Reception Excitement!

I am saving a good many of the reception surprises for when friends and family arrive at the reception, but this one surprise is one I simply could not refrain from sharing! Over the weekend, Justin and I obtained the CUTEST camera EVER! All damask and everything, this camera is... exciting!

It is a plastic Diana camera from Urban Outfitters, and I have to say it has (thus far) made all of my photographical dreams come true. The camera is reminiscent of a style made in the 1960's, uses 120mm film, and has absolutely awesome light leaks (and mistakes) that make the photography look unique and artistic (even if the photographer does not know how to shoot!). 

Not only will you find this gorgeous treasure at the reception site with tons of black and white and color film, you will also find one other Diana (with a flash attachment), a plain Holga, and a Holga with a color flash. (SOOOO EXCITING!) We will also probably have some disposable cameras as well. 

The Search for Accessories

Over the past few months I have searched and searched for the right wedding accessories to go with my dress. If you can recall, my search for a wedding dress took much longer than I wanted or expected. My search for accessories was both much shorter and less time consuming than I initially thought. While it is true that I had been looking for accessories since before I bought my wedding dress, I didn't actually start really searching until this month. Between the ordering of my dress and the alterations, I didn't have a clue what I would be wearing. I knew what it looked like, but I didn't remember it well enough to be able to search knowing what would look good with my dress.

About 3 weeks ago, my parents and I went the mall so that I could register at Macy's for gifts. We snuck a peak in Icing where I found a beautiful pearl necklace with rhinestones. Since I was uncertain as to whether or not I wanted pearls or rhinestones in my jewelry, this was a fantastic find! This was followed by finding the ties for the guys on clearance at Macy's! Yay for saving money!

Then 2 weeks ago my mom and I went out. I was not at all expecting to find anything. I bought the first pair of shoes that came along that sort of fit and looked decent on me. Eh. THEN! I spotted some kids shoes that I knew would be perfect. My mom and I spent a good hour looking for my size. I had almost given up when I spotted the perfect shoes in a kids size 4 (the perfect size for me). I was excited!

We got on a role and found shawls for the bridal party and myself as well.

So... Moral of the story: When you think you won't find anything... think again! Look in unexpected places! Buy things you only kind of like from stores that have awesome return policies. That's when you will find what you are looking for. :)

Showers

Over the weekend, both Justin's family and my family decided to give us wedding showers. We had a lot of fun, but we stayed quite busy the entire weekend. :)

I guess we get to start writing thank you notes for all of the wonderful, thoughtful gifts we were given!

Flowers & Decorations

Justin and I have been all over the place in wedding planning in the last month. Recently the planning has been focused on florals.

We knew we had china to help decorate the table. We also knew we were not planning to pay for a florist to decorate our reception. This is when we started buying bunches and bunches of florals.

I started going floral crazy when I saw what I had (2 cherry blossoms per table), but I had no idea how to arrange them or what to put them in. Luckily, I knew someone who did! Once she helped me decide on how to do the main floral arrangements on the tables, I was able to 1. relax and 2. focus my energy on other decorations.

Y'know... like florals for the dessert table...

and... umm... cute things like awesome hangers for the bridesmaids.

I even got so far as to find (kids size) shoes for me to wear with my wedding dress (Shh... I'm not suppose to tell anyone I have tiny feet!) and a fingerprint tree from someone in the UK! I cannot wait until all my friends and family help to create this wonderful piece of art!

Now... on to programs! Wish me luck! (Oh and I still have to finish music.)

Did I mention the two bridal showers planned for this weekend?

Food

One of the biggest complications for our wedding was the food. Who would have thought? One of the things we waited until the last minute to handle, and we feel like we've done a pretty amazing job.

I talked with a few caterers that wanted anywhere from $18 to $32 a head for the Italian meal I had envisioned for the reception. I was about to give in and settle when one of the caterers that our coordinator suggested contacted me and said she could provide exactly what I wanted for much less. Needless to say I was thrilled yet concerned that the food would not be good. When Justin and I went to meet up with Bleu House Café the food sold itself and we were thoroughly impressed. We immediately booked Maureen and her staff, and we are so excited to serve their Italian at our wedding. :)

Apparently that hasn't been the end of our food "issues". Next we considered drinks. As awesome as Bleu House Café was being, we still wanted to provide our own drinks. We went out searching for glass bottles and we have found sooo many! Sprites, cokes, Izzes, Dr. Peppers... It is really very exciting! We have found much more than we ever expected to find!

Over the weekend we also managed to work out our sweets. We had already ordered cupcakes from Carolyn's Cupcakes in Decatur and discussed the cupcakes with Justin's grandmother, but we finished our lovely dessert bar by ordering candy! I can imagine a number of kids will find themselves quite happy at the reception!

The next big food issues will be decoration the cupcake/dessert table and putting together the hot drink bar. We are so excited with the variety and we so look forward to sharing our amazing finds with our family and friends.

Music

This week I have been working on the music for the wedding (among other things). After talking with the reception site, Justin and I decided to have music put on cds to play during the reception. We are going with a mostly jazz soundtrack with the occasional pop song (or rock song) for the kids and adults that would enjoy that.

Here I have a list of singers/musicians that I have been thinking about using. Feel free to suggest other artists, songs, or your thoughts on music during receptions. Since I am not a DJ, any information provided to me will be helpful and considered during the music selection "phase" of the "getting married process". :)

Jazz
Benny Goodman
Billie Holiday
Bobby Darin
Charlie Parker
Cole Porter
Dave Bruebeck
Dooley Wilson (sang the original "As Time Goes By")
Doris Day
Duke Ellington
Etta James
Ella Fitzgerald
Fats Waller
Frank Sinatra
Fred Astaire
Gene Kelly
Glenn Miller Band
Harry Connick, Jr.
Henri Mancini
Louis Armstrong
Michael Bublé
Miles Davis
Nat King Cole
Ray Charles
Thelonious Monk

Pop Suggestions:
Taio Cruz - Dynamite

What do you think would be awesome to play at a reception? And GO! (Help!?!)