We're Married!
Nicole & Dan
06.14.08
Our wedding was absolutely fabulous. We had a perfect day and our family and friends had a blast. We had a number of people tell us it was the most fun wedding they've ever been to.
That was exactly the reaction we had hoped for!
I had so much fun planning our wedding over our 14 month engagement. It got stressful at times (especially the 2 weeks right before!) but it was all worth it. The details really do get noticed, everything comes together, and at the end of the day, we got to be married surrounded by all our friends and family. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner 06.13.08
The rehearsal was the most overwhelming part of the entire wedding weekend for me! All the stress and excitement got to me. I cried during the entire rehearsal. Walking down with my dad, practicing the vows, etc. But it was good I got it all out because I was fine on the wedding day!
FI wore the clown nose that our Jr. BM gave him. He put it on when I got to the end of the aisle (where I was a blubbering mess) to make me laugh. It definitely lightened the mood!
My fab ribbon bouquet!
My dad and I practicing our walk...yep, I'm hysterical, hence the bright red nose:
On to the dinner!
Our RD was held at BIL and SIL's house. We had a "fancy fiesta" (inspired by the fabulous tropical menu dreamed up by our caterers-nesties Bensbabe823 and Cuteshorn). It was so much fun! Our family and WP kept commenting on how fun and relaxing the dinner was. I highly recommend doing something like this instead of having it at a restaurant. It was casual, relaxing and the perfect way to spend time with everyone the night before the wedding. Here are some pics!
Handing out gifts:
My MOH loved hers, can you tell?!
My parents opening theirs, they LOVED the handkerchiefs and were shocked when they saw the gift certificate for Royal Caribbean towards their next cruise!
The best moment for me was when FI opened his gift. I got him a Vanson leather jacket which he has wanted forever. He needs to go get fitted for it, so I made up a certificate telling him that's what he was getting and gave him some leather wipes for cleaning. His expression is priceless as he opens the wipes and has no clue why I'm giving him them:
He was happy!
My four best friends and the BEST BMs ever!
YAY, we're getting married tomorrow! (FI had to model his tie)
The Wedding Day 06.14.08
The weather was almost perfect! It was hot and a bit humid but partly sunny. The rain held off until we were inside the reception. Perfect!
Getting Ready
My BMs, parents and I all got ready at the Worcester Hilton Garden Inn. I was given a suite and it was perfect for hair and makeup. DH and his guys got ready at BIL's house.
The Girls...
The sapphire and diamond ring was my wedding gift from DH! Good shot of my nails too!
My pretty dress! Keith Berry, our photog, had to hang it in the window for me. The BMs and I couldn't figure it out!
BM jewelry...
Lisa on the phone with DH! At this point they wouldn't let me talk to him anymore.
Yay, the flowers are here! LOVED my bouquet!
All the beautiful bouquets... Some of the roses look red, but they were actually a dark hot pink.
Almost ready!
I'm a bride!
My BMs and dad checking me out. This was the only time of day that my dad teared up!
Checking myself out!
Let's go! The BMs and ring bearer went first and then the limo came back to get me, my parents and grandparents.
The Boys...
He's a geek!
DH and his best man and brother...
On the phone with BM Lisa...
DH's bout:
GM bouts:
Walking out to the limo...check out his shoes! They were the talk of the night.
The Ceremony
Saint Stephen's Chuch - 5:30 p.m.
Deep breaths...
Here we go!
DH's parents:
My beautiful mom escorted by my Papa:
I wasn't excited at all...ha!
Love DH's face in this one!
I LOVE this picture. Our priest was talking and he quoted e.e. Cummings, my favorite poet! It was so nice because I had never even mentioned that to our priest. This picture is me looking over at my BM who knows Cummings is my fave. It was a really cool moment!
The Kiss!
Formals
Union Station
Our photog CLIMBED on top of a railing to get these shots. It was crazy!
My grandmother was so cute. She had been waiting for the wedding since I was 3 years old. She had so much fun and looked so pretty!
Our ring bearer held onto his pillow the whole day!
My new nieces!
Reception Details
Union Station
We had pictures of our parents dancing at their weddings on the guest book/place card table.
