Yay! We Booked Our Venue! We Set A Date!

We finally booked our venue and therefore have an OFFICIAL wedding date:

Saturday, April 17, 2010
6pm (ish)

Kahler Hall
Columbia, MD

It turns out that Kahler Hall's downstairs room IS big enough for our ceremony, so we are able to have the whole wedding, ceremony and ballroom reception in one building!

And boy did we get an awesome price!!! It was so inexpensive to rent this place. We are so pleased!

Check out the slide show of Kahler's interior and surprisingly nice exterior, which will, weather permitting, make a great location for photos prior to the ceremony.

Kahler Hall: Wedding Location

New Flowers

Well, I've met with 2 different florists, and it looks as though marigolds are pretty much out, which I was afraid of. I knew they were fall flowers.

And apparently, bright orange mums don't exist and dahlias are off season too. (Grrr).

So, with much consideration and consultation here are my new/acceptable flower choices...

GREEN
-Spider/Fuji Mums
-Button/kermit Mums
-Hypericum berries
-Spring Green Tulips

ORANGE
-Ranunculus
-Parrot Tulips
-Tulips
-Freesia
-Begonias
-Carnations
-Peach Hypericum berries

Here is my new collage:

Reception Venue Re-Tour: Kahler Hall & Ceremony Venue Tour: Wilde Lake Interfaith Center

Well, everyone liked the photos and specs of Kahler Hall, and especially the price--$1250 for unlimited time!! And you can't beat the convenience of Columbia and free parking! Here is a slideshow recapping the facility:



Unfortunately, we have to have the ceremony elsewhere. No room for both.

Luckily, Cathy, the event coordinator at Kahler Hall recommended the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, in Columbia, which happens to literally be 3 traffic lights away! Low and behold, they have a non-denominational sanctuary (aka: Jew-safe), and rent it at $450 for 3 hrs. $1700 total for a reception ballroom, lobby, courtyard, and ceremony sanctuary and lobby----SWEEEET.

So, you better believe I marched my butt over to the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center (WLIC) today and took some pics. I am not doing a PRO/CON list, because this is pretty much going to be it. It is right down the street from the reception and we won't even have to do off-site pictures because WLIC has a great campus with trees, steps, rocks, and other scenic spots for photos.

The only thing that will hold us back from using this place is if Kahler Hall's commercial kitchen is too small for the caterer. We need the caterer to see the photos or tour the facility. So basically, if there is no Kahler, there is no WLIC, and vice-versa. If the caterer does not approve of the kitchen, I WILL BE PISSED beyond anything, lol.

I had to tour the WLIC by myself (no one was in that building), so any questions I had will be saved for tomorrow over the phone.

(Surprise) Venue Tour 4: Kahler Hall

Well, just when I thought Scottish Rite was our only choice for a venue, I stumbled upon Kahler Hall, in Columbia (my hometown!), on a recent late-night internet desperation search for venues. Originally, I had thought all of the Columbia village center community halls were too small, but when I did that search, Kahler Hall fit the bill---holding 220 people, far beyond our expected amount of 130. And the PRICE!!! We would save over $1,000 compared to the Scottish Rite, which is already inexpensive for a venue. So the next day, I canceled a florist appt. and took the 10 min drive over to Harpers Choice Village Center, and toured Kahler.

Here are the pros and cons:

PROS:

+Convenient!! It's in Howard County! We live 10 minutes from this venue.
+CHEAP!! OMG, we would save so much money renting this place.
+New and clean---very modern, and the lobby and bathrooms are being renovated again this Jan!
+Modern ballroom (and other rooms)
+Free set/decor time when you book---save even more money!
+Commercial kitchen
+OUTSIDE CATERING ALLOWED!!
+Provides tables and not too ugly chairs :)
+We'd have the whole center to ourselves.
+SUPER SUPER WELL LIT---unlike Scottish Rite, which is almost dungeon-esqe.

CONS:

-That apt. complex right next to the hall.
-I am really worried that the ballroom might be too small to split for the ceremony and reception. I mean after the ceremony is over, staff can help take down the ceremony location and spread out the already set-up reception tables and such to use the whole room, but where will we stick the guests while this is happening? I don't think we are going to have a cocktail hour outside in the lobby. Ehh, I'll have to map this all out before we book.
-Not enough bathroom stalls?
-Can that lobby hold over 100 people when the guests arrive?

Slideshow:

Photographer Search Over, Florist and Day-Of Planner Search Begins...

