Our Engagement Photos

We are so stoked to have found such an amazing photographer. We really enjoyed spending the morning in Napa, CA at Domaine Chandone with Kristy Huston and her fiance Ted. My fiance and I haven't had professional photos taken together before, and Kristy gave us plenty of direction, which made the process much easier. I feel like I learned a lot, and will now be more comfortable for the wedding photos too.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

All photos taken by Kristy Huston Photography

I FOUND MY DRESS!!!

That is all. ;)

Engagement Photos

So, we have scheduled our engagement photo session for mid-February with Kristy Huston. I am excited to finally take our photos. At first, I wasn't sure we needed to do engagement photos since we'll have wedding shots that will most likely take center stage in the photo album and around our house, however, Kristy mentioned that an engagement session is a great opportunity for the bride and groom to get comfortable with the photographer and the being photographed. Plus, my fiance and I have never had photographs taken professionally, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to have some done that aren't all decked out in wedding garb. During our first meeting with Kristy, we told her about our love of wine, and she was totally on board with going to Napa to do our photo shoot. After a little research, I found a great location in Napa for the photo shoot. It is Domaine Chandon. Check out these amazing engagament photos that I found that were taken at Domaine Chandon:

 

Photos taken by Jerry Yoon @ Jerry Yoon Photography

Our Honeymoon

We have made the final decision on our honeymoon! We considered Maui, as I have never been to Hawaii, but decided against it because my fiance has been to Kauai and we thought that Hawaii for a honeymoon was a little cliche. After that I decided that I wanted to do something all inclusive. That way we didn't have to worry about cooking or cleaning up after ourselves, something I do on a daily basis and definitely don't want to do on our honeymoon! However, we found that most all inclusive resorts are in Mexico. We have already been to Mexico so many times, we just didn't want to go again. So, after much thought we decided on *drum roll please*...a 10 day cruise to Alaska!!! While we aren't really "cruise" people, we have always wanted to go on the Alaskan cruise. We have talked to several people who have done this cruise and they all said it was one of the most awesome vacations, a once in a lifetime kind of trip. I also spoke with some avid cruises and they both said that Princess cruise lines are the best they have cruised with. I also liked Princess because they don't require you to dine at specific times, and you don't have to sit with people you don't know. So, we booked a 10 day out of San Francisco...so excited!

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I am so very excited for 2010!!! Menu tastings, bridal shows, wedding planning, bridal shower, bachelorette party, our wedding, and honeymoon...what a fantastic year to come!

 

Flower Power

I just love flowers! They bring a sense of life to any room. While these bouquets and arrangements below may not all fit the theme of our wedding, I think they are absolutely beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bottom Line

Let's face it...weddings are expensive. With that said I found a great article at www.theknot.com on ways to save money on your wedding. Check out these helpful tips:

Reception

1. Cut the guest list. This will slash your catering costs and save on invitations and even the number of centerpieces.

2. Think off-peak season and save thousands!

3. Hold your ceremony and reception in one spot -- it will cut travel time for vendors you pay by the hour.

4. Skip the Saturday wedding.

5. Have bigger tables so you need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths.

6. Shop the off-season for extra decor -- get modern black vases on sale after Halloween and pretty pink ones after Valentine's Day.

Flowers

7. Use more greenery than flowers.

8. Swap out costly flowers -- did you know peonies can be five times more expensive than roses?

9. Stick to just one or two kinds of flowers.

10. Buy flowers that are in season.

11. Include non-florals, like lanterns.

Food & Drink

12. Serve entree duets.

13. Skip the main course -- apps and drinks are fine too.

14. Offer beer, wine, and a signature cocktail instead of a full bar.

15. Serve comfort foods like barbecue chicken, mac and cheese, and corn. It's fun and often cheaper.

16. Skip the champagne toast.

Cakes

17. Order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement cake with a larger sheet cake (hidden back in the kitchen).

18. Keep the add-ons simple.

19. Use fresh flowers, not sugar ones.

20. Reuse ceremony flowers for the cake table.

21. Skip exotic fillings like guava and mango.

Stationery & Favors

22. Get single-page invites to save on postage.

23. Give out one favor per couple.

24. Make your cake the favors.

25. Have favors double as escort cards.

26. Email your save-the-dates.

27. Make your own menu cards, escort cards, and other stationary.

Photo, Video & Music

28. Have a photographer you love but can't afford the prices? Ask them if they have an associate shooter who will do your wedding for less.

29. Opt for a smaller band.

30. Hire a band or DJ who can do both the ceremony and the reception.