Rehearsal Dinner

I never posted about the rehearsal dinner! It was FABULOUS. Way to go Mama Languasco. I was beyond floored with the details. There was a poker theme because the rehearsal dinner is all about the groom and Jon loooves poker! Speaking of which, check out this awesome groomsmen cake (often done at rehearsal dinner as not to upstage the wedding cake). It is a poker table and has all the names of the groomsmen - Jon with the winning hand! Jon's mom and I designed this together and it came out fabulous. It was half yellow cake, half chocolate cake, with raspberry. Yum!

Hehe -- look at this cute poker set Jon's mom made us! Each guest got a poker chip as well. "To Have and to Hold 'em!" -- so creative and cute. One of my favorite momentos.

The ladies & I 

The groomsnen (sans Andrew) and Faja Languasco, haha... with a last name like Languasco I should probably consider having a mafia family. This lends some good inspiration. :) 

Bride & Groom

 The night ended with a double rainbow -- we were taking it as a good omen not to receive rain the next day (and it worked!). I swear you could see the end of the rainbow, I almost wanted to go down there and dig for gold ;)

Professional Pictures -- In!!

Yay my pics are in! Now I'm looking through and seeing if there were any specific poses/shots I missed and we will do those during our re-bridals at the end of July! A few favorites...

Sacred Reading

This was the sacred reading we used in our ceremony, read to us by Jon's godfather.

My love, you have searched me and you know me;

You know when I sit and when I stand;

You understand all of my thoughts from afar.

My journey and my rest you study,

With all the ways you are familiar.

You stand before me and behind me

And place your hand within my hand.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

Where can I go from your spirit?

If I go to the heavens, you are there;

If I go to the netherworld, you are there.

If I take the wings of dawn or settle at the furthest ends of the sea,

Even there your love shall find me

And your heart will draw me back.

Psalm 139

Our wedding website

Oh yeah! I forgot to link it here. Our wedding website can be found at...

http://www.caroandjon.com/ !

It'll be up for the next year then I will not renew it. I have put up some guest-taken pictures from the wedding here for the time being. Plus everything else about the wedding as well as Jon and I. I highly recommend creating a wedding website for when you get married. Granted, I should have debuted mine a lot earlier but I like to think it was still a little helpful, as well as a good vehicle to show aunts & uncles pictures who are not on facebook.

Professional Pictures

I just spoke with my photographer today, he said the pictures will be ready next week! Ahh it can't come sooner :)

I think I will just post my favorites on my website (and facebook if I can upload all the rest of my backlog in time!) instead of giving out the password to the uploaded ones on my photogs site... that will be for family only :)

Also, Jon and I just scheduled our "re-bridals" session! I never used my engagment session so Jon and I have a "free" session left. Bridals are when the bride dresses up and takes pictures in her dress before the wedding, so re-bridals are when you do that after. However, I can't not include Jon! I am currently trying to decide on a location -- any good ideas in the DC area? I've also thought about doing shots in the portrait studio, but I think I am leaning towards outside. The venue would have to be very different from Oatlands. I am also having another bouquet and bout made -- this time I will do a colorful one! We'll have to get Jon in a colorful bowtie, as well. I'm thinking of doing something funky for the flowers so stay tuned.

Only a few days after the photoshoot Jon and I will pack up and move to Atlanta. While I am continuing my job search, Jon will help his father with the opening of his family's second restaurant. Jon will love the feeling of being a manager again. Bye bye, Bodos!!

6.18.11: A Day to Remember!

I just wanted to take a second to document my favorite (and not so favorite) parts of the day!

The day started out a little rough; I had initially planned on taking pictures at a room at Lansdowne Resort but Jon and I were not pleased with the quality for the price so we booked a suite for Saturday night at the Ritz instead (note to the gentlemen, who probably don't read this anyways haha: ALWAYS DO THE RITZ!! :). Thus I had to get ready at my house in lieu to stay in the area. Not ideal but the dining room/living room area is pretty so it was okay.

