out : )

I'll keep you updated!

Favors and a DJ

So we've had a small hiatus in wedding planning. The past month or so not much has happened because my mom was finishing up school and work has started to get busy, but I have made a few developments. 

I officially have a maid of honor : ) but I haven't asked my bridesmaids yet so I'm not telling who 

I know its a little early and I'm totally going out of order but I got my wedding favors already! It was an awesome deal that I couldn't pass up and it was something I really wanted!! So I'm pretty stoked about that...

I also might be getting a DJ pretty soon too... 

I got an email from Infinity Audio offering 50% off their packages if I book by November 15th- so my mom and I are going to go meet with the people on Sunday and see if we click with them. Hopefully so because they have some pretty good packages with fun lighting : D I'll let you know how it goes. 

Next we really need to get working on catering because Sam informed me that he cares about that aspect a lot. I want to be able to do a tasting while he's here if possible but if I don't start looking that's not going to happen! The venue recommended Royal Fig catering so I think we'll start there- wish me luck!!

Ladies and Gentleman, we have a venue!!

It's official! Sam and I have a venue booked for October 8, 2011!! We put down the deposit yesterday. We will be getting married at a beautiful place called The Hummingbird House located in South Austin. If you want to see pictures you can check them out on Facebook (Hummingbird House) or on their website www.hummingbirdhouse.info!

Sam and I are so excited to finally get things rolling! The next big thing we're going to look at is catering, photographers and of course, the dress! We'll keep you updated!!

PS: Sam comes home in 11 weeks!!

Les All-inclusives

On Tuesday my soon-to-be mother-in-law and I went to visit some "all-inclusive" venues in Round Rock. There were pros and cons to each of them and none of them felt exactly right. Here's the highlights:

Bella Notte on Main
This was the first that we visited and its located in Downtown Round Rock.

Pros: 

• It's beautiful- very ornate ceilings and drapery.
• It's all-inclusive so all we have to bring is the photog, anything fresh (like flowers) and the alcohol= less stress!
• Has all the waitstaff we would need. 
• Has a lot of options for the things that are include
• Liked the coordinator

Cons:

• Felt kinda squished inside
• Not crazy about the site for the ceremony
• Price for # guests is a little high
• Not crazy about the centerpieces that are included= extra cost

Arbor Pointe Event Center

Arbor Pointe was next and actually pretty close to the first place, apparently, they are owned by some of the same people. 

Pros:

• Outside ceremony site
• All-inclusive (same as above except need to bring in DJ too)
• Have some great discounts for other vendors & a complimentary hotel for the wedding night
• Some good menu options
• Have a whole "Decorating Room" of things that we can use at no extra charge

Cons:

• Not enough room inside for a dance floor to be set up with tables (have to move the tables aside after dinner)
• Coordinator seemed really scatterbrained & kept giving ideas- but they would cost extra...
• More expensive than the other 2 
• Didn't like the chairs

Bella Lago at Forest Creek

We went to Bella Lago on a whim because they were in the same general area and were having an open house. The address is in Round Rock but it was closer to Hutto. 

Pros:

• Several ceremony spaces- including one overlooking the creek
• All-inclusive (same as above) with good coordinator
• Big pool that we can float things in
• Spacious overall
• Room for cocktail hour
• Lowest price of all 3

Cons:

• The tent and outside space seemed dirty- not sure if that was just because of the recent storm...
• More natural than landscaped
• Kind of in the middle of nowhere
• Dance floor was a little small
• TINY bride's room- would need to get ready elsewhere

Cathedral Oaks, Belton TX

On Monday (my day off), I decided to check out a new venue in Belton called Cathedral Oaks. It's a beautiful venue (and one of the owners is a KD!), but sadly I think it's a little out of my price range. All they were offering on top of the facility was tables and chairs and the Magnolia House for the groom to get ready in/ a place to have a rehearsal dinner. No linens, centerpieces, coordination or anything like that from what I understood and they wanted almost as much as one of the all-inclusives that I saw on Tuesday. I was just really disappointed because I liked everything except the price. They did say they could offer a military discount (woo-hoo!) but I'm still not sure if that would be enough. Nevertheless- it is beautiful... Check out the pics : )

Bridal Extravaganza #2

Yesterday, I went to the Austin Bridal Extravaganza. I ended up going by myself because my mom had to go to Baltimore for work. I got there at about 2p and started on one end and worked my way to the other. I talked with venues and photographers and a few other miscellaneous vendors, but I tried to focus on the main things that I am looking for right now. That seemed to take the pressure off because lets face it, I'm not ready to pick out a cake or a florist yet- we don't even officially have a date :)

SoI took notes on pricing and what's included in a few venue rental fees, some that I have checked out online before and others that I had never heard of. I made an appointment to visit Arbor Pointe Event Center in Round Rock tomorrow and there are a couple of other venues in that area that I plan on looking at either this week or next. It seems to be the best compromise between here and Austin. I really want to put a deposit down soon so I can start working on the next big things- the DRESS! and the Photographer! plus it will help me decide on what I need to do about catering and what we need to rent, etc.

