First Wedding Present!

I got my save-the-dates and part of my invitation suite in the mail this week! But even more excitingly, I checked with the post office, and neither will require extra postage!!!!!! That is a present that I can get excited about! So, I went ahead and bought all the stamps (invitations and RSVPs will be forever stamps), and it all came out to only $100.80!

...I remember a time when I would have had trouble spending $100. The wedding perspective has fully kicked in now though, and it feels incredibly cheap.

The hotel details

I reserved a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn downtown. It's a brand new hotel in the building that used to be Miller and Rhodes - it's where Mr. L always went to see THE Santa as a kid.

The "Legendary Santa" who was at Miller and Rhodes for years.

It's also a straight shot down the street from the reception venue, and within walking distance of several great restaurants and bars. So, it should be easy for people to get back, whether they are coming from the reception of or the after party. Perfect.

The rooms are only $99/night. Go here to reserve a room. The discount rate is good as long as you make the reservation by August 5.

Save the date magnets?

Originally, I had in mind that I would do postcard STDs with a business card-sized magnet attached. But then, while working with the stationer, it was easy (and I was happy) to do letterpress STDs that matched the invitations - simple, classy, and in an envelope. And I'm really excited about them. I had completely dropped the idea of including magnets (thinking that they wouldn't really match the new style).

...and then I found marble magnets! (see Mormon Chic, Quidnunc.org, and NotMartha, et al.)
So I did a test run. As it turns out, my graphic design skills are seriously lacking. But here's what I came up with. I'm still not sure if it's worth including with the save-the-dates or not. They are way easy, so that's not a problem, at least. I'm just not sure if they are pretty/cool/neat enough to make it worth including. I guess I have to decide sometime this week, because I should be sending them out by this time next week!

wedding bells at every price point.

I fully intend to stay until the end of our reception. If I put this much time and money and thought into an event, I want to enjoy every moment of it! So I don't see any need for a send-off from the reception (ie. sparklers, rice, etc.).

And I plan to take photos at the church after the ceremony, so no big send-off there either. Just a receiving line and then sneaking off to get down to pictures.

But I do like the idea of guest participation in something. Enter, bells. I'd like to have bells for people to ring as we exit the church. I figure I'll let my immediate family know the plan so that they can start the ringing, just in case other people aren't 100% of when and where to use them. but what kind of bells to hand out?

This is what I had in mind before I started looking. A simple, classic silver bell. Beautiful. Unfortunately, at >$2 each, this looks like a less-viable option unless I can find someone reselling theirs for cheaper. So far, no luck. (Her Wedding Favors, $2.75 each; Open Tip, $2.80 each; Favor Favor, $1.85 each; Amazon, $3.14 each (incl. organza ribbon and printed hang tag))

Then I saw these. Beautiful, classy, and perhaps even easier to ring? And way cheaper. Thank you, Martha. But I'm just not sure that I can get over the fact that they remind me of Christmas. It would be an easy DIY project though - I could feel like I was actually DIYing something for the wedding. (Wedding Bee Classifieds, 150 bells with ribbon and bag for $50; This and That 4 You, 144 plain bells for $28.79; PaperMart, 25 velour bags for $3; PaperMart, 50 yards of 1 1/2inch double-faced satin ribbon for $7.95 (That's $54.74 to DIY 150!))

Then there are these guys. They are ity-bitty, and definitely look cheaper to me. And the cheapest of these come with a card with some sort of kissing poem (that I don't want). But, they are <$1 each, and I'm sure I could remove the cards. And they come in both silver and gold (I'd go with silver). (Oriental Trading Co., 50 for $4.99; Century Novelty, 24 for $8.98; Future Memories, 24 for $10.65 )

I just can't bring myself to commit to the cheap ones. I love the price. I do. Maybe I'm just being snotty. Or maybe, I should run my A.C. Moore (I think I've seen them there), and at least test run the tiny bells and the jingle bells and see if I even like the way they sound - that's what really matters, right?

For the record...

exactly 6 months remaining. Eeep!

Signs!

I found out that I may put signs on the U of R campus to direct people to the chapel. Thank Goodness! I've been on the campus a few times now, and I think it's incredibly confusing. And I'm pretty sure that I got my awful sense of direction from my family, so I feel the need to help them find it however I can.

I'm including directions in the invitations, but I really wanted to make sure that everyone could find it ok, even if they left them at home or had trouble following my detailed directions.

So, obviously that means that I get to shop for signs!

I've only just begun looking at pictures, but I think this is my favorite so far. Of course, the chances of me paying over $40 per sign are pretty slim, but I really think that this is something that I could make (I'm just not sure how much it would cut the price to DIY this). And if I made it myself, I could paint the background navy AND I'd have the option of putting our names on it too. Very tempting.

This is another good bet, and at $25 for six signs (complete with ribbons and balloons), the price really can't be beat. And although it's cardboard, I don't think it looks cheap. But it definitely looks like it will catch people's eyes, which is really the point, right? And as a bonus, I don't have to figure out what to do with a bunch of wooden arrows after the wedding. Oriental Trading to the rescue!

And there are these cute coordinating signs for the reception. I find it all very tempting.

For reals, this time

We have a venue!!!! It's real and almost official!

September 5, 2009 at 6pm, we will wed in Richmond!
The ceremony will be at the University of Richmond Chapel, and the reception will be at The 2300 Club! tada!

Also, while working on that, I found an organist for the ceremony. Elliot Bromlee was recommended by the woman at the chapel, and I totally trust her. We're meeting at the end of next month to decide on music. Yay!

The manager at the 2300 Club has also started doing event flowers in the past few years, and it looks like he does a good job, for what I think is a reasonable price (flower prices are so hard to compare before you have a real quote!). I'm also meeting with him at the end of next month. He has 5 reviews on WeddingWire.com, and they are all glowing recommendations, so I take that as a good sign.

Also, since we aren't going to have tables for people to sit at, I don't have to worry about centerpieces, so I'm hoping that will free up some of the budget and make room for some decorations for the entrance. Since it's in a residential neighborhood, I'd love to make it stand out a little for our guests. I'm imaging some sort of lanterns hanging from shepherd's hooks lining the walkway, and maybe a little something along the fence too. And maybe a wreath for the front door? (That makes me wonder if I can do something to mark the path from the parking lot to the chapel too...)