The Band!
The Blue Ringers (like family- Tom is my brother-in-law's brother) will be playing long into the night...early morning?? They are awesome!!!
Photographer
After meeting with 3 different photographers and really liking two, we decided to go with our gut...Matt Lien. We love his style and his work is amazing. We are looking forward to our October e-pics, where we will get a chance to get to know him a little bit better and watch him perform his magic! Check out his blog at:
http://www.mattlien.com/blog/
We will have a non-tradional photobooth at our reception (not a box-studio style), which his assistant will run, and I am really excited about this!
http://www.mattlien.com/blog/
We will have a non-tradional photobooth at our reception (not a box-studio style), which his assistant will run, and I am really excited about this!
Sonic Limo
Booked our limo now (July), since our wedding date is prime prom time!
We will have the 2008 Cadillac Escalade:
Interior Bench Seating with a VIP seating area in back
Crystal glassware
Stereo TV Tuner, DVD, CD, VCD, MP3 & Ipod Cradle
2,000-watt sound system with 4 subwoofers
TV's 20" Flat screen in partition
17" Flat screen in VIP area
10" Flat screens through out the coach area
Interior Lights LED coach lights & color changing bar area
Disco Style Light Up Floor
LED Headrails
Fiber optic mirrored ceiling & seat lining
Strobe lighting under seating area
Laser light show (2 Green & 2 Red)
http://www.soniclimo.com/
We will have the 2008 Cadillac Escalade:
Interior Bench Seating with a VIP seating area in back
Crystal glassware
Stereo TV Tuner, DVD, CD, VCD, MP3 & Ipod Cradle
2,000-watt sound system with 4 subwoofers
TV's 20" Flat screen in partition
17" Flat screen in VIP area
10" Flat screens through out the coach area
Interior Lights LED coach lights & color changing bar area
Disco Style Light Up Floor
LED Headrails
Fiber optic mirrored ceiling & seat lining
Strobe lighting under seating area
Laser light show (2 Green & 2 Red)
http://www.soniclimo.com/
Donato's Floral
My sister-in-law works there and she does beautiful bouquets and arrangements!
(Picture is an inspiration pic)
http://www.donatosfloral.com/
My bouquet:
White mini cymbidium orchids, white freesia, white roses, white lisianthus, green hydrangeas, green hypericum berries, and white ostrich feathers. Wrapped stem with ivory ribbon, black pins down the handle and my late grandmother's brooch.
Bridesmaids:White freesia, white roses, white anemones w/ black center, green hydrangeas, green hypericum berries, black & white dotted feathers. Wrap stem with ivory ribbon and criss cross with black, pearl pins down handle.
1/2 of the centerpieces:
White hydrangea, green hypericum berries, white roses and white tulips in cylinder vases.
(Picture is an inspiration pic)
http://www.donatosfloral.com/
My bouquet:
White mini cymbidium orchids, white freesia, white roses, white lisianthus, green hydrangeas, green hypericum berries, and white ostrich feathers. Wrapped stem with ivory ribbon, black pins down the handle and my late grandmother's brooch.
Bridesmaids:White freesia, white roses, white anemones w/ black center, green hydrangeas, green hypericum berries, black & white dotted feathers. Wrap stem with ivory ribbon and criss cross with black, pearl pins down handle.
1/2 of the centerpieces:
White hydrangea, green hypericum berries, white roses and white tulips in cylinder vases.
Macy's Bridal Salon
The service was OK, and I didn't like the fact that I couldn't pick out my own gowns to try on and I felt at times my sales lady was irritated...but I did find THE ONE, which was a designer sample at a crazy, low price! I am taking it elsewhere for alterations, since their prices begin at over $400. I also bought my veil there, which I have ordered and have not picked up yet. They are also holding my gown until I am ready to pick it up for cleaning and alterations.
New (8/16)
We went back yesterday to look at BM dresses and pick up my dress and veil and had wonderful service. (Had horrible service at The Wedding Shoppe on Saturday - will not being go back there for anything) We picked the dresses and love them, Because we purchased 1 of them right there, all of the ladies get 10% off the already low price. They will take about 4 months to come in and we will hopefully take them to Louise for alterations. Very happy with Mpls Macy's Bridal Salon.
New (8/16)
We went back yesterday to look at BM dresses and pick up my dress and veil and had wonderful service. (Had horrible service at The Wedding Shoppe on Saturday - will not being go back there for anything) We picked the dresses and love them, Because we purchased 1 of them right there, all of the ladies get 10% off the already low price. They will take about 4 months to come in and we will hopefully take them to Louise for alterations. Very happy with Mpls Macy's Bridal Salon.
Cake
Tastings included:
Buttercream: Delicious, but overpriced
Key's: Dry, wasn't impressed with Fridley location
Attempted Penny Steele: She forgot about our appt and didn't have any cake to try, didn't reschedule
Queen of Cakes: Very good
Jack's Bakery: Yummy, best price and one of our longtime, local favs, our second choice
Cake Box: Very good, our third choice
Sweet Treats by Jeff Perila: SO SO yummy! We tried the chocolate turtle, Oreo fudge crunch, chocolate Kahlua and Bailey's Irish cream.
