Mrs. Sand Dollar, HoustonAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Electrical TechnicianEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: MacLean ParkAbout Me: I'm a domestic diva down to the core. I heart cooking, sewing, baking, decorating and making sure we have a hand-crafted home. The best part about the wedding is I get to incorporate it all! I make sure I put my art degree to good use by screen printing, craft knife cutting, and a whole lotta graphic design. We're having a big-time party on a small-time budget, and I promise to show you a boot-scootin', barbecue-eatin', finger-lickin' good time! Mr. Sand Dollar and I spend most of our time on DIY projects or traipsing around the outdoors with our two pooches Rory and Juno. I'm looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!
So here we are, at 22 days out. Most brides are finishing up any DIY projects, finalizing contracts, and getting payments together. Me? I’m just trying to keep from running around like a chicken with my head cut off. We were dealt a hard blow, guys. Our band double booked us.
Our crazy-awesome, all-our-guests-were-excited, favorite band screwed us over, three weeks before our wedding day. And I’m not gonna lie, it sucks. Read more…
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
I’ve talked about our decision to have live music at the reception instead of a deejay, as well as our first dance. Now I thought I would offer a couple of tips for finding the right band at the right price.
Mrs. Cowboy Boot, Santa FeAge and Occupation: 25, Magazine EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Artist and Whitewater Rafting GuideEngagement Date: April 28th, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Devil's Thumb Ranch, ColoradoAbout Me: I grew up in Los Angeles and have since lived in San Diego, Boston, Italy, Hawaii, New York City, and Santa Fe. I speak Italian and love pasta. My real passion is the outdoors, though. When I'm not at work, I'm snowboarding, hiking with my two dogs, mountain biking, surfing, cross-country-skiing, or boating New Mexico's rivers. Despite my boyish love for adventure, I'm a girly-girl at heart and am overly-excited to pull off the romantic, vintage-inspired, country wedding of my dreams.
Since I’ve been on a musickick lately with our playlists, I figured I should fill you in on how we booked our band. We listened to many, many bands before finally settling on one and signing a contract. With the goal in mind that we wanted a bluegrass band, we initially turned to our favorite, the Infamous Stringdusters.
But a few quick emails proved them to be too expensive at $7,500 plus the cost of a production assistant. They are, after all, Nashville’s hottest.
Mrs. Tiramisu, Annapolis, MD/MaineAge and Occupation: 26, HealthcareFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project Manager/Real Estate Management grad studentEngagement Date: May 15, 2007Wedding Date: July, 2008Blogging Since: March 4, 2008Venue: Oceanfront lawn and tentAbout Me: I was born and raised in Maine, now living in Annapolis, Maryland and planning a hometown wedding from afar. I’m nothing short of obsessed with wedding planning, and am loving the do-it-yourself madness that has now taken over my life! As for me, I’m a craft-loving, martini-drinking, girly-girl who loves traveling, photography, my schnauzer, and above all, spending time with Mr. Tiramisu.
Photographer: Samantha Warren Weddings Cannot Recommend Highly Enough!
If you’ve been following along with any of my wedding recap posts, then you already know that I am very much in love with the photos taken by our amazing photographer, Sam. She gave us over twelve hundred photos that together tell the story of our wedding day beautifully. It’s hard to pick favorites, but I’d have to say the ones I love the most are the photos she took of Mr. Tiramisu and me, all the great detail shots, and the wonderful shots of our guests enjoying themselves. A lot of the very sweet comments that you all left on my recap posts mention how much emotion there is in the photos. I think a lot of that has to do with Sam and her great eye for capturing the reactions and interactions of the people she photographs. If you want your wedding captured in a beautiful photojournalistic style that will really help you relive the day every time you look through your photographs, please don’t hesitate to contact Sam, who regularly travels all over New England and beyond.
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Choosing whether to use a band or dj was one of the more difficult choices we thought we would make. Little did we know that once we chose to go with live music, the search for the perfect band would be intense! It’s really difficult from a thousand miles away to choose a band that will both fit our budget and our reception style. Sure, bands can say that they love to be energetic and get folks on the dance floor, but it’s REALLY tough to judge without actually seeing the band interact with the crowd.
Another tough thing about finding a band for our wedding is that we’re getting married in a small mountain town. I grew up there, and I know a few local bands. In fact, I went to high school with at least one of the band members of nearly every popular local band. They’re not exactly your typical wedding bands here in the good ole mountain towns, and most of the time they’re playing bar shows or “groove fests” in the winter. So the selection is very limited if you’re only willing to hire locally. The other option for us was to look at bands in Denver that would be willing to trek through the snowy mountains to entertain our guests. This is where I found Gigmaster to be so helpful.
Mrs. Martini, New JerseyAge and Occupation: 30, Telecom by day, Superhero by nightFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Investments & Finance by day, Hip hop dancer by nightEngagement Date: May 24, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: August 18, 2008Venue: The VenetianAbout Me: Things that make me happy: Haribo Happy Cola gummies, TV shows on DVD, buying books although I never read them, 80’s rock ballads, ramen, and of course Mr. Martini! He is the calm, logical and number crunching finance guy. I can’t even multiply double digit numbers in my head and I am so indecisive that trying to choose between light green or slightly lighter green paper stresses me out (Wedding planning is going to be soooo much fun). We both find great joy in nabbing great seats at the movie theater for a blockbuster movie on opening weekend, and we are both absolutely crazy about snowboarding. And he loves to cook, I love to eat!
My first experience with a band was about 8 or 9 years ago, when I attended my very first wedding. It was for one of my BM’s older sisters, and it was a lavish NYC affair. I remember walking into the reception hall and seeing a swing band perform for the first time. I had so much fun listening to the band that from then on, I knew that one day when I got married, I would want a band too.
Fast forward a few years to when I attended a wedding for a friend. It was the first wedding I attended that wasn’t for a sibling of a friend or family friend (yes, she was the first of my friends to go). It was a gorgeous NYC wedding in a loft, and when I walked in I was pleasantly surprised to see a band playing as well! They were just soooo good and it just reconfirmed my hopes in having a band (although the whole “swing” phase has long since died off).
If you know me you know that I’m a huge fan of concerts and live music. Years ago my friends and I would spend our weekends cheering for local bands at nearby bars, and I’ve even been to Bon Jovi concerts FOUR times, among many others. Read more…
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, MontanaAge and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse PractitionerEngagement Date: August 26, 2006Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: April 1, 2008Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National ParkAbout Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
I had a difficult time figuring out what to do about music and dancing. For me, music is essential at a wedding and one of the more important items on a list. I feel that even more than the food, it can make or break a celebration.
I’ve been to a few weddings with good DJs, some with horrible DJs, and others where the music was fully automated with some sort of playlist. Hiring a DJ to play in the middle of BFE in Montana didn’t seem entirely mood-appropriate to me. Can you imagine us dancing outside, kicking up some dust to the Macarena or She’s a Brick House? Montana-style Chicken Dance anyone? Read more…
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