Officiant: Justice of the Peace Mary Riley from Woodstock, VT
”A+” Mary did a wonderful job at guiding us as we customized our ceremony. She had a lot of great ideas to add as well. She’s a very sweet woman and is will travel all over. She’s also extremely inexpensive!

Dress: Watters 2309B purchased at RK Bridal in NYC
”B” They only get a B because the seamstress was a nightmare. She just would not listen. I ultimately had to get the manager involved, but everything worked out in the end. They have a great selection, good prices, and fast delivery.

DH’s Suit: Men’s Warehouse in Manhattan
”A-“ Courtney helped the two of us, who are clueless when it comes to men’s formalwear, pick a very nice outfit for the wedding. They really know what goes well together and are not snobby or condescending at all. The only problem was that the tailor neglected to shorten DH’s shirt sleeves and he had to fold up the cuffs so they weren’t sticking four inches out of the jacket sleeves.

Flowers: Gayle Morabito of Coger Sugarhouse Gardens in North Springfield, VT
”B+” Gayle is very talented, but she lacks communication skills. I had a lot of issues dealing with her via e-mail because we could not travel up to see her. She was at times unresponsive and we never even got to see any trial centerpieces or anything. I had to go on trust alone, which can be rather nerve racking. Ultimately, the flowers and decorations were beautiful, but some things, like my bouquet wrap, seemed hastily put together. Also, some of the colors and flowers were not what we had discussed. If you don’t mind giving your florist a lot of creative freedom (aka not a control freak like I can be) I recommend her highly.

Invitations: www.whiteaisle.com
”A” Loved my invitations! Rebecca is a real pleasure to work with. She has a lot of patience and is extremely professional. Decent price for a great product.

Hair/Makeup: Talia of Michelle Joyce Salon in Manchester, New Hampshire
”A+++” I cannot rave enough about Talia. She is such a fun person to have around on the morning of the wedding and my hair and makeup turned out better than I thought possible! She’s a diamond in the rough! Travelled quite a distance and was on time, too!

Musicians: Fred Haas and group
“A” The only reason why I didn’t give them an A+ is because I had asked for acoustic guitar only for the ceremony and instead I got a soprano sax and acoustic guitar. It really didn’t make a difference, but it was strange that he seemed to neglect my request. A five or so piece band played old jazz standards for the cocktail hour and reception and they were outstanding. We don’t dance, but some people got out on the floor and had a good time. It was great background music.

Cake: Marie-France Eloi of Cuisine Lucette
”A+++” The cake was breathtakingly gorgeous and delicious! Marie-France bakes out of her home and if she was working in Manhattan she could charge three times the amount that she does. The cake was based on a Martha Stewart cake, but in my opinion ours was better! The cake tasting was a blast and we could not be happier with the finished product.

Photographer: Daria Bishop Photography in Williston, VT
”A+++++” Okay, I know I went a little crazy with the pluses there, but seriously, Daria earned them. She is the sweetest woman I have ever met and I am not just saying that. The pictures speak for themselves- they are simply stunning. She has immense talent, is so much fun to have around, her husband/assistant is a doll, and she is the most professional vendor I worked with. Enough said. She’s since raised her prices, but I still think she’s worth every penny. Hire her!!!

Planning Bio
THE GEEK THAT I LOVE

THE RING

It's prettier in person

THE DRESS

Watters Style 2039. This is an ad from Modern Bride

And this is me at my try-on!

My Final Fitting! It fits like a glove! You can see where I covered up my monster bruise with makeup.

THE VENUE The Inn at Weathersfield The ceremony will be held in the outdoor "amphitheater". The pics really do not do it justice...it's GORGEOUS. I want to decorate the "stage" with lots of potted shrubs and lanterns and the aisle to have lanters hanging from shepherds hooks. INVITATIONS FLOWERS I love Ranunculus so I want to incorporate them into my bouquet. The pale pink ones mixed in with a lot of greens of different textures (maybe some herbs, too) and some Violets in there as well. RECEPTION DECOR The tables will be rectangle with sage green linens. For the centerpieces, I would like a bed of moss with the lanterns I bought nestled on top with some ranunculus and other flowers stuck in there somehow (not sure how yet). CAKE HAIR Some pics of me at my hair and makeup trial. The curly mass of hair will be lower down on the nape of my neck and I want more height and soft curls on the top. I think I am going to do away with the wispy curls hanging around my face. I will also have 2 flowers (ranunclus) tucked in on one of the sides. (I tried the red-eye removal feature in the first pic and it came out all weird and scary) MAKE UP The first pic was taken inside and the rest are in natural light. I think I like it all except the lip color. I want to get the brows waxed and I might go for false eyelashes too. JEWELRY I purchased these four pairs of earrings from QVC of all places. The first two are real diamonds and the second two are “diamonique”. I can’t tell the difference between the real and the fake and I don’t think anyone else can either. The last one is my favorite right now. here are the links to better pics of the earrings. 1. http://tinyurl.com/s2t4q 2. http://tinyurl.com/fb2k9 3. http://tinyurl.com/z5tx5 4. http://tinyurl.com/m2t8s DIY PROJECTS The OOT bags that will contain many snacks, two half-pint bottles of water, a “Things-To-Do In the Area” sheet, and a Welcome Letter. All but two people are coming from out of state. I used bags from Papermart.com, stamps from Impress Rubber Stamps and Papersource, and tags from Paper Presentation. The raffia is from Michael’s THE HONEYMOON! We are flying into Vancouver, staying there for 3 nights at the Fairmont Waterfront, then taking the Rocky Mountaineer train (over night trip) to Lake Louise in the Rockies where we will be staying in a cabin at the Post Hotel and Spa! I CAN'T WAIT!!! AND FINALLY... Yuuki, the other man in my life
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