East vs. West Coast

The search for the venue proved to be our very first wedding task and a very difficult one at that. I had 2 major problems.

1. Where are we going to have it? Me and the Mr. grew up on the East Coast of Florida (West Palm Beach) but we currently reside in the West Coast of Florida (Tampa area). It's a 4 hour drive from my current home to where we're from. At first I was dead set on having it on the West Coast. Logistically, it would be easier to plan and meet vendors.

2. What's my budget? Oh riiight. So did I mention my sister and I got engaged three weeks apart?(this is a post of its own) My parents have offered both of us the exact amount to the penny for wedding related expenses. This gift while greatly appreciated did not exactly meet the needs of most venueson either coast. My game plan was to have the entire reception covered by my parents gift. Evidently, I would have to move on to plan B.

After much consideration and coaxing from my mama. We decided there's no place like home! annnnnd it made more sense to come to everyone instead of have everyone come to us. In hindsight, it sounded like a great idea.

Did you find youself planning a wedding back home? How did you make the decision of where to have it?

Psuedo Dress Rehearsal: Sister's Wedding Recap

My lovely sister just got married last weekend which was a wonderful opportunity to get a "run through" for what my wedding day would be like. Truth be told I have been to only two weddings and have never even BEEN in a wedding before my sisters. With all this blind planning I've been doing, I've been putting off some major elements like a DJ, florist, and photographer! Oh my! I was waiting to see how her vendors were so I could um... steal them?! Here's the run down:

Florist: I thought the florist was good ... until my mom made a comment the roses in our bouquests were turning brown. My sister didn't have flower centerpieces so it was hard to judge. I decided to get a quote but my first impression was not so great. I'm still waiting on the quote so jury is till out on this one.

DJ: MAJOR DISASTER. My sister won her DJ on a charity auction from her favorite radio show. They have done countless weddings but when they arrived their equpiment DID NOT WORK. Yes, I repeat did not work. I'm not sure what was wrong but the coordinator ending up kicking them out and getting a back up emergency DJ. Kudos to Explosive Entertainment. They were amazing and had no notice! I hope they are available for my own wedding!

Photographer-Flash Photgraphy:I had seen my sister's photographer's works from previous weddings. He shot a friends of mine's wedding as well as my sister's best friend's wedding (that's her above). I'm sure the shots will turn out beautiful but they are a bit traditional for my taste. Since the wedding was days ago I have no pictures to show you!

Have you been to a lot of wedding before you own? Did you "steal" any wedding vendors?

Hello!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Christina and I'm getting married on April 10, 2010. I have had a very lonnnngg engagement of over a year and a half and am anxious to be married! We are living on the West coast of Florida planning a glamorous, classy, not-so-traditional event on the east coast of Florida which can be hectic at times. My sister just got married herself on November 7th and now that it is complete, I am ready to get the planning started. Can you say procrastinate much?

The name of my blog comes from my LOVE LOVE LOVE of shoes. I work for a very traditional company that requires me to wear a black suit and shoes EVERYDAY! The only way I can express myself is through my 5 inch heels (even if they are black). I am jumping on the colored shoe bandwagon and may be sporting more than one pair on my day.