Wedding Shows!

Whoo Hoo!  I found a Chicago Wedding Show on a weekend that I was actually in Chicago for a friend's wedding!  I got tickets for 3 (Jac and Megan of course!) and we were set!

What we expected from the Wedding Show

I'm not sure exactly what I envisioned, but when I walked in - it was definitely a lot different.  We expected a huge room with tons of little cubicles with vendors.  This reminded me of a craft show / maze mashup.  We started by forming a long line to wait to be allowed in (I don't know, but apparently these things are never on time.)  Once they allowed us to start, they took our tickets, handed us a "bingo" card so we made sure to talk to each vendor and we were off.  

The way this show was lined up, you were basically forced to wait in a line the entire time (as I said--Maze). We started by checking out some travel agency's, then a photo booth place, and some other random places.  We actually found our photographer through going to this wedding show so I suppose it was productive!

After we made our way through the maze of all the vendors, we all went and sat down to a wedding show.  They went through a runway show of many different dresses and bridesmaid dresses.  Megan and I really enjoyed checking them all out, but I'm sure Jac thought it was a snooze fest!  The show was not all bad, just very different than what I expected.  We ended up finding our DJ at the show and left with tons of new ideas! 

I guess they are right when they say don't judge a book by it's cover!
 

The Venue Search - Part 2

On our way back from Wisconsin, we decided to stop by a few venues to check them out for the wedding!  In the end it was a really hard choice to decide where we were going to have our wedding, but ended up choosing Bobak's Signature Events.   We really loved lots about each one of the locations we visited and they really would have made an amazing wedding!


Meridian Banquet & Conference Center

Outside Entrance

Inside Location we would use for reception

This location was just beautiful! They had a room available for a ceremony to take place and could offer us a lot for our reception.  It was amazing how small a room could look without anything in it!  We saw a room with nothing and a room full of tables, and it was amazing how small the empty room looked!  The coordinator we talked with was so helpful and nice - since she knew this was our only time in the area she even showed us cakes and helped us find a way that she could work best with us across country!  The only down fall was that there was not really any place to take photos nearby or on-site.  If we were going to be having out ceremony and reception in the same place, we didn't want to have to leave after the ceremony to get some pictures!

 Midwest Conference Center.
 Next, we traveled to the Midwest Conference Center which promoted amazing views like the one below. 

The Publicized View

The Actual View

Oh my! How amazing did that first picture's view look?  Well - really it didn't look that amazing in person.  We saw a ton of trains and tracks!  Also, the lady was so disorganized that we didn't feel like this was our fit!  She seemed in a big hurry to get us in and out and kept leaving us to go check on others who were there.  She kept trying to give a bottle of wine to this other guy she kept leaving us for, and in the end he was not allowed to accept gifts!  So, we left that meeting with a bottle of wine.  The really cool thing about this location was that we would have our own FLOOR to ourselves.

Bobak's Signature Events

Lastly for the day, we went to Bobak's Signature Events and met with Liz. 

Outside, ceremony location

Inside, reception location

We absolutely loved Bobak's!  Liz was absolutely amazing and so down to earth!  Liz also had a ton of ideas that she started giving out from the moment we walked through the door.  It is almost like having our own wedding coordinator. Something that set this place apart was not only did it have a great interior, but the exterior was amazing as well.  We had places for photos as well as the ceremony and reception.  

Look for more on Bobak's in future blog posts!  

Picking Out The Dress

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION OR PHOTOS OF MY DRESS. JAC - PLEASE STEER CLEAR!
.
.
.
.
.
.
You gone yet?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I hope so! So - again because I was about to move to Texas, my mom really wanted me to come to Wisconsin to try on dresses so she could see!  I wanted to go to David's Bridal because I knew I wanted my girls to get their dresses there.  It was so convenient as they are all across the nation! My mom wanted to also take me to a local bridal shop, so we started there.  

The first group of people along for the ride were my grandma, mom, and brother's GF Grace.  When we got there, they were basically like - hey, just pick whatever you want off these massive shelves and we will try them on.  Umm ok intimidating!  So we went for the racks and just picked a bunch off!  I tried them on, liked some, didn't like others but none of them felt just right.

Our next stop was over to David's Bridal and my step-mom and step-sister joined in for the fun!  When I got there, I showed my consultant pictures of the dresses that I like and thought I might want as well as the dress I fell in love with and hoped would stay in love with once it went on!  She went and found me a bunch of dresses to try on (including the favorite). 

I tried on the favorite and LOVED it!  It was totally meant to be!  BUT - we made sure to try on others to be sure that I really loved it.  We tried on a few others which I like and looked nice on me, but were not it.  So, again on went the favorite dress.  Yup! Still loved it!  I decided that it was THE DRESS!

David's Bridal has a fun tradition that once you pick your dress, you are able to ring the bell and make a wish so everyone in the store knows you found it! It was a really fun experience!

So back up a little - part one of this dress search was really research... so here are some of the pretty dresses I fell in love with and showed to my consultant when we got there!

