Our wedding registry

I have read somewhere that wedding registries can be optional. I, however, think this is a great opportunity to get a personalized gift instead of cash (and it's something that you can actually use!)

John and Lauren absolutely love Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have a large selection for home items in many categories, and it is a good decision to register here for other reasons, too. 

First, there are many BBB's that people have access to, which means more gifts from these registries. If you pick a store that is too sparse, it's not worth people to drive great distances just to get a gift. 

Then, BBB seems to always have some kind of 15 or 20 percent off coupon that you can use towards a purchase, which in turn means that your guests pay less for the gift than at another store. Think about an expensive appliance ($300), and you have a 20% off coupon. That's $60 worth of savings that you didn't have to spend.

Finally, the store has been a great experience with us registering. We had an employee walk us through the process and give recommendations, which you can either consider for being something you want or not. Since the employee is trained to know what is important in a registry and the quality of the products, then you do less research in the end. 

Or you could.

After making a lot of decisions, we are able to view our registry online to edit ANYTHING. Whether we want more or less of an item, take off or add an item, or even search the online store to see if there was something you didn't see in the store but is available online.

Since we haven't set a date for the bridal shower yet, nothing has been purchased by our guests, so we will give an overall rating in the future!

My Wedding Dress

I watch Say Yes to the Dress on occasion. But then I turn it off because I cannot believe how much people spend on wedding dresses! Yes, I know that it is the most important day of your life, but it still is just ONE day.

The Monday after I got engaged (two days later), I was home with my mom and I proposed that we go dress shopping just to look. Well, I also found the dress that best suited me that day.

We were able to get a day-of appointment at House of Brides in Schaumburg, Illinois. Their selection is HUGE! They also have dresses that you can buy that were sample dresses at a considerable discount if that is what you would like to do. I tried on sample dresses to eventually order my own dress, and the price range I was looking for was between $400-900. 

When I walked in, I could not tell the consultant what I liked. I sincerely had no clue what I liked, just things that I did not like. From that, I was given the opportunity to explore the racks and pick out 5 dresses that I liked. This made the process a lot easier. 

The funny thing was that the first dress that I tried on was the one that I decided would be my dress! Since I don't want curious eyes (hint, hint John) to find out what it looks like, I'm just going to say that the dress was about $700 and by Allure Bridals. 

After the wedding day, I will post the design on here.

Alterations cost me about $200. My first fitting for alterations is June... which I think is cutting it close but I was assured that it would be "plenty of time". Makes me nervous, but maybe I'm overreacting. After all, everyone's goal is to lose weight before the wedding day, and the best time to measure is about a month before because of the possible drastic differences in measurements. 

Final review is pending and will be published after the wedding.

Our DJ

When it comes down to music for the reception, you may only choose from two types of entertainment. That is, either having a DJ or a live band.

Now, this is all personal preference. I believe for a more "unique" experience, people book bands. However, I want everyone to have fun based on proven songs that get the crowd going regardless of who is your DJ.

That was an easy decision for us.

When we attended the D'Andrea Banquets Bridal Show, we had not considered any DJ business yet. Actually, we had not considered much outside of our ceremony and reception space.

While walking through all the vendors, the daughter of our DJ (A Sound Sensation) came up to us and inquired about whether we had booked a DJ yet. We didn't have any reservations, so we decided to hear the sales pitch. We enjoyed what we heard and were really impressed by their booth and display. Since we attended the show, there are special prices that were set for us for various services, which included DJ, photography, and videography. We wanted to set an appointment with them going over their services and was able to schedule one that same week!

Our DJ, Matty D, runs A Sound Sensation as a mobile DJ from his house. He has been in the industry for over 20 years and showed us some video of previous weddings for us to drool over.

But what makes him special? That's a question that you should consider when booking a DJ.

Well, Matty's personality is amazing. He is a very easy-going, funny guy to talk to. This is quite important when choosing a DJ because they are the person who will be speaking over the microphone to guests. His personality closely reflects what we want in a wedding reception, which is that everyone has a fun time. John and Lauren believe that someone who can make you laugh is someone who is interested in everyone having a good time.

