Engaging Outfits

About a month before our engagement shoot, we still don't know what to wear. We were hoping to use the pictures for a few different DIY projects related to the wedding, so the one thing we knew for sure is the color of our outfits. We wanted to stick with our white and navy color scheme to coordinate with the wedding.

My dream dress for the downtown pictures was the navy Betsey Dress from Lilly Pulitzer's Spring 2009 collection.

Another option was J.Crew's Pique V-Neck Ruffle Dress. I love it in Navy! It is cheaper than my dream Lilly dress, so I was leaning more towards the J. Crew option.
We were hoping for variety, so we each wanted 3-4 outfits. We came up with a plan for each outfit/area.

Downtown Shots: Something a little more sophisticated/classy, maybe a Navy Cocktail length dress
Beach: Something flowy, that will look pretty against the ocean, either a Maxi dress or white knee length dress
Campus/Cliffwalk: Something more casual, jeans, flats and a navy or white plain top
Beach or Campus addition: Jeans with sweatshirts from our alma mater! We want to include our love for Salve! We are already doing campus shots, but when we first met I lived in hoodies, so I think it will be fun to have a few pro shots with our alma mater hoodies.

How did you decide what to wear on your engagement shoot? Any great tips out there?

Booking the Church

I booked the church without ever actually stepping foot inside. A little out of character for me. I typically research up a storm on everything wedding related. The weekend after making it official, I just had to go and see it. Partially to ease my mind, so I'd have no worries. So, the following Sunday after booking, I had two of my bridesmaids come on a mini road trip to Newport..... to go to church.

I had seen bridesmaid 1, the week before and told her about it. The other bridesmaid, I sent a text asking if she wanted to go to Newport, she of course said yes. The night before leaving, I sent them both a text saying mass will be at 10:30, let's leave by 8:45. bridesmaid 2, sent a text back so confused... "mass?" Whooops! Forgot to give that detail. Luckily once I explained, she was happy to go. So the three of us headed to Newport, RI to attend Sunday mass. We figured it couldn't be more than an hour and we'd meet up with another friend in town.

Well, it seemed to have slipped my mind that we were going on Palm Sunday. As Catholics may know, this means there are more rituals during the mass, which means more time. So we sat through a lovely mass, which happend to be longer than expected. This makes me love my bridesmaids even more, they come to mass with me during the planning, not just the "fun" stuff, but the stuff that is really important to me.

We left mass and all agreed it was beautiful. The three of us went to the same Catholic school growing up and have pretty much attended the same church all of our lives. This church has a different set up than ours at home, but we all really liked it. There are multiple lights over the alter that give a beautiful glow. There are multiple aisles, which gives more access to each row, and more front row seats!

Mr. Newport asked me to take a picture, but I really didn't think it was appropriate to take photos during mass on Palm Sunday. So I did a little google search. Faith Dugan, from Rhode Island has a few amazing shots on her blog.

The church is very simple, but I think simplicity can be beautiful. I am so in love with our church! I can't wait to say I do to Mr. Newport. I sat through the mass amazed that this is where we were going to become husband and wife!

Have you had a momemt like this yet? Where you are overwhelmed by the significance of an element in planning that makes it seem so real?

Etsy Finds

I am a huge Etsy fan. I have never actually made a purchase, but I am pretty sure that will change over the course of wedding planning. One of my most recent finds is seller CaptureCapeMay. I am in love with their work!

We are going for classic New England - romantic beach elegance vibe for the wedding... that's a mouthful! I saw Capture Cape May's stationery and think it fits the theme! We really want to do photo or magnet save the dates, but I think these would perfectly set the tone for our wedding:

Such a cute Save The Date idea!

I also love the thank you notes, I love DIY, but these are so cute! They could be for guests, parents, readers, or the weddign party!
Another bridesmaid option:
A gift for the bride or groom.....
Notes for the bridesmaids as part of a thank you gift....
So many options! Do you have a favorite seller on Etsy?

DJ Experience - Part 2

We had a great expereince on our first DJ meeting, the second one.....not so much. We drove to RI for the meeting and about 5 minutes in, we knew he was not the one.

He started the interview by asking what we are looking for, which kind of threw us off. We like to hear their style before saying what we are looking for because we fear they will just say what they think we want them to hear. So we gave a brief description on what we are looking for- lots of dancing and fun. Pretty basic. I explained we went to a wedding this past year, where they had guests dancing from right after the bride and groom's first dance through the end of the night, in a way that didn't interrupt dinner. He spoke about how this could be hard because of interrupting dinner, which we have seen it work and spoke to our first DJ about and he spoke about the flow of the evening and how to best incorporate dancing throughout the evening. Then he started talking...a lot.