David's Bridal - A-line Side Drape Strapless Dress

David's Bridal - Satin A-line with Asymmetrical Skirt

 David's Bridal - Exquisite Strapless Pick-Up Ball Gown

 David's Bridal - Satin Pleated Drop Waist Bodice with Pick-up Skirt

 David's Bridal - Strapless A-Line Satin Gown with Dropped Waist Style

David's Bridal - A-line Taffeta Gown with One Shoulder Detail

 
Overall, it was a fun time and I ended up buying my dress that day!  As you can tell, I apparently like A-line dresses with ruching!  Look forward to future posts and maybe you will see what I picked...maybe not!!

The Venue Search - Part 1

Searching for the perfect venue! What a trip!  I never realized how hard this part could be... I mean - I guess with so many choices and perks each place has - how did I not see this coming!?!

Well - because Jac and I were moving down to Texas about one month after the engagement, we decided that the first thing we needed to figure out was our venue!  We both had lots of time (as we just graduated) and both began the research process.

This was a very overwhelming process - it was like information overload! Being the crazy organized person that I am, I created an Excel document that helped us to compare what each of the different venues had to offer.  Most of the venues we had been researching had many of the items we would need included (i.e. cake, open bar, champagne/wine...).  Having all of these items in a easy to read spreadsheet was really helpful and definitely made the process less overwhelming.

From there Jac and I narrowed our search down and chose what locations we wanted to visit first.  We were headed to Wisconsin (Bri's home) in a few weeks so I could go dress shopping with my family.  We were planning to head back down through the Chicago area to get back so we spent a day checking out our favorites.

We put together a list of general questions we had for all of the venues as well as more specific questions for each of the particular ones (if we had any).  I found an amazing website, called Here Comes the Guide, that has amazing resources of all the questions you should make sure you have answers to before booking anything.  Check it out!

Check out the future post about checking out the venues and the venue we eventually picked!

What other fun resources have you found that have helped with the planning?

Guess What!?! I'm ENGAGED!

Run around and tell everyone you know (and don't know!)

After dinner at the restaurant, it was then time for me to go crazy and run around campus telling everyone my news!  Clearly J. is not that good at keeping a secret to himself because almost everyone I told already knew!! RUDE!  I was so excited, I even went to find my favorite campus police officers to tell them the news! (Don't worry, I work closely with them in my role on campus!)

It was fun to run around however and hear their side of the proposal story, from the friends who went with him to get the ring, the planning behind making sure my nails were done (how sweet!), and even being at the mall together while he looked at rings.  I wondered why Roxie kept changing her mind at the store so we couldn't leave it!  It all started falling into place (he had the ring for 3 months before he gave it to me) -  I would never be able to keep that secret!

But the ring is beautiful and I could not have asked for anything more perfect!  It totally fits my personality and style to a tee!  I really wanted a bridal set (so the wedding band and engagement ring fit together perfectly) and that is exactly what I have!  Wanna see?

Isn't it just beautiful!  The wedding band that comes along with it is very simple, just how I like it and I cannot wait for it all to be together!

Only down fall - it was a little too big!  BUT - I would much rather have the ring too big than too small!  Since I had graduation the next day - and I wanted to be sure not to lose it - I found some yarn and just wrapped it around the ring a few times on the inside of my hand.  It worked really well if you ever need to keep the ring on until you get get it fitted properly!  
 
How long did your fiance have the ring before you ended up getting it? Did it fit?

An Engagement Story - Side B

After writing my side of the engagement story, I thought it would be fun to see what J. had to say about the story.  You can clearly tell that he planned this whole event and knew many more details than I remembered - HEY! It was a blur!  It sure is fun to hear the same story from a different side of the spectrum!  Beware, he is a bit wordy - Enjoy!
 
His Side of the Story...
I had planned out my proposal to B. months in advance and had set in motion several different aspects of it. I had everything planned out to a "T" except for one crucial point. I waited for my mom to come into town with her husband because out of all of her children I would probably be the only one that would be able make sure she was there (Happy Mothers Day Mom). The four of us had dinner reservations which I had set up with the owner a month prior. The owner who I worked with was such a sweatheart and was excited that I had choose her restaurant for the dinner the night I was to propose. 

As I left my apartment to meet my mom, her husband, and B. by the car to go to dinner I had to keep one hand in a pocket to hide the form of the ring box I was carrying. I tried to make it look all GQ-like (according to groomsman, Craig). We started to drive to dinner and as we approached the the park next to the restaurant, I pointed out to Bri that I thought our friend Tom was in the park. I had talked to Tom about playing a special song for the proposal. Tom was set up in the gazebo with our friends Colleen and James waiting for us to arrive. When I pointed Tom out to B. I thought she would be excited to see him since she works with Tom. To the contrary B. ignored my advances to notice and get excited to see Tom in the park. 

