We know that Brides have a lot going on and want to be as productive as possible in there wedding planning, our current brides are in the thick of their wedding planning and are each inching closer to their Wedding, every day! They are full of insight and wisdom that would love to share with you!!
We would like to introduce our first Bride and Groom featured, Alyssa and Brian, they are planning a beautiful vintage themed wedding at Casa Feliz in Winter Park. As a couple they have chosen bright colors for their wedding - Turquoise, Hot Pink, Tangerine and Lime Green!! They are expecting about 100 guests and are looking forward to dancing the night away!! They have selected some fantastic vendors and we are so excited to be a part of planning their special day!
When did you get engaged? May 22, 2009
When is the Big Day? April 2, 2010
Who are the Wedding Vendors you have already decided to hire?
Photographer – Fat Catz Photography, the first vendor we decided on. We found them online by chance and loved their playful style. We didn’t even both meeting other photographers.
Florist – Lee Forrest, he’s equal parts hysterical and meticulous. He gets what I like and what I want to see at the wedding, and isn’t afraid to tell me if something I think I want will look dumb.
Cake – Belladonna Cakes and Confections. There was no question that her cakes were the best tasting out of any we tried. She also had a lot of great ideas and listened really well, and picked up on little quirks in our interests to incorporate into the cake design and make it really personal.
Gelato – Penguin’s Paradise. Friendly people, really interested in making the wedding special, great gelato.
Caterer- Arthur’s Catering. The only caterer that Casa Feliz works with, so it was a no-brainer.
DJ – Jay Edwards (Liquid Entertainment). Also an easy pick. Great personality, I was instantly at ease with him even over the phone, and all of the girls on The Knot who’ve used him loved him.
Lighting – Tagas. We wanted market lights over the courtyard at our venue, and they’re the only people who would do it without a lot of pricey extras.
Seamstress – Jeanine. She’s outstanding. She works from her home so she doesn’t have the overhead cost of the bridal shoppes or storefront seamstresses, and she really knows what she’s doing. She is also not afraid to tell me if something I think I want won’t work, because she’s there to make the dress look right, not to sell me whatever she can.
Tuxes – Men’s Wearhouse. No particular reason for choosing them, other than needing a store with national locations; it was just the first place we walked into.
Makeup – Studio Cara. Another Knottie recommended them to me and they’ve been fabulous. They’ve helped me find a hairstylist since theirs was unavailable, and no one has ever made my skin look that good.
Hair – Stella Luca. To be honest, I didn’t really shop around for hair or makeup. I just took the Knottie’s recs and decided which I felt would be worth paying twice (you pay full-price for your hair/makeup trials, girls). I like this salon because the gal was excited to play around with the styles I wanted and was very flexible.
What is your venue and why did you choose it?
Casa Feliz has incredible old-world charm and character, but it’s not so stuffy that we couldn’t have lively, fun décor and make it feel like us. I was adamant that I wanted to get married in a garden, and we both wanted to have the ceremony and reception at the same place. And I just love old, Spanish buildings.
What is your wedding theme going to be? What inspired it?
I guess you could call it ‘What’s old is new!’ There are a lot of bright, modern, sassy colors and florals, but all of that is paired with an Old Hollywood/vintage glam. The Old Hollywood glam-factor was directly influenced by my gown – there’s just no other way to describe it. I love bright colors as well, so they got mixed in, and voilà.
What are you most excited about for your wedding day?
Not having to plan anything anymore! No no, I’m kidding, the best part will be all of the love in the air and having all of the people with us who’ve played a role in bringing us to where we are today, and celebrating becoming a family. Getting to show off my great gown and our mad dance-skills will be a perk, too.
Are you keeping a wedding blog while you plan? Why is this helpful?
Yes, I’m keeping a blog, but I’m not sure it’s all that helpful to me. Mine is more a Guest-Information Center, and the blog is a side-thing.
Is there anything you are nervous about for your wedding day?
Actually, I’m worried the dance floor will be slick and I’ll fall on my butt! Gotta start scuffing up those shoes!
Where are you planning to go for your honeymoon?
New Zealand!!!
What are some of your favorite wedding planning tools (websites, blogs, books, etc)?
The Knot is the biggest help. Next, picking the brains of my fabulous coordinator, florist, and cousin (also my matron of honor). Lastly, there are one or two blogs that I read from time to time. My favorite is The Broke-Ass Bride.
Is your husband-to-be helping with the planning? What are his jobs?
He IS! He helped pick the venue and the florist (because I couldn’t choose one!), and then after that he was mostly in charge of Project Honeymoon. He also reconstructed our invitations (design and everything) almost single-handedly in one night after a snafu with the original ones. Incredible. Just about everything we do is a team effort, so he’s had input on everything along the way, but those have been his largest contributions to date.
What is your best advice to brides who are currently planning their weddings?
#1 - Get a coordinator. If you don’t have room in your budget, find someone to be in charge for you that isn’t you, your fiancé, your parents, or anyone in the wedding party.
#2 – Keep a level head. People get strange and crazy when a wedding is involved and get upset about things that wouldn’t matter at any other time in life. (Not just the brides, but family, wedding party… Drama Central.) Yes, some wedding things should be perfect and do deserve anal-retentive attention, but some things really don’t, even if it is your wedding. Before you get into the thick of things, make a list of your priority items and your minor-detail items so you can remind yourself not to get worked up over napkins when the photography is what’s most important to you.
#3 – Find a wedding-community in your area. The Knot chat boards have been great for me, but it’s not for everyone. The nice thing about the chat boards is that you can read over the things that other brides obsess over and why, decide whether that should be important to you, and remind yourself later so you don’t find yourself stressing about little things.
#4 – Roll with it. There’s no such thing as a perfect wedding. Perfect for you, yes. No glitches whatsoever? Yeah right. Realize early that they will happen, think about how you would like to handle it if any one of the possible glitches did happen to you, and tuck that in the back of your mind. This will help prevent the title “Bridezilla” and make your day (and the planning process) much happier memories.
Are you planning to see each other before the ceremony? Why or why not?
Yes. At first I didn’t think I wanted him to see me before the ceremony, but then I saw another bride’s ‘First Glance” photos and the emotion captured on the groom’s face was tear-jerking. I want that moment to be personal and completely natural so that we don’t feel like we have to put on the ‘right’ face for the crowd.
What are three words that describe how you feel right now?
In general? Overworked, sleepy, and sick! LOL
In regard to the wedding – Busy, thrilled, ready!