Another thing that is unique about A Sound Sensation is that they have a laser that will scroll messages and display images that correspond with the event. We have seen this in person at the wedding shows and it is awesome! The package we got included that and free uplighting for the event! The uplighting can change colors to the beat of the music, and it provides a great environment at the reception!

We are very excited to dance the night away and hope that this information helps anyone considering a DJ service in the Crystal Lake area. Our total cost is $995, which is quite a good price considering all that we have included in the package!

Our florist

At the D'Andrea Banquets Bridal Show, we got a chance to meet with Mary's Flowers of McHenry. Since we were totally clueless with the flowers, it was nice to set up a free consultation with Mary to see what our needs were and what our expenses would be.

To be honest, I am not a fan of roses. Yes, they are pretty; however, I think they are overdone at weddings. I wanted something different, but had NO clue where to start. After all, I honestly know not a thing about flowers.

Mary walked us through the process of what types of flowers come in what colors, and what types of bouquets we could build (lots of texture, little texture, etc). We figured out what flowers would look best and the various necessary items for our ceremony (bouquets, corsages, boutineers, etc)

With having four bridesmaids, four groomsmen, us, two sets of parents, two grandfathers and three grandmothers, and one aunt and uncle, our total was only $640. This was with a 10% off deal for going to the Bridal Show.

I'm looking forward to the finished product as the flowers will be dropped off at St. Thomas on the wedding day.

Also, I would love to show my appreciation towards my Aunt Sherri and Uncle Mike, who has given us a generous gift that covers a significant part of the cost of our flowers! We are extremely blessed by their generosity and hope they love their flowers we're giving them as a thank you!

Our photographer

We have booked A Photo Sensation last January.

After meeting with our DJ, Matty D, we were in love with the pictures of weddings that were previously done around his office. We had already booked with a photography service before this meeting, but after meeting with him and seeing some of his previous work, we decided we wanted his service!

Although Matty D is our DJ, he employs professional photographers to work with him on the special day. The service is great and the photographer will be with us ALL DAY, no time limit! With our wedding being earlier in the day, we would probably start photography around 9 or 10 and our reception will not be over until midnight. There's no extra hours charge at all!

We are also getting our engagement photo shoot done with A Photo Sensation! When the weather improves (there's about a foot of snow on the ground now), we will be getting those done and use for our wedding website since John and I have amateur pictures of ourselves.

Our final review of this service will be posted after our wedding, along with any updates throughout the process if needed!

Where we're getting married

This July 19th, John and Lauren will be joined in the sacrament of matrimony at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Crystal Lake. This choice was obvious to us since both of our families are Catholic and this is our parish.

While the Church itself recommends engaged couples to set a meeting up with the priest of your choice at LEAST 6 months before the wedding date, John and Lauren did this right after we got engaged (December).

Our officiant is going to be Monsignor Dan Hermes, a priest who has been with our parish since 2001. He is a kind man who loves God, and has been a wonderful person with guiding us towards the faith as we prepare to marry. During our first meeting, we talked about ourselves and took the FOCCUS pre-marriage inventory that asked us crucial questions about each other. For those who are wondering what subjects are covered, we are not going to tell! It is a fun process, but most importantly it makes you think about things in your relationship beyond the big day, which is the rest of your life together. We were truly blessed by this experience and we became even more excited about getting married for life.

As a part of our preparation, we were recommended to attend two classes. One was the Gift of Self seminar which was held at St. Thomas, and another was the Engaged Encounter class we took over a two-day course. Both of these classes brought us closer together and we are even more thrilled for our marriage.

St. Thomas is a beautiful church. Lauren has been there ever since she was born! She received the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, and now Matrimony. Every time we go to Mass each Sunday, we smile at each other knowing that this is going to be the place where we become one.

How great is that?

For those who are considering having a Catholic ceremony, we advise you to give your full trust and do it! We kept our hearts and our minds open to this whole experience and we are firm believers that this was what was meant for us!

Things we are going to put in this blog

I have decided that one day, someone may be looking for wedding information in the Crystal Lake area and would like to see what other couples have done in the past and how the rate their services for their big day. After all, I have been doing a LOT of extensive research on a variety of things. 

