Re-bridals!

A few pics before and when the photog was around... enjoy!

A present from my grandfather - how cute. And fitting since my mother has a Swarovski collection (consequently now I have a mini one!).



Got some delicious personalized Georgetown Cupcakes (from the show DC Cupcake on TLC!)

Our rings

Made some cameos



Going to swap out the ribbon for gold and hang these in my apartment! Those frames are from TJ Maxx (I wanted oval but settled for circle... so hard to find!)

Awesome Etsy buy

Our "our last name is Languasco, let's take a mafia-style family portrait and I'll turn it black and white so when our family finds it in 50 years we look super legit"

The setting - my backyard

Macaroons from a cafe in NYC... oh yum

Wedding Advice: The Music

Planning timeline
I would recommend doing this around 6-8 months before, or at least after the more important items like catering, photography, venue, etc. I embarrassingly did this about 2 months before (maybe less...). I got a little caught up in graduating from college so this took a very big back seat. Definitely do this early if you want live music!

Suggestions
-I used a DJ for all my music. This was a great way for me to cut costs! And when I say cut costs I mean I probably picked one of the cheapest DJs out there. If I had a string quartet, I would be paying at least double and then have 4 people to tip on top of that. While live music would have been nice for the ceremony and cocktail hour, the DJ music worked out fine. That way, I got to walk down the aisle to the exact songs I wanted to hear (trying to give it a silver lining ;). A great way to do live music at a discount is to recruit local college groups if you are near a university.

-You can make all, some, or none of the playlist the DJ plays. Generally, if you choose over 15 songs then you've chosen most of them. I did choose most of my songs but my DJ filled in the gaps wonderfully (although I'm not sure what my thoughts on the CONGO LINE were... haha, learn to roll with what you're given). A good DJ will ask for the age group distribution of your wedding and play selections that everyone will like. You should be able to suggest what songs should be played for what (i.e. I asked for "Single Ladies" during the bouquet toss, "Sweet Caroline" as the last song, Cee-lo's "Forget You" as a pump up the dance floor song). Ultimately you have to decide how important music is to you. It is not that important to me, and I know that my DJ was a little lacking, but it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

-Some DJs do not like to work with wedding coordinators. That is because many DJs will act as the master of ceremonies and will be the main person keeping your schedule on track. Therefore, be prepared to give them your full schedule, with every little detail planned like father's welcoming remarks, blessing, toasts, cake cutting, any shuttle departures, perhaps a groomsmen dance :)

Wedding Advice: Catering

Planning timeline
Catering is a big ticket item, so if you want your first choice then its best to do this early as well. However, larger companies can handle multiple weddings at the same time. I would recommend 10-12 months before (earlier is always better, though, depending how long your engagement is). I had my tasting about 5 months before the wedding and that worked out well. Plus they gave us a sample of our cake to take home... which was a nice surprise.

Suggestions
-Know that this can quite possibly be your largest expense! It certainly was my largest expense. Also! There are so many options. You can have buffet style, plated, family style, or stations. Each has different pros and cons, I found a really great description of those here. I chose plated (3 meal option) because I liked the idea of guests being served and meals with elegant presentations.
-Many caterers nowadays can provide you with the other nececssities you'll need, such as table linens, equipment, and furniture. It was nice to get that all in one place and to lower my total vendor count.

-Don't necessarily think about only what you like. Think about what your guests would like. I really wanted blue cheese on the salad... however, its not always a crowd favorite cheese so we went with another type. That is also why I chose one fun theme-related cake flavor (Lemon Raspberry) and one play-it-safe cake flavor (Grand Marnier Vanilla). Turns out I liked the Grand Marnier Vanilla better, anyways! Use the cocktail hour apps to bring in other meats you may not be using in your main course. I had chicken and salmon main courses (+veg), so my appetizers were beef tatiki, crab cakes, lollipop lambchops, and a mushroom quiche.

-You make your table layout/seating chart with catering. This is a big decision and it can definitely effect the flow of the evening. Do you want a sweetheart table (just you & the hubs), a bridal party only table, or have your maids & groomsmen out mingling? I personally chose to disperse my wedding party as some had significant others and others I felt would like to catch up with other guests, etc. Having the whole bridal party sit together, to me, is not fun for the bridal party. I personally chose to not have my table stand out in any way (except for being near the entrance... a lot of people choose near the dance floor, though) and I sat with my parents, brother, and his parents. This way, it forced us to mingle during the reception and make our rounds to all the tables. *I turned in the seating chart about a week before. It will change a lot! I had a guest drop out an hour before (sweet text message, too) as well as a wedding crasher! So guess it worked out in the end.

Wedding Advice: The Photographer

Planning timeline
This should be one of your first priorities. Photographers tend to book up fast, the best ones a year out. I would recommend anywhere from six-12 months beforehand.

Suggestions
-Find a photographer that you wouldn't mind having at your wedding! An engagement session is a great way to get aquainted with your photographer's style. I did not do this personally so either way you can't go wrong.

-Look at their portfolio and make sure you like their style. Photojournalistic, traditional wedding style... each photographer will put their own spin on the images and again with post-processing. I love attention to detail shots and my photographer takes absolutely beautiful macro images (ex. super up close crystal clear shots of engagement ring) so that is why I chose him.

-Make a list of what package items you want and find a photographer to match them. Do you want the album included in the price, or not? Do you want an engagement session included, or not? What about a photographer that works with an assistant or alone, or one that operates on a time schedule (8 hours max, 7 hours max, unlimited time). I wanted an album included, an engagement session included (we did re-bridals instead later in the summer though), an assistant photographer (for multiple angles!), and an unlimited time allotment. Turns out the time isn't necessarily important; my venue timeline was from 5:30-10:30 so I met up with my photographer at 2:30 so that was only 8 hours anyways!

-Know that most photographers will not release the full collection of high resolution images until 1 year after the wedding (pretty standard). This is because they want you to print through them! It sounds annoying and restrictive -- but understand that their prints will be soooo much better than those you would send to CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart. My photographer also includes 6 8x10 prints in my package which is nice, because then I can send one to 3 sets of grandparents, both our parents, and then keep one (plus order more prints! :).

Registries: What's your style?

Okay, this is me returning from a long hiatus to "finish" my blog - these things are permanent! Kind of like an online diary, so I want it to be complete! :) Here are just a few collages from some of the main "registry" stores... but also check out other places, like Amazon.com, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa.com), or myregistry.com (make your own registry from a bunch of different sites, even Etsy!). My registry was a mix of BBB & Macy's.

Pottery Barn - clean and classic



Williams-Sonoma - Refined and sophisticated

Crate & Barrel - Chic and modern