I met a local photographer yesterday...

Since I'm feeling guilty about going with SOTA Photography because of the cost I met with a local photography who is only 5 mins away (my competition). She is really nice and her name is Dani but, she has only done 10 weddings and like me, she keeps getting better with every shoot. She uses the same camera I use and her package is awesome as it should be when you're starting out. My only hang up is the fact that she is a new photographer and with this being my passion, I kind of wanted someone with several years under their belt! I want Sota Dzine!

Check out her links to her site and new blog.

http://www.danileighphotography.com/

http://www.danileighblog.com/

What do you think?

Save the Dates

I made our 'save the dates' this morning (1 am), it only took me about 20 mins. We're trying to save money anyway we can so we're emailing them instead of paying for postage, ink, paper, and envelopes. We're pretty happy with them, but we want to know what you think, so please leave a comment!

I made this one a few days later!

Flower Girl Dresses

My sister has flooded my email with so many cute flower girl dresses! It's going to be hard to pick just one! I really wanted to make the Tutu dresses (above) but, with two of girls getting older and growing fast it will be better to put them in a more classical dress. Plus, the time it would take to make them. As you can see I had it all planned out.

So I really like these two!

A night with Lulu

I took Lulu out a few weeks ago to try on some flower girl dresses to make her feel special since she didn't try any on when the other girls bought their dresses and she also, just got glasses that day. I figured we better try some on in case we can't get the tutu dresses made. The two of us had a great time! We shopped at Nordstrom and ate dinner at Panera. Lulu tried chicken salad for the first time and loved it (it's my favorite)! Here's a few pictures and videos from the night.

We met with the Photographer of my DREAMS!

So Drew and I drove down to Fairfax, VA to meet with Nicole from Sota Dzine Photography. It was a long drive but worth it! I've wanted to meet her for some time now! I really admire their work and would love to be as successful as them one day (and I will one day). Her home office was in her living room and her style is very similar to mine. She played us a DVD of their work and we looked through her amazing albums. I was already sold on them before we even walked in the door and now even more so. Drew likes their style as well and he wants to make me happy it's just they aren't cheap. The cheapest package they have is $5,500.00 and that includes 6 hours, one photographer, and a DVD of High-Res photos but, you're paying for their unbelievable talent so I think it's worth it! So, we're trying to fit it in the budget! She said her husband would be our photographer and he is the best out of the three of them. They have a background in fashion photography and he is a graphic designer. Two roads I wish I went down, do you see why I like them so much? I really hope we are able to have them photograph are wedding because I know they would absolutely amazing work and they are my best fit!

Check out their site and blog.

http://sotaweddings.com/

http://overexposed.squarespace.com/

I hope you guys don't mind me using a picture of you from your blog if you ever see this. I just wanted to show you off!

We picked our Caterer!

So I am so excited about our wedding food it is going to be DELICIOUS!!! We are using "The Pantry" http://thepantrycatering.com/ and the executive Chef Daniel is a perfect fit for Drew and I! Angie and I meet him when we went to the open house at "The Cloisters" and we tried a few of his creations and they were amazing! We both new I didn't need to look any further. He's also a huge foodie like Drew and I and he's really easy to talk too. I'm now working with his event coordinator Vivian and she is just as nice and easy to talk to as he is!

The Videographers we want use is "Blue Sky Films" this link gives the examples of the style were using http://www.blueskyfilms.com/films/documentary. I feel in love with this company last October when I went to a wedding show with my friend Linda. I was able to talk to them and they gave us a DVD of their work. My sister has always told me she wished she had a better wedding video so it's going to be worth the investment! Everyone also says the day goes by so fast so I'm sure were both going to miss things and we both like the idea of being able to see each other getting ready!

Photographers

So, I'm trying to find a wedding photographer which for me has been though since I'm a photographer. Of course the ones that I love are very expensive! I've made some calls and emails to the following photographers (this is only a few of them). Let me know what you think!

http://sotadzine.com/ - they are holding my date for us :)

http://www.weddingsbypamela.com/gallery.html -booked

http://www.jenniferhughes.com/Jennifer's work is amazing but she is already booked and really expensive!

http://www.amydeputyphotography.com/ - This photographer is friends with Jennifer and we emailed each other a few times last year. She just did my friend Liza's wedding and I wasn't impressed by what I saw but, I'll have to see the pictures I'm sure they're great! Her engagement photo's were awesome!

