florists, videographers, dresses, invitations and lance

So we have finally received all of our estimates from the three florists and they definitely varied in price (A LOT). We are wanting to spend around $1500 on flowers/church decor. The first lady we met with was really nice and definitely the cheapest (less than $700) however I really didn't feel that she understood what I was looking for in a floral arrangement or for ceremony decor. She was definitely more traditional in her style... but like I said very inexpensive. The second person we met with was amazing. He totally understood my vision and made some great suggestions for ceremony decor.... however he was the most expensive ($2100). The third person we met with was a compromise between the two. She understood what I wanted as far as the bouquets and boutonnieres (and made some GREAT suggestions) but wasn't entirely understanding my idea for the ceremony decor (although I think that she would be able to copy a picture of what I would like..... so she could work!) She also left out my flower girls and junior bridesmaids in her estimate.... but she was around $1700. Although we knew flowers would be a larger part of the budget than the 15% it should be.... we have big decisions to make soon in regards to whom we will choose!

Mom and I also met with two videographers this week. I don't even really want to talk about the first one because he just wasn't as good as the second one! The second videographer we met with was awesome. He responded to my email ten minutes after I sent it and met with us the very next day. He was really personable and his personality fit well with my mom's and mine AND he was a LOT cheaper than the other ones we have looked at! Plus, his work is really good (he went to film school). Mom wants to talk to a few more.... but I really hope we can choose him because he was wonderful! :)

Now, I am visiting my fiance and one of my wonderful bff's (and bridesmaid). Jenna and I went to the bridal shop up here to try on the bridesmaid dress that I LOVE (.... and luckily she loved it too! I was worried the most about her liking it because she is pregnant ... and will be HUGE at the time of my wedding (like 8 months pregnant huge). However, after trying it on she definitely thinks it will work and really liked the style! So YAY!! Now I just need to find out how I need to go about getting my bridesmaids to order them. The lady at the store said it take 3 months to arrive and we should allow another month for alterations.... so we need to order them by mid August. The good news is the dress is only $120 and they only require you put half down to order it.... so hopefully my maids can come up with $60 in the next month :). I am also thinking of ordering this dress for my junior bridesmaids. My only concern is that one of them is 8 years old (the other is 14 and probably a size 2) and this dress is made for adults.... so I'm hoping that since she is tall we can order a size 0 and alter it... but I will need to get the store's opinion on that!

We also (thanks to Jenna (& Drew)) decided on what color pocketfold to order. We are going with the black pocketfold with a lunar blue invitation mat under a white invitation (with a scroll design... thanks to Drew) with a black envelope and damask liner. I think that it will look really pretty and coordinate well with our save the dates and other wedding decor colors. I also ordered pocketfold samples (since I've decided that I'm not making them myself) so that I can see exactly what I'm getting before I order 150. They should arrive monday... so they'll be there when I get home (yay!) I'm really excited to see them and how the coordinate with the lunar blue paper and the envelopes! :)

Anyways, I feel that things are coming together. We still have a lot more to do (like find someone to make our cake) but we have accomplished a lot in the last month! I can't wait to see how everything comes together and am so excited that I'm getting closer to becoming Mrs. Campbell! :)

dress ordered.... florist meetings.... and videographer

So I have officially ordered my dress... I chose the Casablanca 1772. The dress honestly looks better on me than the model.... and its like snow! Its absolutely PERFECT for a January 1 wedding!

(Photo from Casablanca)

We also met with three florists this week. So far we have only received a quote back from one of them but are anxious for the other two quotes. I felt that one of them really understood my vision better than the other two... but I haven't seen his quote yet to know if it is possible! So, we'll see!

We also are meeting with a few videographers this week. After doing some research, I think that I would regret not having one. A lot of people have said it was their biggest regret not having one and I think it would be great to be able to show my kids the video of mommy and daddy getting married. Pictures are wonderful.... but there is only so much that can be captured through still images.... and I want to be able to capture EVERYTHING from that day. So we'll see how we can work it into our budget.

wedding photographer selected

We have officially selected a wedding photographer!!

After meeting with Joe Hendricks Photography, Sara Gibbs Photography, Kristen Steele Photography, and Camryn Holt Photography, we have decided to go with.....

Sara Gibbs.