The pink envelopes were for guests to take home their photobooth pictures in. Guests told us that was the best favor they've ever received!
We had 3 different centerpieces. 9 each of the tall versions and 4 low.
All the branches were painted silver! They looked so great!
I love how our table numbers came out. I used a different engagement picture on each number. I made these in InDesign and just printed on white cardstock. Super easy and I loved that they added a personal touch to the tables. The font used was "Beautiful".
I LOVED the look of our head table. The rose petals and candles were a surprise from my florist! The screen behind the table is where a slideshow of DH and I was shown during cocktail hour.
I thought the cake was going to have have hot pink sugar dots but instead they were orangey frosting dots. Oh well it still tasted good!
Photobooth
This was money well spent - it was SO much fun! Our guests loved it and we have so many great pictures of everyone. Sadly I didn't get in it until the end of the night!
Everyone- young and old- used the booth.
After guests took their pictures, they could leave one half in a scrapbook for us and write a note. The book is so fun to look at! Most people went in at least 2 or 3 times so most left us a picture and took the rest home in their pink envelopes. The pictures printed out with our monogram in the middle for a personal touch.
Knottie/Nesties Bensbabe823 and AMrsinMay2008 both popped in the booth!
DH and I FINALLY got in the booth at the end of the night. The photobooth attendant had to come and find me on the dance floor!
um, yea. DH decided to steal our Jr. BM's sunglasses and wear them :)
Reception
The party!
The Bridal Party was introduced to "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by the Temptations.
We were introduced to "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" by Frankie Valli
Our first dance was to "Question" by the Old 97s
DH sang the whole time :)
The Toasts - Both our MOH and BM did wonderful jobs!
Cake Cutting - we played "Knock Me a Kiss" by Louis Jordan
We also had a dessert table with various goodies including Italian cookies made by DH's family.
Parent Dances
I danced with my Dad to "Stealing Cinderella" & DH danced with his Mom to "In My Life" by the Beatles. I had to talk to my Dad the entire dance because otherwise I would have bawled my eyes out!
The Wedding Party Dance Off
Quite possibly the most fun of the entire night. Instead of having our bridal party do a slow dance we had a dance off.
Our DJ put together a mix with Please Don't Stop the Music - Rhianna/Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake/Low/Everybody Dance Now.
All the BMs came out with big sunglasses on and most of the GM changed into their Chuck Taylors that we gave them. It started out girls vs. boys and then just became a big dance party. SO.MUCH.FUN! The pics don't do it justice but the video is hysterical!
Our BP can seriously dance. 2 of our GM are unreal, they were dancing with everyone. Even our Jr. BM, whose parents had no clue she even liked dancing, broke it down all night!
DH NEVER dances and he was a dancing queen all night. It was awesome!
DH was "picking up change" and our GM was "starting the lawnmower"
Even our parents and my grandmother joined in!
Bouquet Toss - We played "Maneater" the Nelly Furtado version. One of my BMs and best friends caught it! What's hilarious is you'll notice my grandmother was also out there and there is a great pic of her almost catching it. Too funny!
Love this picture! This was after she caught it.
Dance, Dance!
Many of the ladies took advantage of the dancing shoes basket. I had bought 40 pairs and we only took about 6 home with us!
Do you think people had fun?! :)
um yes, I believe they did enjoy themselves!
And clearly, DH and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed ourselves. I'm so glad we danced all night! (not always with each other, but we had a damn good time!)
My BM is the best twirler :)
Aren't I klassy with my bottle? ;)
DH danced with his niece for a good part of the reception. They had so much fun!
More Reception Fun...
Nesties Bensbabe823 and AMrsinMay2008. Of course we had to do a married bling shot!
DH and Mr. and Mrs Bensbabe823
AMrsinMay2008 checking out my new right hand ring! Her H is looking on.
Last Dance
We danced to Michael Buble's "You're Everything".
What happened to us?! I'm so shiny from dancing all night and DH had misplaced his glasses...ha!
BEST. NIGHT. EVER.
After Party
Our whole group headed back to the Hilton. Everyone who stayed at the hotel (plus lots of guests who just came to extend the party) had drinks at Uno's (they stayed open exra late for us!). Then we had a bunch of people up to our suite (probably 30 or so and probably not the best idea looking back) until 4:30 am! But it was so much fun!
