New Spain -Cocktail Hour

My Cocktail Hour:

Depending on how the ceremony space is divided I would either have the cocktail hour in the same space as the ceremony or move the guests into the reception area early. I would of course have to a mariachi band playing during the cocktail hour and continuing into the dinner part of the reception.

This is a picture of the Mariachi Cobre that plays daily at the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot. Do I think I'd actually get them? No, but it would be really cool! I'm sure there are plenty of similar bands that would work for my wedding.

At a cocktail hour everyone wants to start drinking right? Well the one drink I would have to have included is a frozen strawberry margarita:

wow, I really want one now... it's 4 o'clock somewhere right? I'd also include some virgin strawberry daiquiris (for the kids and non-alcholics) since I had my first at one at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

New Spain -Ceremony

My Ceremony:

I'm really in love with outdoor ceremonies and this seems to be one of the few outdoor spaces that the Coronado Springs Resort uses for meetings (I had to check the meetings and conventions page) and since it wouldn't be a big wedding, I think this space would fit our needs perfectly.

These are two locations on the Coronado Springs property where I'd love to take pictures. The first is in the main reception area and the second is on the property between guest room buildings:

Happy Mothers' Day

To celebrate I found this story from ABC's What Would You Do?

'Momzilla' Berates Bride-to-Be

Would You Intervene If You Saw a Mother Verbally Abusing Her Daughter in a Bridal Store?

7 comments

By CHARNÉE PEREZ

March 10, 2009

Searching for the perfect wedding dress is supposed to be a magical experience that women fantasize about from a young age. But when the bride is receiving insults from an overbearing mother, the dream becomes a nightmare.

A bride-to-be dissolves in tears after her "mother," an actress hired by ABC News, yells at her. The daughter, who was also an actress, staged this scene in a Manhattan bridal shop as part of a "What Would You Do?" ethical dilemma.

(ABC News)

Bridezillas, please step aside -- "Momzilla" is on the loose.

Watch the story on "What Would You Do?" Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.

Tensions can run high during the often-stressful time before a wedding, leading to clashes between mothers and daughters, and Momzillas are not an uncommon sight, according to Ronnie Rothstein, CEO and owner of Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan.

"We get Momzilla here every week," Rothstein said. "When a mother comes in with a bride, you see all of the good and bad in the relationships."

ABC News wanted to see how people would react to an over-the-top Momzilla berating her thin daughter in one of Manhattan's exclusive wedding salons. As a bride-to-be modeled her dream dress, Momzilla went on a verbal rampage.

In the middle of the salon at Kleinfeld Bridal, Maria Regina, an actress hired by ABC News, yelled at another actress who played the part of her bride-to-be daughter.

"I'm paying for the dress, I think I have a right to tell you what this dress looks like!" Regina shouted. "Is that understood? I'm just telling you the truth. Don't you want to hear what I have to say?"

~~Momzilla story continued on ABC site.

There are some good (real) moms out there so continue reading the story!

Bride-to-Bride: Kristen's Tips

Kristen's Tips for a Budget Friendly Wedding:

1. Do your research!

It was most important for us to have a nice place to go to, and have food for people to eat - all the other little details were places we could skimp.

Kristen and Josh decided that the reception and food would take up the bulk of their budget and still keep it under 8,000 for 80 guests. They did their research comparing the hotel packages vs. bringing in an outside caterer. They chose to stick with the hotel's package and splurge on a chocolate fountain from an outside vendor.

2. Make sure your guests bring their cameras!

To save money, we decided not to hire a professional photographer and asked our friends and family to just be ready with lots of cameras, which worked out beautifully - we have friends that are amazing photographers and I have a cousin who was going to school for photography.

3. DIY!

Keeping things personal and budget friendly, Kristen and Josh decided to make their own favors and centerpieces.

Kristen & Josh 9-22-2007

Kristen and Josh celebrated their wedding day with family members and friends. Their ceremony was held at Trinity United Church in Seabrook, NH.

Their reception was held at the Ashworth Hotel in Hampton Beach, NH. Josh proposed to Kristen on the beach across from the hotel.

Ideas - Jessie and Amy's Lego Save the Date

I first saw this on theknot.com and honestly I think it's one of the best ideas I've seen for Save the Dates.

Jessie and Amy's Lego Save the Date from Jessie Weirich on Vimeo.

New Spain -Gift Bags

I'd love to give my guests reusable bags as part of their welcome gift. I hate plastic bags and try to remember to bring my reusable grocery bags whenever possible. Also most stores give you 5 cents back and that really can pay off the bag depending on how much you shop and if you bring it with you. This bag is $2.99 from Pier 1 Imports.

