Drooling over Photo Blogs

 

Image Source 

One of the photographers that we are considering for our big day has this picture on her website! This is the dock at Lake Wissota Golf, which is our reception site. Can you picture us there instead? :)

Photos are one of the most important parts of our wedding, to me. We are certainly blessed to have some very talented photographers on our guest list - my FSIL being one of them. BUT, while I will welcome and photos that they take that day (and look forward to seeing them) I do not want anyone at our wedding as a guest to feel like they need to be 'on point' for every little moment.

Unfortunately, as I have mentioned before...certain areas of Wisconsin (where I am planning being one of them) are in a time warp regrading websites. I am serious. They are out of control. I am talking angelfire here.

So, while the website is not laid out in a fabulous way, I think that Beata, the photographer at Bh Moments has a style that we like. We definitely want more of a photo-journalistic style. To be honest, I am not sure that that style is big up in Wisconsin just yet, based on the fact that most websites and blogs have a mix of traditional and more contemporary photos.

My mom is going to swing by her office and do some re-con. I am hoping that she turns out to be it for us! She is my favorite so far within a reasonable price range who also releases the rights for reproduction, which is a must for me.

Here are some of my other favorites from her site:

 

  

  

 

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Craziness.

So it has been a whole week. wow.

I know that I promised an explanation of past stress and drama in my last post and here it is in summary:

Some very well meaning people who we love and who love us very much called with some concerns about scheduling and dates for the wedding, in contrast with what the Navy has planned for Austin. It was quite hectic for a while and had already been a major point of stress for me so needless to say, others pointing out things that I was only 97% sure on myself did not equal a good mood for Courtney Rae.

But, it is all ok now. We are back up to 99% sure that we will be getting married on July 17th. Woo!

More updates to come :)

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Why I love Him.

Post some wedding planning drama this weekend, which included quite a few tears from me (more details to come later) Austin went to Kroger to grab some dinner for us last night and came back with this:

"Let's get married."

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Views from Lake Wissota

Here are some snapshots taken off of the wrap-around porch at Lake Wissota Golf! If only our wedding day can be a day as nice as this one...

 

  

  

 

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Purchase!

 

After years and years of avoiding this section at Barnes & Noble, a few days ago I strode confidently over to the Wedding Planning section and picked up this treasure. Yeah Martha! 

Will I use this? Who knows. But, I had to have one.

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7.17

As of yesterday we are 99.9% sure that our wedding date will be July 17, 2009.

The Seventeenth of July. 7.17.

Note: That is exactly ten months from yesterday.

The current mood around our household is serious excitement and a little apprehension about all that we have to get done! (but mostly excitement, yay!)

Contract for Lake Wissota is in the works, churches are being contacted.

Here we go! Now the real planning can begin!

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Color Scheme?

As I have a huge research methods test tomorrow, I decided instead of studying terms and explanations that make little sense to me, to instead do some viable research of my own...into color schemes.

When I first started thinking about the setting of Lake Wissota Golf and of myself one color popped into my head: Navy Blue.

It is just so me! As is evidenced by the overwhelming amount of Navy Blue choices in my wardrobe. So Navy and white/ivory. Simple, chic, classic. Love it.

Plus, I am still in love with that Thuss photo down below...(Navy tablecloth, whoo!)

So, after careful consideration into what could be a really unique and fun accent color I have come up with this:

Copper!

Yay! I think it will look so great and classic, with just little copper elements thrown in here and there. Bonus - I have never seen this combo before.

Can you imagine the large galvanized tin in the Thuss photo that I l-o-v-e but in a bright and shiny copper? Verdict?

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In Love with Thuss

...but who isn't? I LOVE this:

If you haven't checked out Rebecca Thuss' AMAZING designs, the drooling starts here: http://www.rebeccathuss.com/

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TGIF?

Ok, so we have a LOT of issues challenges when it comes to scheduling this wedding!

1. I graduate grad school May 9.
2. My little sister graduates undergrad May 16.
3. Austin graduates Supply School May 29.
4. Austin will have to report to his new duty station "sometime" in June...according to "official" word from the Navy...which could be as far as:

and he doesn't find out where he is going until April. Awesome. Could be Norfolk, could be Italy.

In any case...we have decided to look at the end-ish of July. We are hoping this will give Austin enough time to check in wherever he needs to be, even if it is Italy, and turn around to get married. He will make contact and be able to request dates of leave as soon as he knows where he is going, so we're hoping for the best...where's the fun without a little roll of the dice, right?

Now for the other issue: planning less than a year in advance.
Clearly all Saturdays are already booked. Double awesome.

Originally, I was pretty dismayed about this whole thing, but seeing as we are going to get married in a Catholic church, we would have probably ended up with a Friday anyways (since they have Mass on Saturday nights).

I have been reassured by some people telling me how relaxing the Friday weddings that they have been to have been, and I am beginning to feel more confident, yay for friends making me feel better! :)

Plus, this poem thinks we would have been unlucky either way, haha:

Monday: Brides will be Healthy.
Tuesday: Brides will be Wealthy.
Wednesday: Brides do best of all.
Thursday: Brides will suffer losses.
Friday: Brides will suffer crosses.
Saturday: Brides will have no luck at all.

I know that more and more people are getting married on Fridays, but how does my sounding board feel? Can we ask people to hike it to the land of cheese for a Friday wedding? Be kind.

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We may have a venue...

So, I'm not going to front...I may have taken advantage of being in Wisconsin this summer and done some research on places for a wedding...maybe.

But, I think that we have found a really pretty place to have our reception: Lake Wissota Golf

Ta Da!

There are, of course, some other options in the works still, but this place is so cute! I feel like it is probably the most southern looking of places in Wisconsin - which I love...

Also, it's on the water! It is actually situated on a point of Lake Wissota, as seen below:

which means there is a view of the water on two sides! Yay! Plus plenty of pretty photo op places on the golf course...Now if we can figure out a day to book it...

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Behind the curve...

According to my handy dandy new Martha Stewart Wedding Planning Tools, and the checklist that goes along with it, I have 118 tasks to complete before my wedding will be completely planned.

23 of these should be completed by TOMORROW.

::le sigh::

In any case, I know that this list will change and shift as we progress through all of this, but there is a cutesy little motivator in my tools:

As you check things off the little bride and groom move closer and closer to one another! Très cute.

First up: Pick a date!

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Yup, this one too.

I know, I know...TWO blogs?

who needs TWO blogs?

I do.

Now that we are happily engaged, I feel like I need a space to put down my ideas and the fruits of my relentless, internet searching labor for wedding planning! Besides the fact that I have so much going on, I need to put aside time for this - and I am hoping this will help.

(also I figured the boys would get bored with the other blog if I started putting wedding stuff on it. not to stereotype.)

There...have I rationalized enough?

So get excited for this craziness that is
Austin and Courtney: The Wedding.

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