Nope, I didn't take my veil off, I thought it went well with my Bride t-shirt ;)
My flowers survived the party!
Honeymoon
Excellence Riviera Cancun - We had a wonderful and relaxing time!
There were BEDS on the beach and by the pool. So awesome.
I did check the Knot once while we were away! But I also checked email looking for wedding pictures :)
Thanks for looking!
Vendor Reviews
We are very lucky in that all of our vendors were nothing short of spectacular. Our day really went almost perfectly and that was due to hiring top notch vendors. I don't believe in the "++++ " system, just regular old As & Bs. If you have any further questions, please feel free to page me on the Boston local knot or nest boards.
Reception Venue: Union Station - A+ for beauty and uniqueness/C for planning
We initially booked Union Station in March of 07, when it was being run by Union Station The Restaurant. When they closed, we had to deal with the city of Worcester and OR&L, the managment company. They were initially very hard to get hold of, although I do have to give them credit because they let us keep our date even though the old caterer never gave them our deposit. It was a nightmare in the beginning but the city referred us to our caterer and eventually answered all questions we had. What was annoying was that we ended up not getting certain things we had been promised by the restaurant when we booked (i.e. candles allowed in the room, extra space for pictures).
Caterer: Creedon & Co., Worcester - A+ planning/A- for day of
Creedon really saved the day for us. They stepped in and took care of everything for us when the Restaurant closed. They created a US package with the same menu (but enhanced), tables, chivari chairs, valet service, etc all for the exact same price we had booked the Restaurant with. It was such a relief to find them!
During the planning, our contact was sometimes hard to get hold of but when we did she took care of us and answered all of our questions quickly.
On the day of the room was set up exactly as I'd instructed, the service was impeccable (the furthest table from the head table was eating their salads at the same time we were!), and the food was delicious. The only *issue* I had was that I had requested certain drinks for DH and I and wouldn't you know those were the only two drinks that WEREN'T available. It wasn't the end of the world, believe me, we found other things to drink. I did have a few guests comment as well and I really found it odd that they didn't have our requests. And, when I emailed them afterwards about it (after complimenting them immsensley on the rest of the night), my contact never returned my email. But this was the *only* thing that didn't go according to plan so I can't complain! I highly recommend Creedon & Co. for catering.
Photographer: Berry Photos, Keith Berry - A+
We love Keith! Him and Katie (his wife) are so easy to work with. We had our first experience actually working with Keith when we did our engagement photos in October. We had asked him to do some different kinds of shots than he typically does for e-pic sessions, use different lenses, and he totally came through! Our e-pics were exactly what he wanted and Keith was fun and easy to be around. It made us really excited for our wedding! Plus he surprised us and put a slideshow of our pics on his website!
On the day of the wedding, Keith showed up early as did his assistant with the guys. He got all the shots I wanted, was really creative in the ways he got some of the pictures, was super nice to my family and guests and just all around fun to be around. I had so many guests and my family comment on how great and how hardworking he was. Keith stayed until the last minute of the reception which was great. He must have eaten at some point but I feel like he was always up and snapping away.
He has teasers up for us almost right away so we snuck a peak at those while on our HM. Once they were all up, Keith surprised us and made us a featured wedding on his website with a slideshow! It was customized with songs from our wedding. We got our proof book about 5-6 weeks after the wedding and it's FAB! It's like a mini album. Now I can't wait to plan our actual album, since the ones Keith does are gorgeous and super high quality. I HIGHLY recommend Berry Photos. They do terrific work and have great prices and packages.
Florist: Graceful Designs - A+
I can't say enough wonderful things about Caren from Graceful Designs. I found her via a knottie when Caren was just starting out her business. She is based in Shrewsbury but travels. She totally got my vision from the very start and came up with some incredibly creative ideas (like our awesome centerpieces!!) all while staying within my budget. She provided me with the MOST detailed quote of any vendor I hired. When I found out I could no longer use real candles at US, she came up with alternatives for me. I rented everything from her (candles, vases, etc) which was so much easier than having to buy everything on my own. Caren was always checking in with me throughout the planning process and even referred me to my DOC. She was so helpful and fun to work with. I absolutely LOVED all my flowers. The bouquets were gorgeous, centerpieces beyond my expectations and she surprised me with extra rose petals and candles in our reception decor. I really can't recommend her enough. Hire Graceful Designs, you won't be disappointed!
