Late Night Snack

On a trip to Arizona to visit my brother and my future sister-in-law (they're now married), I had decided to pick up an issue of The Knot magazine. I'm a member of the Web site but I'd never checked out the mag before. Not only was there a picture of the gown I had my eye on, but I found an ultimate inspiration! Everyone around here serves the "late night snack" at their weddings. We've seen Gene & Jude's hot dogs, McDonald's cheeseburgers, candy bars (as in tables full of colorful candy) and numerous other snacks and treats that make their way to the masses after the sweet table.

We had been wondering what we would do. Should we do cheeseburgers? Should we do hot dogs? There were all kinds of justifications for all kinds of snacks we could entertain our guests' taste buds with. But none fit quite like what I found in the magazine that day. None fit so perfectly as popcorn. Not only my favorite snack, but also a staple of the movie-goer's experience. So what better to top off an event meant to reflect the glitz and glamor of Hollywood than yummy gourmet popcorn for our friends and family.

This is the picture I saw in the magazine that day.

I loved the look of the jars. The different kinds of popcorn inside. The labels dangling from the lids. The scoops, so cute and the bags, so precious. I wanted this exact set up, only in our colors. Well, we can't always get what we want, but sometimes... that's right, we get what we need. Now maybe the powers that be didn't quite understand the purpose of the popcorn, but what we ended up with worked extremely well and we got lots of complements on it. The truth is that apothecary jars like this do not come in a size appropriate for inserting a scoop worthy of collecting popcorn and placing it into a popcorn bag. What we were able to get was a collection of giant tins of popcorn. Each had the words, "Thank You" written on the sides in a purpley-pink color and came with large scoops and tons of cute popcorn bags. The gourmet flavors we ordered from Garret's Popcorn were plain, buttered, cheddar cheese, white cheddar, caramel and pecan praline.
I was so pleased with the turn out of the popcorn table.

The Could-Have-Been Dresses

Now as my bridesmaids know, I bestowed upon them the decision of picking out their own bridesmaids dresses. I did set limits, giving them a choice from fourteen dresses (that's twice as many dress choices as bridesmaids) and they each happened to choose different ones. This here is a little photo collage of what they picked out.
I thought that, now that the wedding is over, I'd post some pictures of some of the other dresses I was considering for all of them to wear. You know, just for fun...
I know these are small, but they're all I could find now that the whole thing is out of date... sorry...

Wedding Web Site

I'm so sad that our Web site is about to expire. I'm in the process of transfering as much of the content over to this blog as I possibly can. It was so fun to put our Web address on our invitations so people could RSVP online and check out all the fun things we love on our site.

I went ahead and took a couple of screen captures of what the site was like (sniffle). It was fun while it lasted!

Visit http://www.ewedding.com/ to get a site like we had. It allows for so much content and guests can even RSVP online. It's a fantastic resource with lots of templates and customization. We loved having our own url to put on our invitations and save the dates, too!

Programs

How do you make 250 gorgeous programs?
125 sheets of shimmery pink paper
1 wonderful friend who is an Art teacher and has an awesome paper cutter
250 dark brown scalloped punches
250 cream scalloped punches
1 "S" stamp
1 pink ink pad
1 bottle of clear embossing powder
1 embosser
5 adhesive tape cartridges
1 very helpful fiancé

We spent hours. HOURS on these. We haven't even started on adding the paper to the inside and binding it. Ouch.

The Ballroom... Linens

Today we met with Janet, Joe's cousin. She's taking care of the flowers for the wedding as well as the linens.

We got to the ballroom and she and Mom were bringing a table out to the center of the dance floor. We threw some linens on the table and set up the centerpiece with a few candles on the table. It was so neat to see what the tables are going to look like. There were two set ups that we ended up having to decide between. I had it in my head that I wanted to have the dark brown table cloths. Janet also brought some light gold colored cloths as well. They were pretty, but I wanted to go with the dark, supper club look. We chose an ivory striped napkin. We'll put our pink programs out on the table and they'll really pop. I'm so excited. Check out the way the table cloth looks with the shimmery curtains on the stage in the background.
This table pictured above is the set up we're going with. The one below is pretty too, but we liked the dark brown better. What do you think?

Hard Working Girls

Mom and I worked hard to get these invitations ready to go in the mail. I spent the whole weekend at her house. Joe is out of town for a show so we had plenty of time. There were several trips to Archivers and I had to leave her with some extra work in the end, but they're looking so good. Better than I could have expected. We ended up finding some great stamps at the store that we decided to use instead of the ones we had bought previously.