We thought we made up our mind to go with our local baker, Jacks, but after hearing so many good things about Jeff's cupcakes we decided to make the trip to Savage for a 6th and final tasting. His prices were just a little bit more, but his flavors are so delcious and unique and we can rent the cake stand from him for a great price and he will set everything up...so we are booking him!
We plan on doing a small 2 tier cake (8x6) and approximately 200 cupcakes.
Design to be simple, with black ribbon and flowers on the top. I found some damask cupcake liners from Michael's that the bakery will use.
(pics are inspiration)
www.sweettreatsbyjeff.com
Buttercream: Delicious, but overpriced
Key's: Dry, wasn't impressed with Fridley location
Attempted Penny Steele: She forgot about our appt and didn't have any cake to try, didn't reschedule
Queen of Cakes: Very good
Jack's Bakery: Yummy, best price and one of our longtime, local favs, our second choice
Cake Box: Very good, our third choice
Sweet Treats by Jeff Perila: SO SO yummy! We tried the chocolate turtle, Oreo fudge crunch, chocolate Kahlua and Bailey's Irish cream.
We thought we made up our mind to go with our local baker, Jacks, but after hearing so many good things about Jeff's cupcakes we decided to make the trip to Savage for a 6th and final tasting. His prices were just a little bit more, but his flavors are so delcious and unique and we can rent the cake stand from him for a great price and he will set everything up...so we are booking him!
We plan on doing a small 2 tier cake (8x6) and approximately 200 cupcakes.
Design to be simple, with black ribbon and flowers on the top. I found some damask cupcake liners from Michael's that the bakery will use.
(pics are inspiration)
www.sweettreatsbyjeff.com
Surprise Groom's Cake!
Matt's favorite beer is Surly, so Jeff is going to make a cake (shaped like the Coor's cake) and set it up along with the wedding cake and cupcakes...super excited to see how it turns out!
Hair and Makeup
We are booked with Smart & Chic, after all of the Knottie referrals and reviews. My primary stylist will be Amber B.
http://www.smartandchicbride.com/
http://www.smartandchicbride.com/
DOC (Day of Coordinator)
I really didn't think I needed this, and while I am sure my wedding would be just fine without, I am happy to have found the help and to take a little bit of the stress off of my shoulders. I met with 2 DOCs and really liked both, but Maria and I seemed to click a little more and Ispiri prices just can't be beat. Maria is very nice and seems very organized like myself, so I think this will be a good fit. I think once our wedding day gets closer I will be thankful I made this decision.
Maria Reichow is with Ispiri Events http://www.ispirievents.com/
Maria Reichow is with Ispiri Events http://www.ispirievents.com/
Savvi Formalwear
We went with Savvi formalwear for the men. Matt will have a paisley style gray/silver vest with a black skinny tie. The groomsmen will have the same paisley design, but in black with skinny black ties. The dad's tuxes will be the same as the groomsmen, but with bow ties. The ring bearer will look similar to FI, except with a bow tie.
The tux here is almost exact, but they do not yet have the skinny solid color ties in store or on their site.
The tux here is almost exact, but they do not yet have the skinny solid color ties in store or on their site.
Videography
We are using Brady with Highlights Videography. We reserved when rates were a little lower, but he is still a great deal and recieves good reviews on the boards.
www.highlightsvideography.com
www.highlightsvideography.com
Alterations
First meeting with Louise (Knottie referral) in January - hope it goes well! My dress needs to be taken in a couple of sizes, a bustle added, cups, and possibly a corset. Also my BM's dresses need to be shortened and have straps added.
2/2011: First fitting went wonderful! I have lost 10 lbs since I dropped my dress off at her house in January and I love how it feels! She is taking it in a little bit, adjusting the straps, adding cups, attaching the dress label, adding crinoline, the hem, and bustle. She is also working on most of the BM dresses and my mom's dress. She is SO sweet and I trust that she will do an outstanding job!
2/2011: First fitting went wonderful! I have lost 10 lbs since I dropped my dress off at her house in January and I love how it feels! She is taking it in a little bit, adjusting the straps, adding cups, attaching the dress label, adding crinoline, the hem, and bustle. She is also working on most of the BM dresses and my mom's dress. She is SO sweet and I trust that she will do an outstanding job!
Other Vendors/Shops Used
Anchor Paper: (Plymouth location) - more info in DIY/Paper
Mary Kay Bridal: (St. Louis Park location) - purchased hair flower/comb there, more info in Attire/Accessories
Ebay Seller - Capes for All Occassions - purchased flower girl dress (pic in Attire/Accessories)
Amazon Seller - The World Jewelry Center - purchased FI wedding band (pic in The Ring section)
JcPenney: Online catalog to purchase the baby groomsman tux
Mary Kay Bridal: (St. Louis Park location) - purchased hair flower/comb there, more info in Attire/Accessories
Ebay Seller - Capes for All Occassions - purchased flower girl dress (pic in Attire/Accessories)
Amazon Seller - The World Jewelry Center - purchased FI wedding band (pic in The Ring section)
JcPenney: Online catalog to purchase the baby groomsman tux
B-Pics
Cadence Cornelius: http://www.cadencecornelius.com/
Such an awesome lady to work with!
Such an awesome lady to work with!