As my first attempt had failed to get us to the gazebo I tried to have my mom's husband park farther away from the restaurant so we could walk past the gazebo. B.'s response to this attempt was "No, John you see that black awning ahead that is where we are eating you can pretty much park right next to it". DRAT! Foiled again by my future bride. Finally, as we were getting out of the car I asked my mom if she would like to meet someone who both B. and I knew who was actually a talented musician. My mom semi-saved me by saying "I will meet who ever you want me to meet honey". Just as I took a breath of relief B. looked at me and for the first time the entire time we had been dating she said "But J., our reservation, we will be late for our dinner reservations". At this point in my mind all I could think was who was this women I was about to marry. B. was never on time and never cared about being late but of course when I am trying to lead her to the spot I wish to propose she has learned the importance of being on time lol. I went ahead and lied and said that I had changed the reservation time because I knew we would be late to which my beautiful fiance responded "Well then I could have dried my hair all the way".

We slowly walked towards the gazebo and I took B.'s hand and smiled. B. looked at me and said you are acting silly and all I could say was "your right". As we approached the gazebo Tom, Colleen, and James waved and said hi. We walked up the steps and entered the gazebo, I started to introduce Tom to my Mom and John and as I did so I could tell B. was looking for something. Finally she turned her head and looked behind us and found Megan walking on the path trying to get in position to take a picture of what was about to happen. B. looked away from Megan only to take a second look at her and as only the women I plan to marry would she flicked off her future maid of honor. 

Megan had walked B. right into this night and not told her a thing and for that I thank Megan and apologize that it got her flicked off. As Tom began to play "Marry You" by Bruno Mars I leaned into B. and whispered into her ear and said "The journey we have been on these past two years was made amazing only because I had her with me. But now that journey was coming to and end and I would like to ask her to go on a different kind of journey with me". I turned B. and got down on one knee and pulled the ring from my pocket. I asked B. if she would marry me? Her first response was a smile mixed with an overwhelmed look to which she shook her head up and down. Much like a flight attended on a plane explaining the duty of those sitting in the emergency exit row I told B. that I needed a verbal on this one. B. then said that three letter word that every future husband hopes to hear when asking this important question "Yes". I got up and kissed my fiance feeling as though we were the only two people in that gazebo although of course we were surrounded by six other people.



Aww how romantic! He is such a sweetheart! Has your fiance written out his proposal story?
--B.

An Engagement Story - Side A

I figure it is probably best to start the wedding blog with the story of how the wedding planning had all started - the proposal story!

We were planning on going to dinner with J.'s mom and husband since they had just gotten into town, for our master's graduation ceremony.  I was rushing to get ready and ran over to J.'s apartment with about 10 minutes before our reservation. When J. walked out, there was something weird about him - I don't know what it was, but his hand was in his pocket - hiding the ring box!  We pulled up to the parking space for dinner and J. suddenly was all excited to walk over and say hi to a friend of ours who just happened to be in the park next to the restaurant, and suddenly I was the one worried about being late!  J. told me that he had changed the reservation to 8:30pm because he figured we would be running late. Good enough excuse I guess.  

We started walking over to the gazebo and I was looking for my best friend (and now MOH!) Megan's car the entire time.  One of the "rules" I gave to J. prior to the engagement was that I would like to have a photographer to get a photo of it happening, and Megan then turned that into a "rule" that she must be there to be that person.  I knew that if I found Megan's car this was it, I didn't end up finding her car, but I did turn around to see her darting from tree to tree trying to run up and capture the moment with her camera!  J. introduced his mom and her husband to our three friends sitting under the Gazebo and told them that one of them had won the universities talent show and opened up for Gym Class Heroes when they were on campus.  J. then asked him to play something for us (because he just so happened to have his guitar...).  He started playing "Marry Me" by Bruno Mars (one of my favorites) and J. whispered into my ear then got down on one knee and I said yes!
 
After the proposal...
Afterward, J. had set up dinner to include Megan and we all went to the restaurant where J. had worked with the owner, to set up a dozen lilies with a note that read: "I knew you would say yes. I vow to love you for the rest of my life." We toasted to our engagement and at the end of the night were given a chocolate desert that was personalized in chocolate with a firework sticking out of it sparking everywhere. For the rest of the night (like I am sure will happen now for the rest of my life) J. was dragged around campus to show all of our friends my engagement ring (most of who already knew all about it and never said a word!).


It was an unforgettable night and one that was clearly very thoughtfully planned!  What is your engagement story?

A New Beginning...

Who I am: My name is Bri, and I work in Student Affairs at a university in Texas. My fiance, Jac, and I recently moved down to Texas this year together.  I received my undergrad in Multimedia Digital Arts and my graduate degree in College Student Personnel.  My fiance and I are currently living in Texas but plan to have our wedding in Woodridge, Illinois - which is not as easy to plan as one may think!

Our Wedding Date: June 2013 

My Style: I am hoping for a classic modern wedding.  With my love for fun fonts and cool graphic designs, I am hoping to bring together a look that is simple and elegant.

Our Colors: Lime Green and Black, with some pearl accents throughout!  

My Plan for the Blog: After reading so many wedding blogs through the last few months of wedding planning, I wanted to start my own documentation of my ups and downs with the planning process.  Expect to see inspiration, tips I've learned, DIY projects, and other random pieces that come up through this fun process! Although I have already planned a lot and only have 6 months until the wedding, I still plan to document those plans of the process. With the new year, I wanted to try something new to keep my brain continually thinking.