One of the things that I found difficult was that there were not too many "real" wedding reviews of things that are important for weddings, such as the preparation, the quality of the services (especially for the amount of money you're budgeting), what to avoid, etc. I hope that my various posts can assist future brides and grooms in the Crystal Lake area and wish the best for all couples wishing to marry. It's truly a wonderful experience to start the rest of your lives together.

Aside from that, the main purpose that I have outlined for this blog will stay the same, which is to have a place to organize important decisions for our wedding with our bridal party :)

Pictures for Formal Wedding Website

Hey everyone!

As this will be the blog that we will use in order to make decisions and communicate, I would like to share with you that John and I have a "formal" wedding website that will serve as a place for all guests to access for information and other fun stuff. Here's the link.

There are some things that will be password protected for the sake of privacy issues, so if you are using it, please e-mail me and I can give you the password.

The real reason why I'm posting this is that I thought it would be fun if I could have a picture for everyone in the Bridal Party to use on this site. I want to make it very complete and I think this would be a good way of doing so.

With that said, please look through your personal pictures and select a photo you would like to use. Then, please send the picture through our email account and I will upload those pictures to the website.

If you would like, you can include a brief biography of yourself to be included in this section. A few sentences about yourself would be perfect!

Please feel free to ask any questions or comments in the "comments" section below, and I will try to answer as quickly as possible!

Peace!

Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

Hello everyone!

I was thinking of making some suggestions for the rehearsal dinner and seeing what you think! I've been searching around for some good restaurants in the area and have found a few places that I would like to see what you all thought of!

1. NEAR Restaurant, Barrington

2. Middleton's on Main, Wauconda 

3. Slyce Coal Fired Pizza Company, Wauconda

4. Montarra, Algonquin

5. Georgio's, Crystal Lake

6. Duke's Alehouse & Kitchen, Crystal Lake

7. The Lucky Monk, South Barrington

8. Mandile's Italian Ristorante & Banquets, Algonquin

9. Randall Roadhouse, Carpentersville

10. Pinstripes, South Barrington

Bridesmaid Dresses!

UPDATE:

After going to David's Bridal to try on dresses with Megan, and we looked at the ones that everyone liked. Although some were definitely comfortable, Megan had a chance to try on a different dress that we both fell in love with. It's a comfortable dress that will be flattering on everyone! So here it is, the bridesmaid dress for our wedding:

Strapless Chiffon Dress with Layered Skirt shown in Horizon 

Style F14169

Now for the details.

1. This dress is only available in store. I would suggest trying it on for size. So far, Megan and Emily have tried on this dress and they ordered the size that they do NOT need any alterations whatsoever, which is a positive note (Who would want to pay more for a dress that didn't fit?).

2. Wherever you go for the dress, you can place an order there.

3. After you pay for the dress, HANG ON TO THE RECEIPT! That will be the "ticket" in a way so that you can pick it up when it comes in.

4. When the dress comes in, you have 7 days to pick it up at the same store you ordered it from.

5. This dress needs to be ordered before March 31st. Worst case scenario, if you do need alterations since they only offer even numbered sizes (such as if you are a size 5 and they only carry 4 and 6), that will be the absolute last time to order that offers flexibility to when the dress is coming in and enough time for alterations before July 19.

6. If you go in, you can mention my name as being the bride in their system. Then you won't have to remember the exact name of the dress or style number.

If you have any questions or anything, feel free to call, text, e-mail, or comment below! I'm so excited for this to be our dresses and I know that we will all look beautiful!

Welcome to our wedding planning website!

Hello everyone,

I thought it would be a great idea for us to for me to easily share information with all of you while we all have the chance to share opinions and information, too! I know that wedding planning and all the activities are often quite difficult to time commitments and our own busy lives. I personally think that this will be a completely different and easy experience than what we imagine in our heads.

On here, I'm going to start sharing some decisions to make and may even ask for opinions you may have for things. My first thing will be figuring out what bridesmaid dresses we want, so I'll keep you all updated on when that gets published!

Lauren