The coolest thing was the pair of tweezers Mom got out for me to use when putting the rhinestones on the invitations. They actually have a built in light in them so I can really see what I'm doing. Fabulous!

We proofed our text, printed each page, stamped the invitation, adhered the paper, added rhinestones, stamped the reply envelopes, stuffed the envelopes, wrote out tags, poked holes, cut ribbon and tied tags onto bows.

We printed pictures for the tables today too. Each guest will get a place card that assigns them to a movie star's table. We wanted to do something that went with our vintage Hollywood theme so Joe and I came up with a list of our favorite actors, from Ava Gardner to Humphrey Bogart. We tried to keep it in the 1940's and I'm really happy with how they came out. For instance, my Aunt Marie will get a place card that says she's seated at the Clark Gable Table...

The Elmhurst College Jazz Band

The Elmhurst College Jazz Band has gained international acclaim as a truly outstanding collegiate jazz ensemble. Under the direction of Doug Beach, the band has received outstanding ratings at jazz festivals from many jazz greats including Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Pete Christlieb, Greg Hopkins, Jiggs Whigham, Rob McConnell, and Bob Brookmeyer. The band has toured 17 nations and has twice been honored with invitations from the U.S. State Department to tour Europe. Frequent performances with well-known guest artists are a regular part of the band's schedule. Recent artists have included Bobby Shew, Louie Bellson, Pete Christlieb, Conte Candoli, Diane Schuur, Terry Gibbs, Lee Konitz, Denis DiBlasio, Clark Terry, Chris Vadala, and Frank Mantooth. In addition, the band has commissioned a number of original works from such well-known composers as Bill Holman, Alan Broadbent and Denis DiBlasio. The band also hosts the annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival, a major event that attracts the best jazz bands from around the country and is adjudicated by the greatest names in jazz today. The band has produced numerous recordings, all available on CD.

The Willowbrook Ballroom

From its simple dance hall beginnings, to its rise as one of America's "SWINGINGEST" meccas -- the legendary Willowbrook Ballroom has touched the lives of millions for decades. From the high energy sounds of Count Basie and the oscillating rhythms of Benny Goodman, to the infectious dance tempos of modern-day swing groups like Brian Setzer Orchestra and the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Willowbrook has been 'home' to many a famous band. The Willowbrook Ballroom is a dance ballroom and banquet facility located in Willow Springs, Illinois along Archer Avenue. It was founded in 1921 by John Verderbar and named Oh Henry Park. Today, the ballroom continues to host ballroom dancing events with a live orchestra weekly. The Willowbrook Ballroom has its original 6,000 square-foot "floating" maple dance floor. In 2000 The Willowbrook Ballroom was profiled as one of America's "Glorious, Historic, Legendary, Treasured Ballroom Dance Floors" in Amateur Dancers magazine.

The DJ

After some brainstorming and some heavy candidates, we've decided on a DJ.

At first we weren't sure if we would even hire a DJ. We got the Elmhurst College Jazz Band right away, so that was cool, but we didn't think everyone would appreciate getting down to the standards all night. There was a very brief discussion about an iPod being used and I even had a plan to mix a video to music. Eh, too much work. What we really needed was someone to get on the mic and run the evening. So we decided to hire a DJ.
We got two recommendations. We've discussed the two, contacted them, got our quotes and we've made the decision. Joe has a friend at work, Rex, who has worked with (musically) a guy who goes by Jayfunk. He's a DJ for KISS FM and I actually listened to his mix on my way home from my Mom's house last night. We'll be meeting with him on Sunday, May 4th to discuss song lists and the things we need him to do for the evening. He gave us a very decent quote for what he'll be doing and he even went out to the ballroom to check out their system before giving us a solid number. I thought that was really professional of him to do.
So we should have some awesome music to kick it to while we're out on the dance floor. Rock!

Jay Ejercito
103.5 Kiss Fm Chicago
www.jayfunk.com
773-895-0528

The Dress

I got it! The dress I've been oggling online is mine!