I went to get my hair and make-up done, and for those of you following me on facebook my hairstylist called out on emergency three days before, yikes! So I was given a new person... the "best." Needless to say, I was not very impressed... I actually did not like my hair very much BUT I knew my lovely gay make-up artist would make everything better! Ladies... get your make-up done, its worth it! It might seem like a lot... but its for the photos :)

My Dad forgot the programs and bubbles. That is actually a pretty big deal, but since Mother Nature let the rain hang off I didn't let it get to me. We used the bubbles at the end and then I was able to make my recessional song a surprise which I initially wanted (Clocks by Coldplay - the instrumental strings only version).



Okay... Jon will kill me for saying this but when he teared up (lets be real - cried like a baby ;) during his vows -- that was great! I tried so hard not to tear up. Actually it was pretty easy haha. He said I have no soul... but he says its alright since I decided to change my last name :).

We unanimously agreed that we should have gotten dance lessons... we can't dance.

I was so impressed with the flowers... they were amazing and all I had hoped for & more! Our colors were light pink and raspberry and I had her add a touch of lavender... it really gave the pieces depth and dimension. LOVED them.

My dress petals kept falling off during the reception when they'd get caught under peoples shoes... if you found one its good luck ;)

Both our limo/bus rentals were free upgrades... hello white stretch limo and... stripper pole party bus? Sweet.

Overall it went by without a hitch! In hindsight it would have been nice to have a wedding planner (separate from my catering coordinator who liked to act as one or even separate from the Oatlands wedding consultant) -- someone that always touches base with you throughout all the mayhem! Some of the bridesmaids bouquets were left behind and I would have liked to dry one rather than have it thrown away.

Yes. All the extra flowers went to my house. So pretty. I'm drying my bouquet and Jon's bout for a keepsake as well, yay!

We did it!!

Languasco Family, Est. June 18, 2011

Still waiting on the professional pictures, so excited! I will try to make a few posts in the coming weeks regarding lessons learned and good tips picked up along the way. Also, once I get my professional pictures in, I will make a couple collages and "feature" the wedding and all my vendors, similar to what legit wedding blogs do (see this cool blue & green wedding in Elizabeth Anne Designs).

Apologies for dropping off the face of the earth after March... closing up the conference (which still isn't done, sigh), finishing my thesis & classes, looking for a job (still in the works!), tying loose ends with the wedding, & graduating got the best of me ;)! But now it is all over, like they say it sure does go by quick! So quick it is a little bit hard to savor and enjoy it... but for those of us into photography, it is well worth the pictures. Then I will branch off into a separate blog to start detailing the married life :)

Caroline and Jon Update: Invitations ordered!!

Yes... kind of on the slow side. SWE Conference is this weekend though so after it is over I am freeeee. It also helps that I am capping everything at 120... my guest list after that is give or take final. Still needs a little work, though!

I decided to splurge on invitations, reply cards, invitation envelopes, and reply card envelopes. I am going to use 2-color letterpress for my invitations and reply cards, and 1-color for my envelopes (to print my return address). They are my DREAM ONES!! I love to scrapbook so paper is very important to me. I actually made a pie chart of my expenses (the enginerd in me) so I will update it in the future. After mid-week next week... what will I do with myself now that conference is over?? Oh, yeah... plan my wedding! Finally. Can't wait to think up DIY ideas!

Caroline and Jon Update: 1/8 menu tasting!

This is a bit delayed but figured I would go over it!

