May 20, 2015 · 12:23 pm

Have Your Cake…

Jim and I went cake tasting for the second time at Jasmine this weekend, which was pretty straightforward.  We were given two slices of cake and a side dish of buttercream frosting since the cakes were not heavily iced.  2015-05-17 11.19.47It was supposed to be us and another couple tasting the same cakes, but the other couple had not shown up yet.  Jim kept asking to eat the other couple’s slices of cake.  I threatened to smear the extra frosting on his face.  He taunted me.  Then, this happened.

Jim is diligent in making sure my sense of humor is in tact.   Continue reading →

- The Bride

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May 13, 2015 · 12:10 pm

Guest Goodies

On Saturday, Jim and I got the chance to meet with Paulina, the new event coordinator at Wyndham Garden.  The meeting was about 90 minutes, but we got a lot figured out.  It was good to meet face to face, since there were some things she needed clarification on and other things I needed to work out with her (3 pages of them, actually).

She did arrange for some extra freebies for us,  Continue reading →

- The Bride

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May 7, 2015 · 5:42 pm

Fine Tuning

On Monday, Jim and I got the chance to meet up with Christine, my church’s piano and organ player, and Brandy, our chosen soloist for our ceremony. Brandy was fresh off of playing the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz and had practically no voice left from the experience. However, she did a phenomenal job; I can personally vouch for her Saturday performance. Jim and I both were over the moon that Brandy was willing to cantor for us. Her tremendous performance of Climb Ev’ry Mountain when we were in Sound of Music together made her our undisputed first choice.

We spent an hour Continue reading →

- The Bride

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April 29, 2015 · 12:33 pm

Replanting at Wyndham Garden

WyndhamGardenWhen our reception venue Best Western changed over to a Wyndham Garden, we were a little concerned that Laura, the event coordinator, was going to change, too.  It turns out that, despite Laura’s assertions, that has happened, though this change was about four months after the other hotel’s flag change occurred.  Jim and I found out through Gina, who was trying to get a hold of Laura to schedule a cake tasting with whichever bakery Wyndham Garden uses for their weddings. Continue reading →

- The Bride

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April 28, 2015 · 5:48 pm

I got that Bloom-Bloom Pow

dahliaMy wedding coordinator, Gina, recommended Bella Flora for my floral needs.  She claimed the owner, who works out of her house, has very reasonable prices and does over 90% of Gina’s weddings.  I remember Gina bragging about her in our initial meeting, come to think of it, and all of this is with good reason.   Continue reading →

- The Bride

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· 12:34 pm

Jewelry Show Time

JFAI went to the JFA Show with my mom this past weekend to finish up some attire and gift errands. I wasn’t sure what she’d think of it, since it was her first time there, but she loved it. “There must be a place like this in heaven,” she said. Continue reading →

- The Bride

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April 16, 2015 · 12:30 pm

Enter the After Party

Entre

Entre Bar & Grill

Good news for you night owls!  We now have confirmed the details of the after party.  Just down the hall from our reception room is Entre Bar & Grill, one of Jim’s favorite haunts.  This will be the site of our after party, starting at 11:30pm.  The bar has a lovely fireplace, couch seating options, a dance floor, and (of course) a variety of drinks.  If you’re staying the night at the Wyndham Garden, which I recommend for you serious partiers, it’s quite convenient.

Speaking of which, don’t forget to book your room!  You’ll find the room block details, which are fairly reasonable, on the Accommodations page.  Plus, if you change your mind, you can cancel as late as 72 hours in advance without penalty.  Booking early has the added bonus of relieving a small bit of my worries… just saying.  🙂

- The Bride

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March 23, 2015 · 12:17 pm

Shower Power

This past weekend, Jim, my parents, Jim’s mother and I all got together to discuss the bridal shower. Both “future mom” Paulette and my parents have graciously offered to throw me a shower. Continue reading →

- The Bride

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March 3, 2015 · 5:45 pm

Playing Spin the DJ

spinnindiscsAfter a lively meeting involving references to crazy acne, in case of emergency buttons, and snorting, Jim and I signed with Spinnin’ Discs last night.  Spinnin’ Discs is a DJ company that trains and vouches for DJs, so we haven’t picked our exact DJ just yet.  However, the company has excellent reviews and comes highly recommended from our wedding planner.  Ron in particular has a great idea of what makes a DJ great versus just okay and that makes it easy to trust him with our wedding entertainment.  We’re both glad to have one more thing checked off the list!

- The Bride

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February 23, 2015 · 7:00 am

The Dress

IMG_3847.JPGAfter trying on about 70 dresses, sifting through well over 500 photos of those dresses, and definitely fraying some nerves (not just my own, either), I bought a dress. I went to, in order, David’s Bridal in Schaumburg, House of Brides in Schaumburg, Reddington Bridal in Park Ridge, A Joyful Occasion in Naperville, Wedding Belles in Barrington, House of Brides in Glen Ellyn, and – finally – Jasmine Galleria in Lombard.  Of these places, I must highly recommend Reddington Bridal, A Joyful Occasion, Wedding Belles and Jasmine Galleria.  All of these places have lovely salespeople who obviously love what they do and are not pushy for the sale.

I won’t talk about the dress much; after all, I do want to surprise Jim. I will say this, though: my mom, my dad, Nicole, Renee and Lexi are amazingly patient and have been such a great help through all of this.  Thank you so much to all of you.

- The Bride

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