We were there for about 2 hours and we hardly said a word. We did say that we did not want to do a garter toss or a chicken dance, not that there is anything wrong with that....it's just not us. Instead of leaving it at that, he explaiend different ways he worked these into weddings in more unique ways, and explaiend them for about 15 minutes. He also spoke for a long time about anniversary dances, which we don't plan on doing. He spent a lot of time speaking of things we didn't want, which he would have known if he just asked. I felt like I couldn't interrupt him and say we don't want that, because I didn't want to be rude.

We asked a few questions, but not many. We knew we didn't want to use him early in, he was a little outdated and just didn't get what we were looking for. I didn't want to be rude, so we asked a few questions, but we got to the point where we were afraid to ask questions, ebcause we didn't want to prolong the meeting and get stuck there longer. We didn't want to waste his time.

I honestly have enjoyed every other vendor metting we have been on, other than our first videographer appointment, which was a little akward since I wasn't prepared. Even that one was enjoyable compared to this. By the end of this meeting my eyes were burning and I had a headache. Even when we thought we were done, he tried selling us other services including videography, which we told him we already have.

One thing our first DJ warned us about was DJ's who spend a lot of time talking about their sound systems. Most people don't know what is good or bad and this goes over their heads. Well, when we talked to DJ #2, he spent plenty of time on the equipment, like little detaisl about how the equipment is made and how it can break and on and on...I literally zoned out for awhile, I just couldn;t comprehend what he was speaking about. I left feeling really bad for bringing Mr. Newport and my Mom to this meeting, and I felt bad for wasting the DJ's time. We have no interest, but I always feel rude saying so. I know I have to send him an e-mail saying we are not interested, which I will do soon.

Has anyone else had a really bad vendor meeting? How did you handle it? Do you have any suggestions on how to cut down the time on a meeting without being rude?

DJ Experience - Part 1

Wednesday, we met with the first DJ., Victor from Party Time. We were refered to him through David Bibeault, our wedding photographer. We had a great experience.

First off, we showed up really early due to my poor planning and waited in the car for about 15 minutes, since we had a late appointment and he was coming from his house back to the office to accomodate us. Well, sitting in the car for that time threw Mr. Newport off and when Victor showed up, Mr. Newport got out of the car and locked in the keys! Typical Mr. Newport, but I still love him.

So not a great start to the meeting, but Victor instantly turned it around, within 5 minutes, he had someone there and got the keys out of the car for us. Then the real meeting began. He started off by explaining that he would do a lot of talking, but assured me he wouldn't talk this much on the wedding day, if we choose to book. He saw my list and told me he would probably answer most of the questions on my three page list before I even ask.

He was right. He was so comprehensive and went over every detail you would need to know prior to booking a vendor. I was impressed. I am super detail oriented and appreciate that characteristic in others, especially others who may be working on my wedding.

He told us of past experiences and ways he has personalized weddings for others and as he spoke of one wedding, I literally had chills. This is the kind of guy you want representing you on your first day as an official family. I really would have loved to book him on the spot, but he is the highest in our price range, so I am forcing myself to look at others, although I think he'd be worth every penny.

We actually went in hoping we wouldn't like him as much because the others are little less and thought it would save some money. I'm pretty sure this won't be the case. We have three meetings to go and he has set the bar really high. I'm interested to see how the others compare.

Was anyone else really wowed by a wedding vendor during a meeting? What made him/her stand out above the rest?

Honeymoon Possibility 2

Awhile into our engagement, Mr. Newport's aunt had offered her tiem share in Disney World for our honeymoon. It was perfect because she has it in October, right after our wedding.

Growing up, I always thought I would honeymoon in Disney World. My parents took me there for the first time at three years old. It was magical. And somehow, after all these years...it still is. I'm not sure the first time I saw them, but at one point I saw a couple with the Mickey and Minnie wedding ears and I remember thinking, that is going to be me one day.
Well, here we are on our Spring Break trip in 2007, I was sure he was going to propose, but it didn't happen. We ended up still having one of the best trips ever.

I think most people think kids when they think Disney, but I have grown to appreciate it more and more each time I go. It was magical at three because I thought all the characters were real. As a child, it's one big fantasy coming alive right in front of you.