I found a few other photographers I like that have some good packaging options. I want the DVD of hi-res images and if it's cost effective I would like to have 2 photographers. Some of my favorites were Studio563- the guy I talked to is an Aggie Class of '97 ; ) always a plus
Haydon Photography- they had a good vibe and a great price but we have to book by the end of this month
Lume photography is pretty affordable
Nicole Chatham- a really sweet photographer that I clicked with pretty well

So overall I had fun, ate some cake and got some good info and a cool planning book for only $5. I'll post some pictures of the other venues I'm going to visit soon.

ps. Sam will be home in 14 weeks!!!

Double Creek Crossing

I went to visit Double Creek Crossing today and it was pretty cool. It's brand new out near Caldwell off of Highway 21. The rental fee includes use of the whole place for pretty much the whole day, tables, chairs, set up/tear down and rehearsal the night before, if available

Fountain On The Drive In

View From the Front

Bride's Dressing Room
 there is also a large mirror and a place to hang the dress on the other wall
that door to the right leads to the powder room and the other door leads outside

The Grounds- looking towards the reception area

The Ceremony Site
there was a wedding there recently and they put rose petals on the sides of the aisle

The Reception Site
there are several ceiling fans above and flaps that
can be rolled down in the case of inclement weather
there is also a wooden deck all the way around that's really pretty!

The Great Room
She suggested that the cake or the food be put in here 

Venues, cont.

So I pretty much feel that once I find the perfect venue... everything else will fall into place. At least I hope so because if it doesn't... our wedding is going to be a big mess! I have too many ideas! To that end, I have a few appointments to go look at a few venues next week.

On Monday I will be visiting Double Creek Crossing in Caldwell and I will probably stop by Cathedral Oaks in Belton either Monday or Tuesday. Cathedral Oaks is pretty much brand new and the date I really want is already taken so it's not too high on my ranks, but I want to check it out because it's so close. Double Creek Crossing- its hard to tell from the pictures because there aren't that many but it has a really pretty area for the ceremony- and you know me I'll always thinking about how the pictures will turn out.
I have a few more I'm interested in, its just hard with my work schedule because most days I work 10-6 which isn't really enough time to drive too far and it doesn't help that I'm looking ALL over for the perfect place.

There is another Bridal Expo in Austin I'm thinking about going to because I got an email with a free ticket. So I might even find something else out there.

Until next time...

ps. Sam comes home to visit in less than 16 weeks! It may sound like a lot, and it is, but I'm excited and time goes by faster if I count down the days : )

Venues

So since we're looking at a different time of year- I want to check out a few different venues. I really want to visit Vista Ranch West and Arbor Pointe Events center- just a couple I came across recently. If anyone has any suggestions-- I'm all ears : )

Finally made a decision

So I finally decided that I don't have to decide what I want to be right now. I'm just going to keep working at whippersnappers and improve my sales techniques while I save money for the wedding. I want to get an MBA and own a couple businesses, but they usually require about 2 years post-grad work experience so we'll see when I get there.

Then once we find out where Sam is going next I'll either start working on learning another language or go check out our new city. We set the date... officially... and we're both happy with it. I'm not going to say when yet because its not actually official until we book something but I will say Fall 2011.

Since its in the Fall- that means that a totally different color scheme and some other changes since its not peak season. I'll keep you updated on that as we go! but for now I really need to get ready for work : )

Just a little update...

So as far as wedding planning goes- we haven't made much, or any progress really. It just seems so far away right now, and I'd rather just focus on Sam coming home for Christmas! The next few months are going to be a little rough because he will be going on several trips to foreign bases for work and we wont get to talk everyday like we have been : ( but we've gotten through this far, so hopefully we can just get through that too- and let's also hope that Sam doesn't fry his power cord again like he did when he went on one of those trips a few weeks ago (***I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to say where he's going- so just to be safe...) Nevertheless, he still loves Japan but I think he's ready to come home for a bit.

As for me, I'm working a whippersnappers studio in harker heights. It's been fun so far and now I'm getting trained on Showing (where we bring you back to show you all of your edited photos and let you pick your favorites to order) which will help out my very pregnant boss/owner of the studio. Currently, Lisa Flynn, the creator of whippersnappers, is here to visit and check up on our franchise, which has been great! She's a really interesting person and I'm enjoying working with her. Overall, I really enjoy my job and the atmosphere at whippersnappers and I think it would be fun to own one someday- so we'll see.

I've also been working on figuring out what I want to do for grad school. I was really scared about getting a job but now that I have one its not so bad and I'm not sure if I need to jump right back into school again. I'm still considering the Master's of Real Estate through A&M but I'm also looking at some MBA programs throughout the state just to see what my options are.

Other than that I've been baking a lot and my decorating skills are improving. I start Gum Paste and Fondant tomorrow and I'm super excited about that one, but also a little sad because its the last cake decorating class : ( I'll keep posting pictures of my cakes on facebook (mostly to help me keep a record of what I've done )

Things are going pretty well right now overall- I turn 22 in one month from today (not at all excited to let go of being 21) and Jaxson is doing great- he's even learned some more tricks. He still barks all the time but of course I love him anyway!