Round Two for bride maids dresses.

Today we set out just to try on bridesmaid dresses and junior bridesmaid dresses and we had no I idea we were going to find both! We started off at "Starbucks" and made our way through a crowed busy Mall. We only went to two stores and we found just what I was looking for! We bought the dresses form Macy's and we even got them all on SALE!! The bridesmaid dresses are a long deep royal purple satin that has just a little bling and a little train. The crazy things about these dresses were that Andrea I went to "Macy's" last November as you might have read in an earlier post and she tried the same dress on but they had it in a gray/silver color. Who knew that I knew that was the dress back than! The junior bridesmaids dresses are perfect! I wanted something that wouldn't age them too much and would still be fun and youthful. The girls already are planning on where they will wear them after the wedding! They are wearing a darker purple knee length dress. The bottom part is layers of tulle and satin. Which is perfect because Angie and I are going to try and make the flower girl dresses which are made of tulle.
We also found the perfect dress for Mom at "Lord and Tyler's" but, she didn't get it since she still wants to shop around. I have a feeling she's going to end up with that dress! It was a long silver layered ruffle dress that looked so elegant on her! It really is perfect for her. We ended the seven hour shopping day at "Panera". We had a great time and I'm lucky to have such great friends and family!

The Clipper Mill

Drew and I visited the "Clipper Mill" and knew from just the drive it was going to be a "NO". I found this place from one of my old "Baltimore Magazine Weddings" and they used it in one of their photo sessions and it looked so pretty! It was that rustic urban look we love. They had fire pits (which we were told you can no longer do unless you hire a Fire Marshall and two Policemen) on these huge round stone tables. We also found out you would also have to hire a lifeguard for the pool and pay for valet since there wasn't really anywhere to park. The place also looked a lot bigger than it was from the photo's and I knew the pool would be an issue with the kids, especially the boys! It would have been nice to learn all of this from the person I talked to on the phone but, they weren't any help at ALL! They never even sent me the paperwork like they said they were going to 5 million times! It would be nice to have an anniversary party there one day but not the wedding (as long as the staff changes). The deal breaker was having to drive through one to many ghettos to get there on top of everything else. Once you got there it was really nice but, no ghettos for us! We could only imagine what people we would start thinking while they were driving out to the wedding. I mean I almost wanted to turn around!

Shoes

So, Drew and I stopped by by Nordstrom and I fell in love with these shoes! I know I don't want to wear a traditional wedding shoe... I want to spicy it up a bit! Purple will be the main color of the wedding so I really like the idea of a purple shoe. I just love all of these shoes! Which one will it be?

The Lilac Dress

My friend Leah and her three cute lovable children went shopping with me while I was on the hunt for this vintage pink prom dress Drew and I saw outside "Vintage Girls" store a few weeks ago. The weather was beautiful so it was perfect for the kids to walk around the town. After all the anticipation we felt the pink dress made me look a little wide (and that's bad because it was a TINY dress) so I purchased the lilac petticoat instead. The lady in the store said she has had a hard time selling the pink dress since it is so small. Let me just say the ladies in the 50s had much smaller waists than we do today! After our good buy we headed over to the "Bean Hollow" for some pumpkin chai tea! Weather you get the chai or the latte they are so delicious! They only come out in the fall so if you haven't had one you need to try one! The kiddies drank hot cocoa and lollipops! Thanks Leah!!!!

I bought the petticoat in hopes I could use it for a engagement photo session.

The vintage pink prom dress or the vintage lilac petticoat?

Cloister's Castle

I want a picture like this.

After work I had to run a few errands and Drew was going to go with me to re-look at the castle but he wasn't feeling well and wasn't looking so hot so I sent him home to get some much needed sleep. Drew works too hard! For the past 1 1/2 he has done nothing but lived and breathed his new businesses and it is finally starting to pay off! The other night he worked 8:30 am - 8 pm and when he got home he had two conference calls and I did get to speak to him till 12:30 am and that's when we ate dinner. How ridicules is that? With all of that said he deserved to stay home and sleep!

Last October we both visited the castle and immediately feel in love with it! I wanted to revisit it since were now planning for a May wedding and not an October one. When Drew and I went it was during the day so it was nice to see it in the evening. I was going to go by myself since I knew it was so last minute for anyone to go with me but, my loving sister said she wouldn't let me go by myself so her and lil Z went with me.