As an adult, it brings back those happy childhood memories (even if you didn't go as a child). You get to be a kid again. I somehow feel pure happiness, everytime I walk through the gates of the Magic Kingdom. Who wouldn't want pure happiness on their honeymoon?

One of the fun things about Disney is their wish to make you have a "magical day". They do everything possible to make your stay better. Both times we have gone, it has been on our dating anniversary in March. When the hotel found out it was our anniversary, we were given an anniversary button by the concierge, and told to wear it everywhere for special perks.

Well on the day of our anniversary, we came back from the parks mid-day to an anniversary balloon and a card from Mickey and Minnie themselves, and yes, this made me very excited as a full grown adult.

When we went out to dinner at Tony's Town Square in the Magic Kingdom, we arrived at our table to Mickey confetti and streamers, when our dessert came we had a splendid rendition of Bella Notte from many restaraunt goers and staff. Mr. Newport was horrified and I soaked it all in. I love the special touches Disney provides to make your special day that much more special. There are also many opportunities to provide a special night for yourselves in a more private way.

We stayed at the Polynesian for our second trip together. It is a little smaller than the other hotels, which makes it more intimate. We spent a couple nights on the Polynesian's beach by ourselves overlooking the Magic Kingdom.

We found our own little spot and claimed it as ours each night. A little hammock out of the way from the rest of the hotel stayers. We sat in the dark, looking at the stars, until we noticed the water parade! I saw it as a kid and forgot all about it, until one night while we were star gazing and happend to be in the right place at the right time.

Laying on the hammock, we watched as the water parade strolled by and then stayed on to watch the fireworks. The Polynesian has a great view of the Magic Kingdom's firework shows, virtually unobstructed.

Mr. Newport gave the show a thumbs up!

We have been there two times together and they were both amazing trips filled with fun, entertainment and really great food.

Unfortunately, Mr. Newport will not have accrued enough time at work for us to take a honemyoon the month of our wedding, so we had to decline his aunt's generous gift.

Have you ever been to Disney? What is your favorite Disney memory?

"That's right. I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!"

I may not be crazy about Tiffany's, but my sister is. Her fiance bought her engagement ring from Tiffany's and randomly surprises her with jewlery from there for no reason. Lucky girl! So I think it is fitting that her wedding shower will be inspired by the one and only Holly Golightly. That's right....we are doing a Breakfast at Tiffanys theme.

Like my engagment party, the party theme started with one object- A cake (mine was a cupcake). Sister Newport found a cake in the shape of a Tiffany's box. She is a pretty laid back bride and tells us to do whatever, in every aspect of the wedding, but she told me she really wanted this at the shower. As soon as I saw it a lightbulb went off.

Images both from Cake Girls

Martha Stewart and the Today show threw a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed wedding and featured it in the Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. I went through my magazine stack and found it! I showed it to my mom and ideas started spinning. Don't you just love Martha?

Inspiration from Martha:

I love this idea for shower game prizes!

My sister knows nothing about the shower, but I told her it is going to amazing, so she is having her wedding photographers come to the shower to take some pictures! This works out perfectly because we are setting up a photo booth area with props from the movie, another Martha idea! I've already started picking items up at the bulk jewlery places in Manhattan, NY. They are great for cheap jewlery, especially the places near Macy's!

Here are some examples from the photo area at the Martha Stewart Tiffany's wedding:
How fun are tehse shots? I can't wait to see how our guest shots come out! We are totally going to do black and white film for these!
I'd really love to find the mask from the movie!

I'm trying to come up with fun invitations. I'm debating between using Audrey Hepburn on the invite or a Tiffany's box with movie inspired quotes.

Quotes for inspiration from Breakfast at Tiffany's

"I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's."

"That's right. I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!"

"Did I tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am?"

The Details

Location: Upscale hotel in downtown Boston

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Invites: TBD

Guestlist: About 50 women and the groom

Menu: Breakfast items, mimosas and cake

Decor: Gold linens, flower centerpieces-pink and white, movie posters

Entertainment: Classical music and a dress up photo area.....games are still in the works...ideas?

Game prizes: Breakfast at Tiffany's DVD and considering other items from the Martha example

Favors: Personalized m&m's in mini "Tiffany" style boxes

Anyone else do a Tiffany themed shower? What did you do for decor?

Anyone have any thoughts on invites, decor, shower games?