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!

officially registered!

We are officially registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Belk and Target. Most of the stuff we want is from Bed, Bath and Beyond.... except the China which is at Belk (although you can technically order it from BB&B). We registered for decor and a few tables at Target. It is really exciting to think that we are going to be able to decorate the way we want without having to spend our own money! We also are able to have nice dishes and cooking supplies! It's great!

gift registry confusion

Today Lance and i went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to officially register for gifts and let me tell you it was awesome. You get to create a list of all the things you want in your home that people will actually buy for you! Its going to be like a Christmas. We started off in the cookware section and spent a longtime debating about which Callhalon set to get. We decided on the more expensive set because it looked cooler:

It is a 13 piece stainless steel set and dishwasher safe.

We also registered for a really nice knife block set, a stainless steel universal steamer, a giant pasta cooker, a fondue set and most exciting of all..... a jigger.

Since we are *hopefully* moving in to a place that has all stainless steel appliances we chose to keep that theme with our registry items.It is so exciting for the things that I have dreamed about owning since I was a little kid shopping in home store with my mom are actually going to be mine.... and I don't have to pay for them!! It's so exciting!

Although we registered for a lot of things... and decided on a bathroom theme, we still haven't decided on both bedding and china. Tomorrow we plan on going to Target and Belk to see what they have to offer in terms of bedding.... but we are unsure about the whole china situation.

We both agree that we will never use the super fine china.... but in terms of the everyday china, we want it to be of high quality and not something that we can just go out and buy. We've been debating on 2 sets..... Lenox Opal Innocence Carved (which we can get at Bed, Bath and Beyond (BB&B) as well as Belk):



or Lenox Vibe (which is only available and BB&B.)




We love both collections and really can't decide! We know that we want to use white so that we can pair it with other pieces that come and go as styles and trends change, but in terms of which we want to use everyday.... we are so unsure. It's such a big deal what china you register for and since it is so expensive I know we can't have both. Price also isn't a huge factor because there is only a $10 difference between the two sets.

We also didn't register for flatware or stemware because of the same reason. These pieces have to match the china so until we decide which china to get we can't chose the flatware or stemware. Who knew that it would be so hard to decide what we wanted to eat off of and drink out of, hopefully we can decide soon.

i just love weddings

Today I was honored to be the Maid of Honor in my friend Deanna's wedding.



The wedding was held on her now husband's parents farm in Greeneville, Tennessee. It was one of the most beautiful outdoor weddings I have ever been to with the breathtaking views of the Appalachian Mountains. It wasn't too hot and the rain held off thank goodness. The reception was held next to the river under a beautiful tent. The bouquets and boutonnieres were made out of sunflowers and there was blue gingham print on the tables. It was absolutely beautiful and perfectly fitting for Deanna and Frankie.

I enjoy being in and at weddings to get ideas for myself and to share in the very special moment for the couple. There is just something about weddings that just brings out the best in people and proves that love really does exist and life can be wonderful.

more and more photographers

i think i should have started this planning a year and a half ago... its not like i wasn't engaged then.

i'm getting very overwhelmed. i feel that I am so far behind in my planning compared to others and scared that it won't turn out right. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to have the wedding that I want without paying more for it. I just keep praying that everything will be okay.

Now on to photography:

So far I have emailed Jonathon Campbell, Camryn Holt Photography, Kristen Steele Photography, Julie Roberts Photography, Eric McCarty and Joe Hendricks Photography. I love all their work they have posted online so I'll first have to eliminate some by cost alone. Then I plan on setting up meetings with 3 or 4 whose cost is good so I can get to see more of their photography and get to know them as people. I've read a lot about how a great photographer treats their client more like a friend than a client and thats what I want. I want them to really capture who we are and the type of pictures I want. Hopefully once we meet with them we'll know and can maybe talk the price down :)

Reception, Pocketfolds, and Photographers... Oh My!

I came home this weekend for my brother's high school graduation





and decided that it was time to start planning. With the wedding 8 months away I need to get on the ball because it will be here before I know it. I'm planning on quitting my job in June so I can come home and spend more time on the wedding but I have a feeling that starting now is what is best. Needless to say I have my work cut out for me.
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This morning I dragged myself out of be at 7:30 to meet with the events coordinator at Boxwood Bistro at 8:15. I was about 5 minutes late....




I was so excited because this place is A-MAZ-ING. It perfectly personifies what I want for my reception and has so much character! She had already met with my mom and discussed preliminary reception plans, but it was my job to ask further questions and discuss cost. Well cost is definitely something that it will be. I found out that ordinarily they charge $10,000 to rent the restaurant out for the night. JUST THE RENTAL FEE AND DECORATIONS... FOOD NOT INCLUDED. Needless to say I was disappointed because $10,000 is our ENTIRE budget. But since we are getting married on a "holiday" that they are not normally open for hopefully the cost will go down considerably, but we'll just have to see. In the meantime I'm going to be scoping out other reception locations that cost considerably less and maybe I can just have Boxwood Bistro cater.


After I got back home, disappointed, I decided to attempt my DIY pocketfolds so that I could order that paper. It actually turned out really well. The first attempt was a complete failure, but the second one was perfect! I was so excited that I actually was able to make something myself and it look good!






Pretty impressive huh? The paper I will be ordering will actually be black, however white was all I had available to purchase from work in small quantities. Now that I know I can make this and it doesn't take that much time I will have to order my paper soon. The invitations don't need to go out until late October, but since I'll be in school then I would like to have the pocketfold part finished before August.


I have also been emailing a bunch of photographers in the area to find out prices and set up meetings in June.. I had no idea that it cost so much to have someone take pictures and create a book for you. I really want something that is all inclusive.... engagement pictures, all day of the wedding, and then an album created for me as well as all the pictures on a dvd. I also would like someone who will do a "trash the dress" thing after and include bridal portraits... all for less than $3500.... I'm not sure this is possible. It is just another expense I didn't realize was so much. We really need to have engagement pictures taken so that we can create and send out the Save the Date magnets. Since we are having a holiday wedding I would like to send them out sooner rather than later... like July 15. Hopefully I can find someone that is good and inexpensive... but we'll see... I'm beginning to think we might have to up the budget.

From the Beginning

I've been enagaged since September 2005, however decided to defer our wedding until we were out of school and a bit older than 18. Now that we are 23 and college graduates we've decided that it is FINALLY time to get married and start our life together. This blog will chronicle the journey of our wedding planning including all the ups and downs (but hopefully more ups) as well as my attempt as a DIY bride.



unfortunately we don't have any pictures of the proposal... but this picture was taken in florida circa 2007