When we pulled up to the castle it looked so pretty! The way the lights were hitting it just right made it look magical! A very nice lady took us on a tour and my sister said she could see why we loved this place and that she thinks it's the venue for us. The date were wanting is May 15th which was on hold till today so when the lady "Annie" told me the date was mine, both Angie and I said it was meant to be. With that said I have been trying to get a hold of this place for about 3 weeks now and yesterday was the first time they picked up the phone and when Annie told they were having the open house tomorrow and that my date was on hold and now I have it... yeah it's meant to be!
The carter that was there was really nice and he made the yummiest things! We had a white chocolate risotto with a blueberry compote, shrimp and mango with a chili sauce, and to top it all off a pom spritzer! Angie and I were trying not to eat the risotto too fast since it was so good. It was the warm comforting food and the white chocolate was done just right that is wasn't too much. His price's don't seem that bad so Drew and I will have to visit with him again!

So we have one more place to visit and than we will make our decision.

It's always there...

I received this picture today in one of my Vera Wang emails that I get about twice a month and they have never used this photo! This again is my dream dress that I will never own and I see it ALL the time in magazines and now my email! Why do you have to be so expensive VERA? Whoa is me :(

My Michelle Roth Wedding Dress

I bought this dress on Nov. 11, 2008 with my friend Andrea down in Chevy Chase. Mom found an add on Craig's list, believe it or not and I decided to check it out. The lady I bought it from had an amazing house! My friend Andrea said she felt like she walked into a page of a home magazine. The lady was really nice and she said she bought this dress up in New York City at a Michelle Roth sample sale. She said brand new it was $10,000.00 an she paid $1,000.00. The dress is perfect for the fall! It is an ivory silk organza and has a floral leafy pattern all over it and in the leaves they were hand painted a pale yellow color and it full of Swarovski Crystal bunches all over. I wish could see the way this dress sparkles! Just a little light makes it dance! The dress is a size 2 and it's never been worn just tried on a lot! The under part of the dress is full of so much tulle and crinoline. This was a very well made dress. She did the same thing as me, she bought the dress for a autumn wedding but ended up having a spring wedding and bought a new dress.

Knowing me I couldn't just buy it and wear it as is, I wanted to make it look like my dream Vera Wang dress that cost $15,000.00. I had met a designer back in March at a wedding show and he told me than that he had made the Vera I was talking about before. I met with him once but talked on the phone many times. We were going to add a little ruffle to the top of the dress, a deep purple sash with a cluster of flowers and we were going to make the train a little longer. It was going too look very similar to the Vera just sparkly!

The dress has some wear on it in the back by the zip on the top and the bottom. The bottom of the train was wear to it as well. If you're small and short like me it can be altered and you would never know it was an issue. So I am selling it now and if anyone is interested let me know!

Brides Maid Dresses

Today two of my three bridesmaids were able to meet up at a bridal boutique to try on some dresses. I knew the place had one of the dresses I wanted them to try on, which is the blue strapless dress made by "Bill Levkoff" in the above photo and to the left. I was surprised that I was the first one there but, it was nice because I was able to talk with the ladies that worked there and to show them what I was looking for. When Leah came in she was so excited and almost started crying (awww). I know whatever dress I end up going with I want it to be in a purple shade. There were a few dresses they tried on that just didn't cut it! It's amazing how some thing looks good on the hanger but not on.

My sister Angie tried on a few dresses that we we're considering for my two older nieces (her daughters). Since they are both around our sizes it works. After we tried on the dress we went over to Starbucks and hung out and did some girl talk! In all the years I've known the Leah I don't think just the three of us have ever hung out. We had a really good time. I was also able to show them the invitations I bought the night before. They really liked the ideas I have for them and they said they will totally help me! Yay!

On Nov. 1, 2008 which I can't believe was almost a year ago! After I bought my first wedding dress and yes I said first wedding dress me and my missing bridesmaid stopped by Macy's to try on some dresses. She look good in them as you can see below. She still talks about how she really wanted the purple one. She also tried on a dress not pictured that looked great on the hanger but did nothing for her or anyone one who would try it on!

Enjoy these videos from my iPhone