DJ: TNT Entertainment (Anthony D'Elia) - A+
Anthony was recommended to us by US The Restaurant. I am SO glad we found him. He is based in Worcester but travels. We got so many compliments about the music at our wedding which was so great. Anthony has special equipment to use at Union Station which is incredibly important since the accoustics are very difficult to manage in the building. He is a bit pricey but it was totally worth it to us, since we didn't want the music to sound off. We had heard about a few weddings where the DJs weren't prepared with the right equipment and the music sounded echoey. On top of the music being great, Anthony (who is the owner but has 3 other DJs who work for him) is incredibly. He met with us 3 times to plan out our reception, had wonderful ideas for us and had some tips on Union Station since he'd worked there so many times before. He also used to be a club DJ so he is great at mixing and knowing how to read a crowd. He loved our WP dance off idea and came up with a great mix for us. On top of all that, he put together a slideshow of Dan and I to show at our cocktail hour (for FREE!). I HIGHLY recommend TNT!
Videographer: Press Play Studios (Sean Mitchell) - A+
I am in LOVE with our video! I found Sean on the Knot and am SO glad we did. He is young and just starting his business but don't let that deter you. He really captured our day without being intrusive. (We had a few members of the wedding party calling him the "stealth video guy"!)
The quality of the video is fantastic, not shaky at all, good sound and great editing. It flows so well. We actually got two DVDs, one with the ceremony and one with the reception. He also included dating, engagement and honeymoon pictures.
The packaging is fantastic! He used pro pics on the front and back covers and then on the title pages of each DVD. Love, love, love my video!! I highly recommend Sean. His prices are great (he includes 3 copies of your video in the package) and he is super easy to get hold of. Definitely check him out!
http://web.mac.com/pressplaystudios/iWeb/Press%20Play%20Studios/Welcome.html
Day of Coordinator: Trends & Traditions (Jenny O'Malley) - A
I hired Jenny because Union Station has no coordinator and I didn't want to stress out on the day of my wedding! Jenny was great throughout my planning. She checked in with me a few times and was always helpful. The BEST part of hiring her was that she created a timeline for all my vendors and confirmed with all of them the week leading up to the wedding. I was so stressed with other things that I'm SO glad I didn't have to do that as well. She was especially helpful in coordinating the shuttle, keeping our caterer on track with how I wanted the room set up, and the overall logistics of everything. She ran our rehearsal and was so nice to me when I was a blubbering mess! She treats her brides like friends and that was so great.
On the wedding day she came with her assistant Lisa. To be honest, Lisa was not very outgoing or friendly to anyone. She coordinated things but barely spoke to anyone and that put me off a bit. Jenny made up for it because she is so bubbly and personable (while being 6 months pregnant!) Jenny helped me get into my dress, helped my mom and BMs (even my dad with his vest), coordinated the ceremony, handed out tips to vendors, and was just a calming prescence. I hired her for extra hours to stay until the end of the reception to gather all our things up (presents, toasting flutes, vases, candles, etc) and I'm so glad I did. It meant our family and friends didn't have to worry about picking up everything. It was just so nice knowing that I didn't have to deal with any problems that came up that day.
I highly recommend Trends & Traditions. Jenny is a huge stress reliever!
www.trendsandtraditionsevents.com
Photobooth: Boston Photo Booth - A+
Boston Photobooth was incredible!! Before I hired them, they contacted Union Station for me to make sure the booth would be able to work at the venue. It was nice that I didn't have to do the leg work for them. Their package includes a ton: 5 hours of service with an attendant, unlimited pictures for guests, a scrapbook you get the day of the wedding, a cd with every picture taken, a DVD with a slideshow of all pictures put to music, and customized graphics on the picture print outs.