On Jon and I's 6 year anniversary we had our first menu tasting. We were able to try all four of our h'orderves, our first course (salad), our main dishes (chicken, salmon), and our two cake flavors (as in different layers are different flavors). Everything tasted delicious, and I think the only amendment we made was changing the cheese on our salad. I know I chose the right caterer -- the presentation was phenomenal -- very interesting use of ingredients... very artsy! And so is the china Jon picked out so it should all come together very nicely. Our menu also has two subtle themes (essences/repeated flavors/?) to it and I believe they were executed tastefully (hah hah, get it?) soooo hopefully they will be obvious and yummy :)

In addition to just being our caterer, the same company provides all of our linens, silverware, chairs (ceremony + reception), cocktail hour tables, misc tables (guestbook, escort, bar, etc.), and even the lounge we are going to have under the tent. It really helps to minimize the number of vendors we have to talk to/deal with. My caterer even had one of her florist friends make us a centerpiece for our tasting. I am probably going to use him as my florist, just because I really don't have time to compare and contrast vendors. As always though -- remember to check and see what people say about your vendors on www.weddingwire.com, its a great resource!

This is the centerpiece the florist made me only knowing I like "pink,"

mine will be fairly different which is why I'll post this.

I will still use some of the same flowers (roses, spray roses) and colors,

although I don't really want much or any white in my arrangements.

Bustles 101

Okay, here goes on catching up on a million posts!

This winter break I had my first fitting. Because the gown was cut to fit me, it was a perfect match. So my two main reasons for going were for (1) I was adding in a sweetheart neckline and (2) I needed to have my dress bustled.

[buhs-uhl]

A pulling up of fabric at the back of a dress where the bodice meets the skirt. Many trains may be bustled so they are out of the way at the reception.

There are many types of bustles to go with, and they can add their own stylistic flair to a dress. Usually the Maid of Honor (MOH) is in charge of helping the bride bustle her dress post-ceremony.

1 point bustle

The most simple and inexpensive. Can be over-bustled (left) or under-bustled (right). This is a very full bustle and should only be used on light fabrics because it is notorious for breaking with heavier fabrics like satin.

Another 1 point under-bustle

3 point bustle

The 3 point bustle spreads out the train more than the 1 point, and is more expensive but better at holding up heavier fabrics (see an overbustle below).

The French Bustle

This is a more complicated bustle, and is great for delicate and heavy fabrics -- a definite wow factor (but not too crazy)! This bustle has anywhere from 2-25 points, making it a bit more pricey. 

The Double and Triple French Bustle

Sometimes known as the "whipped cream" bustle -- for a good reason. Very dramatic and has a victorian charm -- my thoughts exactly on what a bride of Mr. Darcy would wear!

The Ballroom Bustle

This bustle is meant to create the illusion that there is no train to the dress. This tends to be pretty secure and is good for long trains.

The Australian Bustle

This bustle is becoming a new trend, it makes use of a pull and loop system of ribbons similar to window shades.

What about me? Actually, just a 1 point bustle. I hadn't done "bustle" research beforehand and my seamstress offered me 1 point and 3 point. 3 point pulls more fabric up and out for a fuller look, so my dress looked shorter. Having a fit-to-flare style, I have a semi-wide train area, so I didn't want it to look really short and full. I opted for a 1 point to retain a little length on my train (don't step on it! ;). It blends in really nicely, which I liked since I am not the biggest fan of bustles in general. Because of the very decorated nature of the bottom of my dress (that's all I'm going to say, most of my friends have seen it already) it has the effect of a ballroom bustle. I'm happy with it!

Jon Update

Jon has agreed to wear a bow tie!! Yes!

But it will be black :)

He will also be sporting a three piece Hugo Boss tuxedo. He even bought his white shirt. 

Way to go Jon! That's a check off of our list.

...somethin' like that!

6 months and counting...

Gulp! Under the 6 month marker! Things I need to do over break:

-Hire a DJ [hopeless]
-Pick an officiant [hopeless]
-Pick a florist [in the works]
-Pick an invitation set [extra hopeless]
-Select a bridesmaid dress(es) [semi-hopeless]
-Acquire bridemaids gifts [done! :)]
-Finalize catering [almost done]
-Finalize guest list and send out save the dates to family [in the works]
-Try on my dress for fitting [in the works - Dec 27!]

Wondering when I will crack and hire a wedding planner... although I will admit my catering rep is really good for that. She is introducing me to her favorite florist, and considering I have no direction or idea about who is good in the area, that will be fine for me. Often times your vendors will recommend other vendors they have worked with in the past. Often times this is the best place to hear about good options! BUT always double check their suggestions on http://www.weddingwire.com/! This is a great site for reviews by real brides.

My dress is almost ready for fitting!

I just received notice that my veil has arrived in Atlanta and my dress will arrive in next week! For the past four months, it has been hand-crafted just for me; every segment has been hand-cut, pinned, and then stitched together exactly to my dimensions. I am so excited to try on my dress -- one that will actually fit without the need for giant clamps (all gowns in a store come in a "sample size," usually of 8 or 10. They will use clamps if the dress is too small or too big). Eek... I hope I still love it as much as I did over the summer, I always hear stories of people not liking their dress the second time around. I'm not too worried about it, though. Hopefully it won't need many more alterations, because the price for that can ADD UP!

Wedding Jewelry!

Today I bought my wedding jewelry! Because I had decided I didn't want a necklace, I went looking for dangling earrings instead.

Each earring has small diamond chips on two 14K white gold swirls with a 7 mm japanese saltwater pearl on the end. They are exactly what I was looking for -- girlie and sweet but noticeable. Because I will probably have my hair up and teased in the front with a few wisps down (I know every hairstylist will tell me having my hair down for an outdoor wedding in June will be a mistake), I wanted earrings that could stand out and complete my look!

Delta Zeta Parents Formal

Jon & I looking fancy!

Engagement photoshoot... finally!

After practically a year after he popped the question, Jon and I are FINALLY doing our engagement photos on Friday, October 22nd! They will be done in Northern Virginia and I think I have an idea where I want to have them done, but it is a secret for now! ;) BUT the timing should be perfect for the fall leaves!

Caroline & Jon Update: Rings and a Photographer

So last weekend Jon and I bought our wedding bands! Jon has always wanted a simple gold band, and because of my matchy-matchy nature, I went with the same. I am still trying to decide what to have written on the inside. Probably "Love forever - 6.18.2011" ... love forever is engraved on the inside of all the jewelry Jon has given me, so I think we'll continue the trend :) although I might decide to incorporate our initials (if there is room).

We have also chosen a photographer! I have been extremely picky throughout the photographer choosing process, in terms of skill, packages, and price. I am not going to say who I am using -- it's my standard not to give away the fine details of my own wedding :). That is a picture he has taken up top, though! These are the main things I was looking for in a package, and get with my photographer!

• Unlimited time on the wedding day
• Two photographers
• Engagement photoshoot included
• 60 image leather-bound album -- 60 is on the lower side, but it works out fine for me since I am doing a primarily matted album (my next post will be on album styles!)
• CDs with all the negatives (full files) a year after the marriage (pretty standard)
• Six 8 x 10s included

My photographer has great attention to detail, superb editing skills, and his photos have amazing clarity. Look out for my engagement pictures once the leaves get pretty!!! :) :) Any suggestions for cool places in the DC area are welcome!

Other pictures by my photographer:

Catering!

I met with a catering company this past Tuesday, August 17th and I just got my sample menus in today! It's pretty exciting planning what we want to serve to our guests, because it says a lot about our tastes and who we are as a couple. Some pairs choose to do a buffet, some do seated and served. We're doing the latter. Others want a mash patato bar with all the fixins, and mini cheeseburgers as hors d'oeuvres. Jon and I want understated elegance; understated may be a bad word, but we want our day to be very formal, mature, artistic, classy, beautiful, simplistic etc. Luckily it's hard not to fit that description when you're getting married in a garden!

