Updates- 2!

Happy New Year, ya'll! I can't believe I'm getting married this year!

Anyhoo, I haven't done a whole lot in the past month for the wedding mainly because I want to book vendors after I attend another bridal show that's closer to where I live. So, I plan to see what they have there, and then start booking people.

The venue: So, we got the price and capacity of the National Guard. The price is pretty reasonable, but the guy said it could realistically hold 200 people, and our guest list is considerably more. But, we now have another option that is less expensive and holds 300 people, so...we shall see how this plays out.

The dress: I made an appointment to purchase the gown near the end of this month {whoo-hoo!}; I'm definitely ready to get that part over with.

The bridal party: I've confirmed all the bridesmaids and the flower girl. Now, I have to figure out the number of hostesses and/or candle lighters. And Chris has to figure out the whole usher thing.

The dreaded guest list: We still haven't finalized the guest list *smh* Well, I kind of forgot to add some people, and they weren't people I could forget {they were family}, and we're still having some issues with cutting it. But, we have to figure it out ASAP because we're supposed to send save-the-dates next month!

Everything else: One of my goals is to spend at least two hours a week on wedding stuff so when August gets here, I won't turn into Bridezilla. And I have been researching ideas for reception decoration and centerpieces.

Well, that's about it for now...Until next time...

We have a venue...

...but we have to put down the deposit first lol!

So, I wrote about the venue we went to look at, the Anderson Arts Center, a couple of months ago. We went to look at it again last week, and the event planner gave us a nice, detailed tour. I really love the place because it's different, there's art everywhere (so we won't have to do a whole lot of decorating), it holds up to 300 people, and we can have the rehearsal dinner there the night before!

A couple of pics (from Renee Burroughs Design):

Now I'm getting excited about planning the wedding! I made another inspiration board on The Knot, I'm planning to start looking for dresses next month, and I'm starting to do research on the decor. We still have to figure out the whole guest list, but that's another post for another day.

Since I'm really getting my butt in gear, I should be posting more often.

Until next time...

The Venue

So I'm excited because we may have found the perfect venue! First, let me give you a little background about the search.

Okay, I live in Hartwell, a small town that doesn't have many options when it comes to wedding/reception venues. Initially, we thought we'd have the wedding at the church we attend and have the reception at the local golf course. I got information about having it there, and there are two prices: For 125 guests, the food, half the ballroom, etc, it was around $2500 {according to my calculations}. But as you know, the guest list is now way more than 125, and it costs $800 just to get the entire room. So...yeah, I don't think that's going to work.

Option two was to have the wedding in Hartwell and the reception in Anderson (where Chris is from). But it's a 30 minute drive, and I don't really feel comfortable asking people to drive to Hartwell for the wedding and then drive 30 more minutes to the reception. And besides, I don't want to ride 30 minutes to the reception either.

Now, I'm hoping {fingers crossed} that we can have the wedding in Anderson at the Anderson Arts Center. I love it because 1) Well, it's in Anderson; 2) It can hold up to 300 guests; 3) It's unique; and 4) It's affordable! I want to have both the wedding and reception there; the events coordinator said it was probably possible, but no one's ever had a wedding there...Anyhoo, I think we're going to have a look at it next week, and hopefully everything will work out...Wish me luck!