Where Da Party At? - Part I

It's Bloggin' Tuesday!  I decided that it was time to give my blog a little face lift because it was just becoming too busy for me.

Now, I don't know about you, but I remember being an itty-bitty girl who have had many dreams of what my wedding was going to be like.  Everything from the dress, to my hair, to the bouquet in my hand, the people around me, and of course... the venue.  I know, I know... the seemingly most important aspect of the wedding was missing... my husband.  But at the tender age of 3, the only thoughts in my head were, "What's a 'husband'?  I just want to wear a pretty dress!"  Of course as the 26 year-old, newly engaged woman, I had a few more worries to add to that list.  First things first, exactly where were we going to make those childhood dreams come true?

Thus begins the mini-series which I'd like to call, Where Da Party At? -Tips to Finding the Perfect Venue.

SO.....

After purchasing my 11 bridesmaids dresses, Mr. FJ and I began scouting out for venues which we wanted to have our wedding.  Very early on, we had both agreed that we were not fans of traditional Chinese wedding banquets.  For one, I personally felt that since the interior of most Chinese restaurants were either red or gold (or both), it would definitely clash with the hazel blue that I had already chosen.  Another factor was, as guests, Mr. FJ and I remembered that we were never too thrilled about the idea of having to travel for one location for the wedding ceremony, and then another for the reception.  As a planner, I would HATE for all the festivities to be behind schedule due to unanticipated traffic and travel time.  As hosts, our biggest priority was to make our wedding as convenient as possible for everyone.

Living in the metro NYC area, we knew that there were several important factors to consider when planning a wedding.  I'd like to call these the CAPS of venue selection:

                                  1. Costs/Budget
                                  2. Aesthetics/Presentation
                                  3. Proximity
                                  4. Size of the venue

Of all the criteria, I really believe that Costs/Budget should be held in high regard.  I think it's safe to say (and most people would probably agree) that it's pretty silly and irresponsible for one to run oneself into debt just because one is planning a wedding.  Two, Costs/Budget provides a good framework for how much you can spend and how many people you can realistically spend it on.  (This is the usual pep-talk I give to all my couples upon meeting them the first time.)  Our original guest list of 450 people basically informed us that we were not going to be able to have the wedding INSIDE of New York City.  It would've came at the cost of both our arms and legs.  We had to think outside of the box... literally.

To be continued....

From Bride to Wife... and the Dresses in Between

38 days since becoming Mrs. FJ... What a milestone!

From planning to executing, and now from honeymooning to moving in together; the last 14 months have surely been a whirlwind. So much so that I haven't even blogged anything about it yet! From this point forth, I will try to recount all the details of planning, which eventually materialized to what I call, 'My Wedding'.

About 14 months ago, my then-boyfriend of 6 years-4 months-22 days (but who's counting?) asked me to be his wife. I excitedly said 'yes' and we embarked on a beautiful journey (otherwise known as, wedding planning). There were many sleepless nights and silly arguments. All-in-all, it was a good time (at least it was for me).

'How and where would a wedding planner begin her own wedding planning', you ask?

I didn't, actually! Unlike many brides, I tried really hard to savor every moment of being engaged without becoming too enthralled by wedding colors, flowers, vendors; the works. That is until I saw 6 words.... "SALE: ADDITIONAL 30% OFF + FREE SHIPPING" Ah! Good'ol J.Crew. How could a girl ever pass up on a good sale? I began browsing the sale section, as I always would. Then I found something which seemed too good to be true.

Behold...

This is the Sophia dress made in Blue Hazel silk chiffon. It caught my eye immediately. I can't say I'm a connoisseur in fashion, but I know that I love really classic looking pieces. I am especially drawn to the fashion trends of the early 1960's, where women's wardrobes were dawned with elegance, simplicity and symmetry. The icing on the cake was that this dress was on sale for $49.99 with an additional 30% off! I thought to myself, "If I bought this dress for my bridesmaids, I would only be paying $35 + taxes per dress. WHAT A STEAL!"

It is 9 days after my engagement. I haven't even begun looking at venues, choose a photographer, try on wedding gowns, or even decide on THE date. Part of me began to doubt whether I'd be making a huge mistake, because I knew bridesmaids' dresses are pivotal pieces to a wedding. The dresses are supposed to reflect the overarching theme and colors of the entire affair. After wrestling with myself for about 20 minutes, I followed my gut and decided to do it.

Since it was a sale, I knew the sizes and quantities of the dress were limited. I had to move fast. In about an hour's worth of time, I called/emailed/text'd 11 of the closest women in my life (yep, you read correctly... 11 is right) and asked them to be a part of my bridal party. With their blessings and dress sizes, I made the order over the phone. The sales representative congratulated me. That moment marked the beginning of the next 13 months of my life.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself....

My name is Sook. Some call me Sookie; others just stick to Sook. I live in the Lower East Side of NYC and I am an event planner.

"Why event planning?" you ask. Well, mainly because I am nothing short of an extrovert. I love people and I love parties. So why not make a career out of it? Currently, the main focus of my events are weddings. Thanks to my friends in love, I've been attending (on average) 12-13 weddings in the last couple of years. Talk about OD. All sarcasm aside, I do love me a good wedding.

Ironically, I am actually in the midst of planning my own (WHEEE!). The not-so-fun part is that it IS my own. During this process, I'm realizing that it's much harder to make decisions than it is to just like a bunch of stuff. Plus, my fiance (we'll call him Mr. FJ) is in the midst of grad school and not always readily available. Thankfully, my already-gathered resources from past wedding planning has been quite helpful.

I hope to use this blog in order to share with you some of my personal experiences planning my own big day; as well as shed light on how you can create your dream wedding.

Come back often...