Mom and I went to the salon today for our appointment (which they seemed to have lost but were very pleasant and accommodated me anyway). We were greeted by a lovely woman named Cindy who got right to it. I told her I was there to see a particular style and she showed me to the fitting room. She found the dress pronto and it was on! With my waist cincher firmly in place, she slipped the gown over my head as we discussed the uniqueness of the gown. Next, she slipped on the matching jacket and voila! I looked like a bride! The dress is everything I thought it would be and more. The color is lovely and I think the fit of the dress is perfect for my body type. I've never stood in front of a mirror and felt so lovely.
"I like it," I said shyly, afraid to let my 10,000 watt smile show.
"But do you love it?" Cindy asked.
There it was. I couldn't hold it in anymore. The smile still hasn't come off my face when I think of that dress.
Measurements out of the way, it was on to the veil. The one I ended up choosing is one they handmade at the store, so Cindy specified the measurements of the veil for the designer. She told me it would be made from the same material as the netting on the dress.
I'm sorry I can't add more specifics about the gown, I plan to save it for family only until the wedding. Some things just have to be a surprise.
However, I will say, that upon showing Joe's lifelong friend Avery the pictures of the dress online, he mentioned that it looked like something Vera Ellen would have worn in White Christmas (1954), which is exactly what I thought when I saw it. The song of the same name was my grandparent's wedding song, as they were married in December. Just another tidbit about this wedding that makes it so special to me.

How Pretty

I've decided to start looking at linens. While the ballroom will have some very nice linens, they're not floor length. Maybe I've watched too many wedding shows, but it seems to be a big deal to have floor length linens. So I started researching places to rent from locally and I found M&M Special Events in Carol Stream (they also have a location in Carollton, TX). I started browsing their samples and wow! They have a ton of gorgeous finds!
This was my first favorite.I really like the way the light catches the vines. I think this would be a pretty setup for the linens. It's their mocha vine overlay. I would layer this on top of a chocolate colored solid linen that goes all the way to the floor, just like in the picture. Imagine it with a tall centerpiece with raspberry colored flowers, perfect for fall!
My only hesitation is that I think most people would expect white linens for a wedding. Does it matter if I go with a color? The ballroom itself doesn't have much white in it and I'm afraid that white linens would stand out too much. What do you think? Color or not?

DJ's and Limo's and Hair, Oh My!

While I'm on spring break, I figured I'd make the best of it and get some work done on this wedding!

I've emailed two DJ's about working the wedding, tying everything together. The thing is that we've hired the jazz band, but we're not sure that everyone will know how to dance to them all night. Seeing as music is such a big deal to me and Joe, we decided that hiring a DJ was in order. I've come up with a pretty solid schedule of events that goes as follows:
6-7 PM: Cocktails with the Jazz Band
7:00-7:30 PM: Party Introductions w/DJ & Uncle Jay, Grace, Speeches & Cake Cutting while Jazz Band switches over
7:30-8:15 PM: Dinner with a small jazz combo
8:15-9:30 PM: Dancing with the Jazz Band
9:30-11:30 PM: Dancing with the DJ

This way, we'll have the bluesy, jazzy feel of vintage Hollywood for a while before getting down to "California Love" and "Panama" the rest of the night. The EC Jazz band is especially great because of all the standards they do.

So we'll just wait to find out what the DJ's say. Once we get our quotes I'll be sure to update!

I've also been researching limo companies for just the right transportation. I think we'll probably be going with two separate companies.
I love the idea of exiting the church and hopping into a vintage automobile that evokes the feel of the wedding. Going with a '57 chevy or something similar would be ideal for me, but not too wedding-like, so I've decided that going with something more like a 1939 Packard or a Rolls Royce might be nice. There's a local company that also has Bentleys, so there's that to think about too. However, I'd still need to find a way to transport the wedding party to the picture spot(s?) and then to the ballroom, so I'm thinking some kind of large limo for that. The bigger, the better, I say. That way we'll be able to accomodate our flower girls, ring-bearer and at least a parent of theirs as well.

Finally, I've been looking into a special beauty day at the salon for me and the girls the day of the wedding. So far so good. I called Tigerlilie in Lincoln Square. They have the day open and I put my name down to book the appointments. It can always be changed if we decide to do something else. Their wedding package is fabulous. They accommodate the entire party in their salon and offer mimosas, fruit and pastries while we get our hair done, makeup and even mini-manicures. I'll probably splurge on a limo to take us to and from the salon as well. It's in the city and I'd hate to have everyone split up for that. Plus, it will be fun to relax and have fun with my bridesmaids while we get primped for the wedding. Has anyone else done this for their wedding? I'm not sure if it will be too hectic, but with all the girls and myself living all over Chicagoland and even two out of state, I really think it will be a nice gathering point before the wedding.

Things are starting to come together more. I just wish my mom had spring break this week too so we could be doing all this planning together. I just get so motivated I want to check things off my never-ending list of things to do!
Soon enough.

I announced our wedding on my MySpace blog this weekend. I've been getting sweet messages from friends about it, which is so nice. Joe and I are so lucky to have such great friends!