Photo Opp

After much researching, debating, discussing, analyzing, delaying, walking, budgeting, negotiating, we have officially signed a contract with a photographer!  We decided to go with Mr. Stacey Photography.  The name may throw you off a bit, but as with any interesting name, there is a story.  Mr. Stacey Photography is really two photographers, Stacey and Yola.  Stacey is actually a guy (a pretty cool guy, too).  Due to the common association of the name Stacey to a female, they named their business "Mr." Stacey to avoid confusion.  Why not use his last name?  I don't know, but that's not too important to me at this point.

 

There were so many factors to consider in this decision, and while it was all about photography, it was so often comparing apples and oranges.  Some studios offered unlimited time, while others included two photographers in their prices.  So it was really difficult to effectively break down and compare the overall value for our money.  In the end, I think it really came down to the quality of their work.  Mary and I both really liked what we saw both online and in their albums during our visits.  the pictures were clear and crisp, yet exciting and truly representative of how we wanted our day captured.  We also both really like their approach to capturing multiple perspectives of our day, e.g. through the eyes of our guests as well as us.

 

Their service includes a photo album credit as well as a engagement photo session to help us "get comfortable in front of the camera."  Anyone who knows me knows that I like to take a lot pictures, but I'm not used to being in front of the camera too much.  With Stacey and Yola, though, I'm really confident and excited about the great pictures we'll have when all is said and done!

Photographers & DJs: Round 1

Just a quick update.  We've had appointments (or "consultations" as everyone in the industry has called it) with three photography studios so far.  Mary and I haven't said about any of them, "wow, these guys are it!", however, the photos of two of the studios we did like quite a bit.  We have one more appointment scheduled for tomorrow.  We've been asking all the standard questions like how long is the coverage?  Is there a location limit?  How many photographers?  Do they have back-up photographers?  Are we obligated to purchase an album?  Do we get the high-res digital negatives?  Of course we'll never cover EVERYTHING, but between Mary and I, I think we're doing a pretty good job covering our bases.  Hopefully after a few phone calls and some negotiations, we will have booked our photographer!

 

Also on the vendor front, we have an appointment with a DJ tomorrow, as well as a good recommendation from a friend of Mary's.  We're pretty sure we'll like the DJ we're meeting tomorrow, as we heard him play at Steve & Kati's wedding.  We're also pretty sure we'll like the other DJ as well, so hopefully we're in a good position.

 

It seems like the photographer and DJ are some the last really really big decisions we have to make.  Not that the florist and transportation and invitations and all that aren't important, but the two are such important aspects of the event.  I mean, the photos are one of the only things we'll have to help us remember our special day, and having great music is what makes a great party.  After that, it will be a hundred little decisions to make, but, hopefully, it will be much easier to make those decisions!

A Matter of Taste

Last night, my parents, Jack and I went to the Rosewood for our tasting.  All I can say is YUM!  Well actually, that isn't all I can say. ;)  If anyone goes home hungry after our wedding, I have to believe it will be through no fault of ours.  They had told us ahead of time to allocate three hours for this, but we ended up being there for longer.  We were served a glass of both of their house wines, 4 salads, 2 options for a course after the salad, three different entrees, 4 potatoes, 3 veggies and 4 "upgrade" desserts.  Needless to say, we did not go home hungry.  And although I had had a lunch or two there due to my job, I had never had a full dinner.  But once we started to tell people where I reception was going to be, we received numerous comments from friends that have said the food there is excellent and, now having tasted it, we could not agree more.

Lucky for us, we all generally agreed on our preferences and were able to come to decisions on our menu pretty easily.  I am not going to tell you what it is though because for the elements that I can keep to a surprise, I plan to so that the majority of our guests enjoy it the night of the wedding.  I'll say again though, it was delicious!  One of the nice things about their service also is that they are very understanding of dietary restrictions or anyone who requires a vegetarian meal.

After the actual tasting (and our host packaging an extra dessert for us to go), we sat with one of the event managers who explained all of our food options throughout the meal and he rattled off what seemed like 30+ questions on things we had not even thought about or discussed, but that he wanted to try to nail down that night.  For example, we had to pick what kind of cake, what kind of cake filling, are we having chair covers, how we want the head table set up, do we want monkeys as entertainment, etc (He didn't ask us about monkeys - I am just trying to see if you are paying attention) and for the most part with brief discussion, we were able to answer most of what he wanted.  And throughout these questions he asked if we had different vendors already booked, which quite often was answered with a "no", so at the end of the night, he gave us a list of places that he has worked with and would recommend so that will definitely be helpful.  He asked if I had a cake in mind (as far as the decoration goes) and I hadn't spent a ton of time on that yet.  I wish I had known what he was going to ask or at least had a list of questions from them so that I knew what to expect and could have thought about things for a while.  I have a tough time making very quick decisions.  But we managed and I am very happy with everything.  By the time we left, we were full and I felt like we were truly able to accomplish a lot in one night.

I am finally feeling like this is fun and like we are really getting married. :) HOORAY!

Vegas, The Flu, Save-the-Dates and More

It's been a while since we've posted anything, so for the sake of keeping folks updated,  here's some of the latest.  Two weeks ago, I had to go to Las Vegas for work, and Mary joined me for a little R & R (& G).  Then as soon as we got back, I got the flu.  Mary took care of me while I was sick (isn't she great!), so we were both out of commission for the last couple weeks.

 

Now we're both in town and healthy and back on track.  In the works are save-the-date cards, hotel accommodations for us and our guests, and a tasting at the Rosewood.  Mary found a concept for save-the-date cards that she likes, but to order them through the company would have cost us $1500!  That's crazy to me!  Fortunately, Mary just liked the concept, and is far too practical to spend that kind of money on save-the-date cards.  Typically you can get five postcards for $1, but I supposed since it's for a wedding there is a 1000% markup :)  Needless to say we won't be ordering the $1500 save-the-date cards, but we like the design, so maybe we can get a little creative!

HOORAY!

After much research, discussion, comparison, and number crunching, I am happy to announce that Jack and I have settled on a venue for our wedding reception.  The party will be at the Rosewood in Rosemont, IL.  YEAH!  We could not be more excited!

 

And truthfully, I am extremely relieved.  I had been told that finding a reception place would be the toughest part and that once this was nailed down, all other things begin to fall into place.  But I have to say, after weeks of countless emails, phone calls, and visits, this part was starting to not be fun and I was getting irritated that I wasn't enjoying the planning.  I got an email from a friend of mine the other day who is also planning a wedding and was experiencing the same frustrations as me.  She asked me, "Is it really supposed to be this hard?" and part of me assumed that it was, but I hadn't imagined this.  I was at least glad to know it wasn't just me or it wasn't just because we were planning to get married in less than a year from when we got engaged -- that this frustration and exhaustion is normal. 

 

The first time we visited the Rosewood, the space was already set for a slient auction that evening.  And although the room looked nice and you could generally tell what the space was like, it looked cluttered.  When we went back this past weekend with my parents, the room was just set for a luncheon with no themed party decorations.  For me, it was almost like seeing it for the first time because it was a blank slate and I could actually imagine what it would look like with our flowers, with our guests and with our special touches.  I felt like it could work here. 

 

Oh, and for everyone travelling from out of town, this place is very close to O'Hare Airport and numerous hotels.  We'll be in touch with more of that info for you.  Get ready to party!