Sara actually is a former volleyball player for my mother and we coincidentally ran into her at my mom's bank (later to find out it isn't even Sara's bank). We set up a meeting with her and both Lance and I felt the most comfortable with her. I loved the work of the other 3 photographers but I didn't feel the connection that I felt with Sara. Plus, she's giving us a really great deal... and her work is amazing! I am so excited to start working with her and for us to have our engagement shoot!

save the dates and reception location

I'm currently on vacation in Reno, Nevada and heading to Sacramento and San Francisco, California on Tuesday so I'm not doing a whole lot of wedding planning. However, before I left I met with Carole again at Boxwood Bistro and I THINK we've decided to have our reception there. The space is amazing and for only $8500 we can have everything paid for, including food, drinks, alcohol, decorations and space rental. I'm so excited!!!

My mom also had a great idea for the save the date magnets, adding a calendar to it. Here is the mock up of what it would look like:





what do you think??

dresses, dresses and invitations

This week as definitely been busy and appointment filled. I'm back home (at my parents house) for the summer to work on wedding planning and to see a few doctors and my dentist. I've discovered that my life is busier when I'm at home than when at school.... so i decided to bring out an old friend....


my planner.


ordinarily i'm very organized.... but when your life only consists of working a set schedule and hanging out with friends, the planner is no longer necessary. However, now that I am making plans to meet various wedding people.... life have become a bit more complicated.... plus throw working in to the mix.... and you get a mess!

i have a feeling its just going to get busier... but luckily we are taking a 10 day family vacation out to Reno, Sacramento, and San Francisco... so it should be fun-filled but relaxing!



But back to wedding planning....


This week I met with Joe and Rhonda Hendricks of Joe Hendricks Photography. I loved them. Their personalities meshed really well with both mine and my mothers... and they like wine! :)

I also tried on a bunch of dresses this week at both The Sugar Drop, Inc and The White Room, Too... as well as a consignment shop called Encore. Per usual, everything I tried looked good on, making my decision difficult. I think I have narrowed it down to two main contenders:



Casablanca 1918


and.......




Casablanca 1971



I love them both! The price of 1918 is $400 MORE than 1971.... so I am taking Lance's mom to see both of them and get her input on them as well. The first one she is going to see is 1971... which is my mom's favorite (and also the favorite of the bridesmaids).


I also found a bridesmaid dress this week too. The only problem is I'm not sure whether or not I want them all in the same dress or not. If I do want them in the same one this one is definitely it! Its gorgeous.



Mori Lee 805

I just love it! I may have to buy one for myself!

I also got my paper samples from Cards and Pocketfolds this week. I love this company! I was orginially going to DIY pocketfolds, however when doing a time/cost analysis it is only $20 more total for me to order pocketfolds than for me to buy custom cut paper myself.... so I might as well save my precious time (since I'll be in grad school) and just order them. I didn't order a sample of the pocketfolds (yet) but I did order paper samples and I love the shade of black. I also ordered envelope samples with envelope liners and have decided that we will have black envelopes with damask liners (already assembled..... it's only about $20 more on this too) and a black pocketfold. Since the invitation cards will be white, I feel that the black provides a good contrast to the white, but also doesn't get lost in the envelope sine there is a damask liner.




Although I am going to think about it for a few days, show other people and then make my decision. Its a lot of money to be spent to not be 100% sure. I might also order a few samples of the pocketfolds just to see what they look like and maybe even order the liners in different shades of white to see what that would look like too.

wedding photographer

Yesterday my mother and I met with Joe Hendricks Photography and loved them. Joe and his wife Rhonda were very nice and do fantastic work. I loved their personalities and the fact that they are young, which means they have similar interests and taste and know what's "cool" in photography now. They also like wine which is a plus! Haha.

Their prices are also reasonable and they will let me have the copyrights to the pictures as well as a disk of the pictures. If we do choose to book them, they would like to meet with Lance and I to discuss what types of picture we are looking to have and get to know us better so that we'll be more comfortable with them. I like that they want to develop a more personal relationship with their clients because that helps with the quality of the pictures.

Overall, i hope that we can hire them! They seem fantastic and I'd love to work with them.

paper samples

I just ordered paper samples from cardsandpockets.com. I can't decide which color card stock I want to use for making my pocket folds so I ordered samples of Onyx metallic, Black Tie, Snow White, Pearl metallic, and silver metallic. I also ordered envelope samples for A7 size in both black tie and smooth white, as well as damask envelope liners. I also ordered damask belly bands for the pocketfolds. I figured if I can actually see the paper and envision what the finished product will look like, I'll feel better about spending $$$$ on paper, liners and belly bands. The total for the samples was only $18 and I got free shipping. I definitely think it is worth spending the money for the samples to make sure that you are ordering what you want. I would hate to order $100 worth of custom cut paper for it not to look right with the invitations or for it to not be my style. I'll let you know what I've decided once the samples come it.

Oh and I'm meeting with Joe Hendricks Photography on Tuesday... I'll update then!