Inside the bag:

1. Lake Champlain Assorted Chocolate Squares (180 pieces =$105.00)
2. Personalized Mini Hot Sauce bottles ($39.00 for 12 bottles, $6.00 for 15 labels) {not my fav but the boy likes it on his burritos}
3. DIY Mexican Paper Flower
4. Custom Wedding Party Buttons from Zazzle.com (113.50 = 50 buttons)
5. Coppertone Continuous Spray SPF-30
6. Map of Epcot (and all the other parks)
7. Poland Spring Water Bottles
8. Wedding Itenerary
9. Emergency Numbers and Party Member Contact Info
10. Must See Ride and Show List For All the Parks!

New Spain -Invitations

When I saw these lamp shades, I knew I needed to find a way to incorporate them into my wedding.

Invitations:

David's Bridal: Dramatically Fashionable - Invitation

It seems to me that the venue, flowers, and bridesmaid dresses will all have so much color that bringing out this understated design in the invitations will make seeing the overall look at the wedding, that much more powerful.

I'm also thinking that I'll use this design for the table numbers at the reception.

New Spain -Inspirations

The idea for my first attempt at planning a fantasy wedding was actually going to be fairly traditional and pretty (and will probably be on here eventually) but before I could start working on it, I received a random infomation packet from Rix Lounge @ Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. So obviously I had to check this place out since I had never heard of it before.
I thought maybe this could be an Aug wedding but then I remembered that May had Cinco de Mayo and was actually a very sexy month, so this could work.

Ideas:

1. Rix Lounge in Coronado Springs - the whole theme of the resort is southwest, spanish mexico and the explorer Don Francisco de Coronado and his unsuccessful search for the Seven Cities of Gold. The theme is already there at the hotel so I think I'll just add some touches here and there to carry it along.
2. The color persimmon (I love) and it seems perfect for this theme so the bridesmaids will be wearing it, maybe some candles in this color.
3. Wrought-iron and scroll work -I love the added touch of the iron (would love to find some monogram pins for the groomsmen) This scroll pattern is on some pillows and lamps and I think I'll work it into the invitations.

So I'm calling this wedding theme New Spain because 1 - all the spanish/mexican influences and 2 - marriage is a journey not unlike the one explorers took when searching the new world and trying to find the cities of gold. I want my guests to feel like they're a part of our journey.

Stay tuned for my first attempt at planning a wedding!

Don't forget the food!

On TLC's Four Weddings, a bride only served appetizers and obviously did not get enough food for all her guests. It went something like this:




I wish I had found the video of the guest brides ordering takeout and eating it during the reception!

In the beginning...

In the beginning...

I've been planning my wedding for about 8 years now, but let me set the record straight; I am not currently engaged. There is no ring or date. Just the right guy. For as long as I can remember I've been thinking about what I want and absolutely do not want for my wedding. The way I see it, when the time is right I will have already made most of the decisions.

Why a blog? In the search for my 'dream' wedding, I have seen quite a few really good ideas that just don't fit into what I now think of as my wedding. Somehow I don't think my family will come to see me get married multiple times just because I have more than one theme or color scheme that I think would look amazing. So I came up with a challenge; what if I were to attempt to plan a different wedding each month, using only things that I like (whether or not I would be able to afford it.) I would include:

• Bridal attire (dress, shoes, hair, makeup)
• Bridesmaids
• Groomsmen
• Location
• Entertainment (including but not limited to a top 3 must play songs list)
• Flowers
• Centerpieces/table decor
• Food
• Favors
• Invitations
• Anything else I can possibly pretend relates to the wedding idea

Lately I have been inspired by:

CardCow.com Vintage Postcards

Theknot.com
Can't find a direct link for this but it was saved to my favorites, so here are the details from theknot:

Wasabi + Pumpkin
Lend your signature flower and motif to the cake. Three-tiered square cake with Mokara sugar orchids, sugar paste green china berries, sugar clementines, and graphic square print band by Cake Alchemy.

Make a graphic statement with your stationery. Letterpress Headline invite and favor card printed on 100-percent cotton rag paper by Elum Designs, Inc. Photo coaster favor from The Knot Wedding Shop.

Coordinate the groom and his men. Orange and white striped tie by Ted Baker London. Sterling silver, orange-beaded cuff links by David Donahue.

Event Design by Evantine Design

p.s. I am in LOVE with this bouquet!