On Friday I went with my parents and Lauren to my first meeting with the florist. He was fabulous-- his shop (Florentine Florist in Cranston) was beautiful and as soon as we sat down the ideas coming from this man were great. I went into the meeting really clueless, just knowing that I liked how bunches of hydrangeas looked, but only knowing that because I see them everywhere. I'm really unaware of all the types of flowers out there. He liked the hydrangea idea and added some other nice touches, like daisies and roses. He's going to decorate the cake with matching flowers to tie everything together, too. We're thinking of doing a mix of tall and short table arrangements at the reception to make it visually interesting, and he even has these beautiful wrought iron stands that he bought specifically to match the designs in the Rotunda Room where our reception will be held. Cool, huh? He also suggested I go see him at a couple of wedding shows so I can get a better idea of what I like (since I'm really not too picky or specific right now).
One thing he said that I'm really going to take to heart and start working on was this: he told me that I need to be more assertive throughout this planning process and really know what I want and be willing to tell the vendors what I want. Apparently I kept saying "I'm not sure" throughout our meeting, and he insisted that I did know what I wanted, I just don't have the vocabulary for it yet. It's partially that, but it also really is that I just don't know right now. I have ideas and if I see something, I usually know immediately if I like it or not, but when it comes to making all these decisions, I really don't know. But, he was right in a sense. If I keep saying that I don't know what I want, I'll get talked into things that I really don't want by vendors who can sense my state of not knowing. So.. that's the next thing I'll work on: really figuring out what I want so I don't get taken advantage of during this process!
This past weekend was great (I'm sitting here writing this on Sunday night at 11:00... I REALLY don't want to get up for work in the morning. I wish I was still on the Cape!). I spent the weekend at Matt's house with his aunts Ros and Liz. We talked wedding, looked at pictures, researched photographers, cut out appliance and homey things from magazines... the works. The two of them were so much fun and had some great ideas. Their excitement makes me more excited! I'm really looking forward to being a part of their family.
So tomorrow it's back to reality for me. Work, scrambling to get the writing done for my first submission (planning a wedding while doing grad school? I must be crazy...), and a doctor's appointment. At some point this week I've got to drop off our reception venue deposit and contract to make it official. Eek!
Also... if there's anyone reading this, feel free to leave suggestions or advice in a comment. I'm completely open to ideas, opinions, etc. In fact, I'm really looking for all the help I can get! I'm especially interested in knowing how other people have made decisions, ideas on colors and themes, and things like how other brides have incorporated family heirlooms into their big day. Let the ideas roll!
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Hey Kristin,
ReplyDeleteSomething that helped me with planning out my colors was using those little free paint samples from Lowe's or Home Depot. I took a swatch of the Marine color of your dresses and paired it up with a bunch of the samples that I thought looked the best... for me, it was ivories, peaches, and sage greens. That way, when I took it to the florist or to the venue or to buy placemats for the centerpieces, or invites, I could just tell whether everything would complement it or not. I actually (so dorky, I know) punched a hole in all of the samples, and kept them together with a brass fastener. It just gave a better sense of what the finished product would look like. Don't feel pressured from your vendors... Keep your eye on the big picture!
Hey Kristin!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blog :-) I am really loving the planning, and love that i have just under 2 whole years to do it! So cool that Sara's in your wedding. She best hurry home from Spain. hehe
I'll enjoy reading your posts!
Best,
Kristina
Hey Kristin - it's Alicia.
ReplyDeleteI remeber I had my heart set on having gerber daisies in all of the bouquets. They're my favorite flower, plus they have some sentimental value as Brian bought me a beautiful gerber daisy arrangement when we first started dating (back when I took him to my junior prom lol!). Like you, I had no clue what other flowers might look good with the gerber daisies. All I did was tell my florist the colors we were using (cranberry and sage green) and that I wanted vibrant colors in the bouquets and he came up with this beautiful arrangement of gerber daisies, roses, cymbidium orchids, and even a sunflower in each of the girls bouquets. I loved, loved, loved my flowers. I would definitely say go with your gut, and don't let anyone talk you out of what you want. We went to one florist I remember and she tried to talk me into all white roses for the girls and red roses for me, and it just wasn't what I wanted at all. I think hydrangeas will be beautiful, perfect for a summer wedding. I also loved the colors in Lisa's bouquets, they went so well with the dresses and were so elegant. I'm sure they are going to be lovely.
Alicia