The booth was such a success. Our guests couldn't stop talking about it, the attendent was really nice and professional, the booth looked great and the print outs were terrific quality. We got the cd and dvd only a few weeks after our wedding. When I noticed a couple pictures were missing on the cd, they went back and found the missing ones and sent me out another cd right away. I highly recommend Boston Photo Booth!
www.bostonphotoboothrental.com
Makeup: Pretty Face (Lisa Tremblay) - A+
I am biased, as Lisa is my friend and was a bridesmaid but she did a fantastic job! She recently started her own event makeup business after doing it for friends and family for years. She did my makeup, my mom and grandmother (neither of which wear any makeup usually) and one of my BMs. Everyone looked gorgeous, the makeup stayed on through the night, and she is so professional and fun to be around. She can create any kind of look you are going for. Her prices are also incredibly reasonable and she travels throughout MA. As an introductory offer she is offering FREE trials. She also includes lipstick for you to keep the day of your wedding.
Hire her!
Limo: Regis Limo - A+
I am an idiot and waited until 2 weeks before the wedding to hire a limo for the wedding party. I had everything else planned months ahead and for some reason totally slacked on this! I really wanted black limos but couldn't find any available so then my search turned to basically anything available on June 14th. I only needed one because all our venues were so close together that I knew the limo could make multiple trips.
I had called a bunch of places and most made me feel badly for calling so late. When I talked to Regis they were WONDERFUL. They had a limo available and helped me out with timing and coordinating.
On the day of our driver was AWESOME!! I believe his name was Frank and he was so fun and nice. He had picked up DH and the guys before and told me how excited Dan was. He played "Going to the Chapel" on the way to the church which was fun! When we got there, he held my train while I walked into the church and was just so helpful the whole time he was there. He even helped my coordinator with the church doors when I made my entrance!
The limo was beautiful, clean and stocked with drinks. The price was very reasonable as well. I highly recommend Regis!
www.regislimo.com
Guest Shuttle: Knight's - A+
We hired a 20 person shuttle van through Knight's in Worcester. The pricing was great ($600 for 8 hours including tip!). The shuttle was clean, on time, made all the trips we needed and was easy to coordinate. Highly recommend them!
Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn - A-
This hotel is new and so nice. The rooms are fantastic and the hotel is right downtown. Setting up the hotel block was very easy (I worked with Connie in the Sales Dept.) and we were not responsible for any rooms not booked. The rate was reasonable at $99 a night. We got a free suite if 20 rooms were booked (which we easily met) and the suite was awesome! Perfect for getting ready in. I did have a few guests have issues booking which were quickly resolved when I talked to Connie. We dropped off OOT bags for guests the day before the wedding and had no issues with people receiving them. I highly recommend using this hotel if you are getting married in Worcester.
Tuxes: Bonardi's - D
Ugh! We ordered tuxes through Bonardi's on Highland St. in Worcester. When DH and I first went in, the sales person was giving us a hard time about the GMs having black shirts and white vests because "usually the groom wears a white vest, you know". Um, yes, we know that and we're doing something different! The rep was nice but a know-it-all which was annoying.
When the guys all went to pick up their tuxes the day before the wedding, most of them had fitting issues and they even gave one GM the wrong tux! DH's shirt was too big and they basically couldn't do anything about it.
I wouldn't recommend using this vendor.
Other Recommended Vendors
The following vendors were all great and I'd recommend all of them. Page me if you have further questions about any of them!
Church: Saint Stephen's
My Gown: Pronuptia Bridal in Worcester
BM Dresses: Caradonna Bridal, Northboro
Veil: Occanseydesigns.com
Invites: My Gatsby.com
Calligraphy: Afineletter.com
Shoes/Jewelry: Carbeannau's in Worcester / White Aisle.com
STD Magnets: Magnetstreet.com
Hair: Donna Guzzetti
Makeup bags for BM gifts: bagettes.com
BM jewelry: Sam Moon/NY & Co.
HM Travel Agent: Steve at BeachBumVacations.com
Custom cocktail napkins: Foryourparty.com
Guestbook and Thank You Notes (pic below!): Shutterfly.com
Thanks for checking out my bio! Enjoy the planning, it's stressful but it really does all come together. Just remember that the only thing that really matters is at the end of it all you are marrying your best friend and you have a wonderful life to look forward to! Cheers!