Until next time...

Big News!

So after some careful consideration- Sam and I have decided to push back the wedding a year. There are several reasons but the driving factor was that I am applying for grad school at A&M. The program I'm looking at is 18 months long and starts in the Spring of 2011. If I get in- I will finish school and be able to look for a job wherever Sam is stationed after I graduate in May of 2012.

We would actually get to be newlyweds that live TOGETHER. No more living on separate continents!!!

I think this makes the most sense in the long run and although I'm not entirely happy that its going to be a bit longer until I get to become Mrs. Morris- waiting will make the whole process less stressful on us and our families.

Also Sam gets to come home for Christmas! So I'm looking forward to that AND actually getting to take engagement pictures!!

Oh, and in case you were wondering- we are thinking May 25th, 2012 for the date. Its long enough after graduation but not too close to Sam's birthday and not so late that it will be too hot outside for the ceremony.

Until next time : )

Bridal Extravaganza

So today was the Austin Bridal Extravaganza! My mom, Keeley and I went and walked around looking at the hundreds of booths they had. It was a little overwhelming but we got a few good deals! The first was that we got a deal on tuxes from Al's- we get Sam's tux free and the other men in our party get $40 off their rentals! We also signed up to go see this resort and we're supposed to get a free weekend vacation- we'll see how that goes... We also got a lot of information on several different types of vendors.

We ran into a few entertainment companies (like DJs) and there were 2 I really liked and their prices aren't too bad- so that looks promising! We talked to a lot of photographers too and now I'm even more confused about that than before. My problem is that I want a photographer who's style I really like but i'm not sure how much I should spend on photography because i'm not 100% sure how much money I'm working with.  Its a little frustrating- especially because this is almost more important to me than the dress ; )

We also got to sample a lot of cakes and I am in LOVE with Krissy's Cakes- there was a pink champagne cake that was like heaven in my mouth! There were a lot of other really tasty ones too but that was by far my favorite!

Another big thing we looked at was photobooths- I REALLY want one of these and we found a couple that are more cost effective than the ones we'd originally been looking at so I'm crossing my fingerst that we can make that happen! lol

Overall it was a lot of fun and I just got a call that I won some cookware for this drawing I entered. So I will be going to get that in a few days! Now I really need to focus on getting my aesthetic down and figuring out what kind of look we want to go with- it just really hard because there are so many options and things I like! I feel like I have enough ideas for at least 3 different weddings-- I need help... : )

Magazines and wedding shows!

The last few days I have surrounded myself with bridal magazines and watching wedding shows. I've been tearing out tons of pages with ideas I like, money saving tips and of course dresses! My stack of pages is getting pretty thick- but I want to get ideas for everything and put it into a book so maybe I can show Sam one day- send it with his Mom when she goes to see him or something. Just a thought...

So far I like way too many different things and I don't know how I'm going to put it all into the perfect dress. I think I'll just have to get into those dressing rooms and try some on-- but that won't be for a while.
I've set a goal that I get to try on bridal gowns after I lose a few pounds. I want to be in great shape for my honeymoon so I figured I might as well start now while my life is not too hectic. So, I started my Bridal Bod wedding diet and work out regimen today. I'm using the weight watchers program. I've done that before and it has worked well for me in the past. I've also got some work out dvd's, I'm going to walk the dog and I bought a pair of those new Reebok easy tones- so we'll see how all that works out.
Wish me luck!

And so it begins!

After months of being engaged- the process of actually planning the wedding has begun!

When Sam proposed, he asked that I not do any real planning until after I finished school and since I graduated last weekend I can actually start planning (despite the fact that I have done quite a bit of internet surfing during school- but its so much fun, can you blame me?)

As such I have created a vision of what I want my wedding to look like- I want the ceremony to be outside with a very natural and green backdrop and then the reception to be inside. We would like to do this at the same venue but its not necessary. I want everything to have a light and airy feel, but it should be elegant at the same time.

So anyway- last Tuesday, Keeley, my mom and I went venue shopping! We visited 3 venues in Central Texas and got some serious prospects.

#1 Old Salado Springs

- Pros: cheap! lots of space! comes with tables, chairs, ect.

- Cons: not exactly the vision I had- a little more country than I had been thinking

#2 The Inn at Salado

- Pros: Everything is included in the price

- Cons: WAY over priced for what is included! Too small, guests would be uncomfortable, smells weird

#3 Earle Harrison House (Waco)

- Pros: Exactly the vision I had: big white building with columns, beautifully landscaped grounds, very green! Comes with a lot of decorative material included in the price!

- Cons: The reception space is under a tent outdoors (could be hot!), not cheap

So far #1 is in the lead because it makes the most sense and we can really customize it, but we're going to look at a few more around this area. We had her hold the date we've been thinking about for 3 days so we could think about it but still no decisions have been made.

Will post pictures later!