Well, I met with my last 3 photographers Monday and Tuesday. They were all very sweet and knowledgeable, yet some impressed me more than others as far as photo creativity/quality, personality, and PRICE. I will be making my final decision by Monday. Frankly, I've already made my choice, lol, BUT, I am still going to rest my mind and not make any rushed decisions or bookings. Sigh, I wish I could mush some of these people together to make 1 super awesome photog! I guess I cannot have my cake and eat it too----except at the wedding :)

What I thought was interesting was the difference between the (2)male and (3)female photogs. Each gender seemed to have VERY opposite business discussions and personalities when talking to me. Now, it could have been just a coincidence in the people I chose, (that was just who they were), or based on MY personality, but I wonder if I kept going in my search, if I would have come across the same results in how males and females conduct their business with others of the same or different gender. Now, I'm no feminist by any means, so it's merely an observation, not any sort of judgment or frustration/resentment. Everyone was certainly very nice and respectful, so no problems there!

So now that I am done with photography--phew! I am moving on to day-of planners and florists. Yowzas. Today I have a floral appointment/consult in Catonsville, and tomorrow I have another floral consult in Timonium.

While I was visiting a photographer, I also met with his wife, a certified event planner, who offers day-of services. I was really impressed with her, she seemed very organized and that she knew what she was doing, in addition to nice reviews on Wedding Wire (weddingwire.com).

So anyway, I hope I can get the other florists and other day-of planner out of the way this coming week. I just want to get this stuff over with!

Photographer Meetings Start

So I've met with 2 lovely photographers so far, and I am feeling better about trying to stay within our budget and get what I want in a photo package.

I am now thinking though that I don't need a proof book.

Here is a revised list of an ideal package:

1. 7-8 hours of coverage
2. DVD/CD
3. (Online gallery usually comes with any package)
4. 2 photographers would be great, even if one is an assistant, as long as I see his/her work beforehand)

I feel I can make our own proofbook through the online photobook sites I listed in the last post, and either can make the album the same way, or we can have a formal one made later, when we want to spend the extra cash.

I have 3 more photogs to meet this coming week then I make the final decision.

Photographer Search...

So for the past week I've been narrowing down photographers that have the best work, and package for the "right" price (within our photo budget).

As an artist and someone who loves taking pictures, excellent photography at the wedding is a serious priority. I want to have the photojournalistic style of photography, which offers more candid shots and focuses on details and emotions often not seen in average "posed" photos. There will be some posed photos, such as the bridal party, family, bride and groom, before the ceremony, but there will be many candids and shots of details (flowers, rings, decor, dress, etc.).

I won't mention my photographer contenders out of privacy, but I may post the winner later.

As for my ideal package:

-I'd love at least a 7 hr coverage (for getting ready, posed family, etc, ceremony, and reception.
-DVD/CD of all prints to print out on our own or email should be included, not an add on
-A proof book would be nice
-2 photographers would be really nice, but this often times can add to the cost, particularly with the type of photographers I am after.
-Some prints would be nice, but to cut costs, I have no problem printing with a professional service on our own
-NO ALBUM. I'd love to make our own photo book, something like this (after researching pricing):






So, we'll see what happens. I've made about 5 appointments so far this and next week. But this may take a while to make a final decision. Luckily I have some time. It will be hard to choose though, if I wind up with 2-3 photogs with what I want (price and quality), because they are all so talented! We'll see!

Budget.

Here's the story folks. We are on a tight budget. I want to even go below our decided budget. I won't say anything further, but knowing this will explain the decisions and postings to come. No matter your economic situation, saving money and being financially responsible is smart, especially when you are young, have college loans, need a house, and want to have kids, lol.

Venue Tour Round 3: Baltimore Zoo Mansion

Well, our last shot was on Feb 28, the Baltimore Zoo Mansion (indoor porch). I'm going to keep this a little shorter because we knew right away the mansion would not be an option.

Pros:
+Loved the wall color, crown molding, and rows of beautiful windows. Very simple, clean and elegant
+Neutral carpeting
+Nice staircase inside the mansion
+Away from the street (hidden)
+Much more simple chandeliers
+Chairs and tables included
+LOVED Jane Sheffsky, the event coordinator, she is SO NICE and friendly---she would have been a breeze to work with. Very sweet and personable.

Cons:
-SHAPE of the room. Picture a square, with a smaller square in the middle. That smaller square is the house. The floors and walls around it is the venue (porch). The entire event would have to literally wrap around the corners----NOT COOL. TOo cramped and people can not walk around and communicate smoothly and see everything either. That was disappointing. The online pictures did not indicate this arrangement. Oh well.
-ONLY 4 SEPARATE BATHROOMS. That are unisex. 2 on 1 floor, 2 upstairs. Not gonna cut it AT ALL!! How can you expect 100-150 people to use only 4 bathrooms! No way.
-No catering/full kitchen. Jane suggested renting cook tents, but that would mean extra costs for us and Russian caterers need a full indoor kitchen anyway.

For anyone out there looking for a place to hold a SMALL event. Please consider the positives, but keep in mind the negatives too. I would not completely write this place off for general events.

What a shame.

Here is the slideshow: