Alfred Angelo

Some other styles I like, all from http://alfredangelo.com/. Click on "Full Collection".

More Bridesmaid Dresses

Here are some other bridesmaid dresses I like. The website (http://alfredangelo.com/) has a colorizing feature so you can see your dress in the desired color...however the technology is imperfect and some of it looks a little odd. Still, it's pretty close to the color I have in mind (which for this company, is called "Shrimp"--yum!). They're posted in no particular order. Guess which one is my favorite?

The Reception

A few things to note about my personality for those of you who don't know me well yet:

I hate dancing. (I know, I'm an anomaly!)
I'm not a big drinker.
I generally dislike the party scene.

That said, the limitations of the Plummer House suit these elements of my personality rather well. They don't allow dances, bands, or DJs. I realize many of you enjoy dancing but to be perfectly honest, the idea of spending hours getting jiggy on the dance floor makes me want to forego a reception altogether! And the idea of booking a separate venue that allows dancing seems a tad excessive. So I'm really sorry to disappoint anyone, but there will be no dance save for perhaps a casual waltz in the living room (or on the patio after tables are cleared away).

As far as alcohol, I don't care for hard liquor. Especially considering there will be kids around (and welcome), I don't want an abundance of alcohol that's easy to drink in mass quantities. My idea here is to offer wine, champagne, and bottled beer. Most people should be able to find something to their liking--enough variety, but not so much that drink-serving becomes an unnecessary complication. I don't care if the wine is cheap (given my preference for Arbor Mist, I guess you could say I prefer it that way), but I suppose offering a selection for more discerning palettes would be a suitable compromise. Personal feelings aside, we also have cost issues to consider. I would like to keep things tasteful and easy.

I know some of you will find the idea of just a simple dinner rather boring, but to me, it sounds absolutely perfect. I'm not a wild, center-of-attention type who would be comfortable in the middle of a crazy drunken dancing situation. In fact, I would probably flee the premises. I just want a reception with a nice dinner that's elegant but not pretentious, relaxed and low-key but not insanely dull. So...no bar-hopping, no party bus.

I just wanted to get all this out there so that when it comes time to plan more concretely, I wouldn't be springing all this on you!

Bridesmaids

These are some styles I like for the bridesmaids. None of them is precisely what I had in mind, but being made by the same company as my dress could probably save everyone some money. I think tea-length will be the most practical for an August wedding; plus they're darn cute! These are all from http://www.edenbridals.com/bridesmaids-c-29.html. The first three can be found under Cocktail Maids, and the others are under In-Stock. Unfortunately, none of these are pictured in any color even remotely similar to the one I have in mind. But I love the styles!















The blue one is probably the closest to the vision in my head. The great thing about these is that there's so many gorgeous colors (including coral and salmon; I will have to pick up some swatches!). I'm thinking I either want all the bridesmaids to wear identical dresses; or have the maid of honor (Meghan) wear a different one; or have each maid pick her own style, depending what flatters her most. I guess it depends on how many I end up having, which I'm still undecided on.

















I love the idea of matching bridesmaid and flower girl dresses. Some of the Cocktail Maids options have a matching flower girl dress too. These were just a few of my favorites.

The Venue

The Plummer House

David suggested this place and after visiting it once, I was in love. I haven't even seen the inside of the house, or the gardens in bloom, or the lawn manicured. But I absolutely loved the landscaping, the stairs, the terrace, the gardens, the pond...there are just so many beautiful places for photo ops. I will certainly get down there again this summer to take pictures that more accurately depict the beauty of the place (as well as some indoor shots). My reasoning was that pretty much everything I remember about the day will be captured in the pictures, and there are just so many places for really creative shots (which most of you know is right up my alley.) You've probably seen these on Facebook already but figured they might as well all be corraled in the same place.

Here's a link to a PDF version of the brochure: http://www.ci.rochester.mn.us/departments/park/facilities/plummerhouse/pdf/Plummer_House-brochure.pdf

The House
It's beautiful and interesting! What else needs to be said?






Terrace
Sure would like to utilize this somehow, but I'm not sure what's allowed.

Another Terrace View
Doesn't it just look neat?







David's "Turret"

It's actually a water tower, and probably doesn't lend itself well to our wedding purposes. But it's still cool to look at.

Lawn

This is where we're thinking of dong the ceremony. It would be minimally decorated save for the chairs, a Jewish-inspired chuppah, an altar of some kind and perhaps an aisle runner if I can find one that isn't white.

Garden
Such a neat backdrop for wedding portraits!

Another Garden View

So much dimension!

Pond

I'm told this will be cleaner and be covered in water lilies. Let's hope.

Colors

For those of you wondering why on earth I decided on coral pink: Melea looks absolutely gorgeous in coral pink (and let's face it, she'll probably be the center of attention anyway). It may actually be closer to a salmon color, but coral just sounds prettier than salmon. Also, we had some papers at the store that I fell in love with, and thought they would work perfectly for invitations, programs, decor and the like. It's the Scenic Route Sonoma line, and the pink is the exact color I have in mind. With a sage-olive accent, of course, because I'm obsessed with green. Check out: http://www.scenicroutepaper.com/Site3/products_view.aspx?id=36cb4f2b-529b-45e6-b5f9-506e8c03f9a3

The Dress

This one is far and away my favorite dress so far. It's simple, elegant, and only $90 out of my preferred price range. I love it in ivory, and the sash color would match the salmon or coral pink bridesmaids' dresses. Here's the link: http://www.edenbridals.com/1320-p-1141.html