Caroline and Jon: Menu Specifications
This company had me tell them the type of menu we were thinking of, and then they created two for us based on our descriptions listed below!

• The meal needs to be light, not heavy since the reception is outdoors and it will be hot
• I don't want anything too experimental, it should be liked by almost any palette (even though Jon and I love trying new foods!)
• It can't contain anything that Jon is allergic to (high citric acid-containing fruits, avocado)
• It can't contain common allergents (i.e. nuts)
• I want the meal to be of one genre (all american, mediterranean)
• I want three or four hors d'oeuvres, a salad, a chicken main course, and a cake
• The hors d'oeuvres should feature other meats, one vegetarian option
• The salad should use a universally liked dressing
• Cheese should be used minimally
• The hors d'oeuvres should be passed by servers dressed formally, in the different tiers of the gardens
• There should be two open bars, one in the gardens during the cocktail hour (6 - 7 pm), then one under the tent during the reception (7-10:30 pm)
• There will be two signature drinks -- a Mr. and a Mrs. (I think I already know what I'm going to call mine! :)
• The meal should be a seated, plated, served meal

Caroline Wedding Update: Colors and a Dress!

Okay, so I have posted in the past that I chose my colors -- pink and burgundy. It is one thing to pick colors... it is another thing to match them to colors offered by bridal salons! And colors look different online than in person -- beware! I was having trouble finding the exact shades of pink and burgundy that I liked. I then floated in between pinks and purples, finding myself hovering over a deep lapis purple for a while, which I did truly like. But there are less options when it comes to purple flowers and I love pink flowers -- it was a conundrum.

I decided to put that aside and shop for my own dress. I went to a very nice bridal salon (which will remain unnamed) and found so many dresses that I loved. And let me tell you -- not everyone has a "Eureka!" moment. I didn't. With every new dress I would try on, I'd think of how it could shape the theme of the wedding. Do I want something classy and ultra-formal for a nighttime wedding, or something a bit aery-er and light, perfect for a garden wedding? It was a tough choice, but I ended up going with an organza dress and a cathedral veil (longer than I am tall!) so it's perfect for a garden wedding, but it still has the high drama for a nighttime wedding. Plus, its not your typical dress. It's a piece of art and nothing ordinary. You will not see someone in a dress like this again. It's perfect.

Anyways, I am going to get my bridesmaid dresses from the same store I am getting my dress from. Because I kept thinking the pink bridesmaid dresses I was finding were too dark or too "bubblegum-y" (for lack of a better word), I decided to look away from pink. Burgundy, on the other hand, was too drab and dark for summer. That's when it hit me that I needed something that was neither of these colors.

That's how I came to pewter. Yep, gray. What is more boring and drab than gray, right? BUT with a black four tulle rose sash that ties in a bow in the back - the dresses are the epitome of elegance and are very dramatic, and will be against the garden scene with pink and burgundy flowers. I fell in love. The one thing I told myself I wanted to avoid when getting married this young was having a very youthful bright wedding. I want something mature and extremely elegant, and very formal. Not something playful. Something dramatic with flair. I think I have found that!

Since my dress has some elements of flower petals and/or feathers (depends on how you look at it) I think I am going to play up on the soft, romantic, yet rustic garden look... and have maybe some bird motifs and/or antique bird cages to hold flowers, cards, and candles.

Wedding dress shopping!

So I think I may have found THE dress... (FYI not the one above!). It's been Mom, Dad, and friend approved! And let me tell you... you will never see someone wearing a dress like it! No, its not custom made, but its very intricately detailed, a bit over the top (no surprise there), and oh so gorgeous. It's a fit-to-flare style - something I thought would never go with my non-curvalicious body. BUT it actually helped me not look like I am 12! Since it is so crazy I will probably go with a very plain veil with no trim, or a flower in my hair. I am hoping to go to the salon (which shall remain unnamed!) in Atlanta and try it on for the FMIL!