Tips on Choosing a Caterer and Your Perfect Menu

Food, food, food.  This can be one of the most expensive aspects of your wedding.  It can determine the number of guests, and affect the time of your ceremony.  Many people getting married choose a reception venue that has a caterer.  Other people, like me, bring in a caterer of their choice.  This can be a less expensive option.

Before looking for a caterer, you need to consider several things.

• Who has experience catering at your reception venue?
• Will the food need to be prepared on site, or reheated?
• What type of food/meal? Sit-down meal? Buffet? Stations? Hour D'ourves? 
• Can they make your cake as well?
• Bar options?

Dustin and I were torn between hour d'ourves and a meal.  We realized appetizers can be just as expensive because you have to pay for individual items and the labor to make them.  Being our wedding is at 5 p.m., we settled on a buffet meal.

Our caterer has catered several weddings I have attended, as well as serves the weekly Wednesday meal at my church where we are getting married.  She has the experience, and because of our connection, she is giving us a good deal!

It is important to make sure that the menu has options for your guests.  The bride & groom may not even get to eat much, so it's important that other people will enjoy your meal.

Dustin & my wedding menu will consist of:

• Herb Roasted Chicken Filet
• Potato Casserole with Four Cheeses
• Green Beans with Citrus Butter
• House Salad
• White & Wheat Yeast Rolls
• Sweet Tea, Coffee and Water

It is the perfect menu for a reception at a baptist church!  I'm excited to taste it, and if you come, I hope you are too!

Every Girl Loves Accessories!

Accessories can make or brake an outfit!  For my wedding, I have been working with different members of the wedding party and giving them some free reign.  They already have to spend money on a dress that I pick, so I want them to have things that they can wear and reuse when it comes to everything else.

Bridesmaids:

One my of bridesmaids has... well... unique feet.  Nothing strange about them; she was a dancer, there's a big arch and they are a size 5.  So I worked with her on picking shoes that she can wear.

She chose a David's Bridal brand shoe called Marley in metallic silver.  They are backless, have rhinestones and a short heel.

They get to choose their own jewelry, as well as their hairstyle.

Junior Bridesmaid:
Kristan's dress is the same lapis (purple/indigo) color as the bridesmaids, so she will have silver shoes as well.  Her mom will chose something she can re-wear a little bit closer to the day.  I also gave her mom free reign on the jewelry as well.

Flower girl:

My flower girl will match me in the sense we will both have ivory dresses and lapis shoes.  Her mom chose something that she could re-wear, as well as went off of my recommendations.

What I recommended was this peep toe wedge from David's Bridal in the style called Jemma.  The shoes will be dyed lapis to match her sash and the bridesmaid's dresses.

Her mom also chose to get her a lapis headband.  I LOVE the idea.  It'll have a bow on the side and will make her look great!

NOW FINALLY.... I NEED HELP!!!

I have been searching and searching through websites and stores looking for accessory ideas.  With my shoes, I'm planning on getting a pair from David's Bridal dyed lapis (I've always wanted purple shoes!).  I have no idea what style I should or shouldn't get.  With jewelry, I'm never 100% happy with what I see.  

Here are the questions... (and please share your experience!)

• What are your recommendations on a style of shoe?  
• What did your jewelry look like and where did you get it?
• My dress is strapless, I have a fingertip veil, and I will probably wear my hair up.  Any recommendations on style of jewelry for me?

I could use any suggestions and comments.  Thanks so much!

Wedding Invitations are Here!!!

At the end of December, Dustin and I went ahead and ordered our wedding invitations.  Our thought was that they would take a little while to make, and we wanted to get them with enough time to address all of them!  (We'll really be doing labels, but that's a different story for a different time!)

Little to our surprise, the were shipped January 5 (WITH THE HOLIDAYS!!!) and only because of snow, I had to wait till today, January 12, to receive them.

It didn't come assembled like that, but I was so excited!  We ordered them from David's Bridal (you get a 30% off coupon if you buy your dress from there!).  It has 3 panels and you tie the first two together with  a ribbon.  It has raised ink (I'm soooo happy it was raised ink!  A pleasant surprise!).  The color of the ribbon and ink is lapis, the same as my bridesmaid dresses.

The first panel has our names and a very romantic design.  The second panel has the reception info with the address of the church (the same location as our ceremony) and the third panel has the traditional invite info.

I LOVE THEM!!!  And if you receive one, I hope you love it too!

Question for the other brides & bride-to-bes out there.  What do you wedding invites look like and where did you get them???

Booking our Honeymoon!

When it comes to your honeymoon, you want to do something fun right?  You want to travel, gorge yourself on food, have everything you want.  The problem with this is Dustin is still in grad school, and I'm in an hourly paid job.  After months of looking, it seemed as if we couldn't afford anything that we wanted.

At first, we were looking at an all inclusive place in Mexico.  That way we can do whatever we want, and not stress over money while there.  Then we looked at other countries as well.  We realized that we could afford these fabulous international experiences, if only we could teleport there instead of having a flight.

We had to start looking for something else.

Last summer, Dustin's family took me on my very first cruise.  It was simply amazing.  At first I thought that I would want something different for the honeymoon, but it became evident that this was our way to travel internationally at a less expensive price.

So we started researching cruises.  Dustin and I both like Carnival, and it's very affordable, so our main focus was there.  We knew we wanted to go somewhere warm, and it needed to be a 7 night cruise.  Also, it would need to be after his sister graduated on June 8.

We each settled on a favorite cruise (I'll tell you who won at the end :D) that departs June 11 and comes back the 18th.

1. Kristen - My favorite cruise was on the Carnival Liberty.  It goes to Puerto Rico, Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, Grand Turk and St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.  Good locations with an older boat.

2. Dustin - He wants to go on the Carnival Dream.  It is the newest and largest boat they have.  It goes to Cozumel (which is where we went last time), Belize, Isla Roatan, and Costa Maya in Mexico.  Better boat with not as good locations.

Dustin is going to fork over the majority of cost of the cruise.  We are asking that his family gives us money as wedding gifts to contribute to the cost of the cruise.

I have a couple questions for you out there.  Answer what you'd like. 

• Where did you go/are you going for your honeymoon?  
• If you don't mind telling, how much did/will it cost you?  
• Also if you don't mind saying, how did you pay for it?

For those of you planning your honeymoon in the future, make sure to consider cost and who is paying for it.  You may not be on your dream vacation, but you will be with the person of your dreams and no matter where you go, it will be magical.

OH YEA!  WHO WON YOU ASK???  Dustin did.  It's about compromise I guess :D