Anyone getting married in September and or at Stonebrook Manor?

gretiffa

I thought it would be nice to know someone else getting married around the same time or even at the same place so we can compare notes.   If you are getting married in September or at Stonebrook Manor in Thornton I would love to hear from you.

missajason2010

Yes, and yes! September 12th. How's your planning going?

gretiffa

Sept 24th is our date and planning going really well so far.  I'm at a cake decision point and not quite sure what I'm going to do  yet.   Have you chosen a cake and are you letting Stonebrook make it?  Or are you using somebody else?  How is your planning going?  What are your colors etc...

missajason2010

We haven't really decided much about the cake, but yes, we are having Stonebrook make it. We are going to try to go to the "tasting" in May and hoping there will be some cake there to taste. We are going to try to keep it simple - we like the look of a plain round cake with ribbon wrapped at the bottom of each level - maybe?? And we are going to try to stay as basic as possible and not add a bunch of extra costs...it is just going to get eaten!!
Our colors are green and white. Our flowers are hydrangeas and kermit mums, and again, will be minimal other than bouqets and bouts. We are using their bowls for centerpieces and will put floating candles in them. We have also decided not to do a host bar, but instead, put down some cash (probably $700 - $800) and hope that that will cover most of the night. We are planning about 80 guests, so it won't be too big.
Other than that, planning is going very well - we are going shopping for BM dresses this weekend!
How about you???

AllicatH1104

we are not getting married until 2011, but we are looking in to that venue... what do you guys think about it? how is the staff? have you found that there have been a lot of hidden costs or were the prices presented upfront pretty much it?

missajason2010

We chose this venue for 2 reasons: 1 - I wanted to get married outside, and 2 - they do everything.
Once you set up a meeting they will give you all the paperwork. After that, they give you a week (or something) to pay your deposit in order to secure your date. It seems like pretty much all costs are disclosed, but definitely read carefully. For instance, if you get a package, you may have to pay more for the DJ if you have fewer than 100 people, and the cake included is quite basic. But, everyone has been very helpful and friendly.
My only complaint is probably the price of alcohol - it seems to be very expensive to host your own bar. But, one of the ladies there suggested to us that we pay a certain amount to the bar tab and have essentially an open bar that way, but they'll give us back any money not spent.
We are also using their DJ and officiant, and so far I am pleased.

BTW - I don't know when in 2011 you are looking, but we booked Stonebrook about 13 months in advance and I was very glad to have the ability to pick which garden we wanted....so it's never too early if you ask me! Good luck!

MindyTorres123

We did not choose Stonebrrok--although their venue is very pretty. Be careful, though--some of their pricing is very high, so you might want to shop around for some of the extras. We found a great officiant, for example, who wa MUCH less than what Stonebrook wanted to add on for theirs.

gretiffa

Missa, we went to a tasting this month and they had 3 different flavored cakes there. I really wanted to like the lemon and I didnt:(  But I really loved the chocolate.  It has a mouse filling and chocolate chips.  It was so good. The white vanilla  with fresh strawberries was good and kinda tasted like a strawberry shortcake.  We have decided on the Tuscany menu after going to the tasting.  

Alicia- I have been very pleased with the services and staff that Stonebrook Manor has provided us so far.  We have not seen any hidden fees so far and I read the contract from top to bottom.    Our budget is $10,000 and we are expecting about 100 guests.  So far it looks like we are going to be at or below budget with a really gorgeous wedding!  Check out our wedding page to get some more ideas.  I'm having alot of fun planning this event.  Its actually our 10  year wedding anniversary and we are having the wedding we never got.  We opted for the courthouse 10 years ago and made a promise when we made it to 10 years we would have the wedding of our dreams.  When you start early you get so much more time to research and find the best options for you and not have t0 rush and make quick decisions.  If you have any other questions about stonebrook I would be happy to answer them.  Just go take a tour and they will give you all the info you need!

brew311

Gretiffa, SO COOL that you started this thread!   I'm Sept 18 and I cannot wait!!!  We went to the tasting last month too and it made it all the more real to taste the food, see the venue at night and talk with the vendors. 

We're doing everything w/ Stonebrook except the officiant (we have a family friend).  The food was great, but I felt it was lukewarm and not very fresh.  I'm hoping that was only because it was the tasting and they were feeding 300+ people.  The cakes were a little dry, but the flavors were great.  I actually loved the lemon with raspberry and I think we'll do that as our main flavor.  The chocolate chip was too much for me, but I think guests will love it.  The strawberry/vanilla bean was amazing as well. 

As far as the pricing, everything is very up front, but they do "nickel and dime you."  For instance, any other cake flavor besides vanilla bean is an upgrade.  So far as to .25 per guest to add strawberries.  But if you're willing to pay for what is important to you and save on things that are less important, it's a great deal.

I love how it's one-stop-shopping.  My BFF got married last September and spent all of her planning trying to find the perfect vendor for each aspect of her wedding.  That's what she wanted, and more power to her, but that's not the kind of bride I am.  I don't feel the wedding will suffer by any means by not hunting around for the PERFECT florist.   And I love how you can upgrade anything if need be.  I don't think we'll reach our limit for the flowers, but we're putting more $$ towards the package to have the open bar.

I'm also thinking of renting a photo booth and using that as our favor and guest book.  Any ideas/opinions?  I haven't even checked w/ SB to see if that's ok...maybe I should

Our colors are black, white and red (and cherries).  I'm not big on flowers, I need to meet w/ the flower lady and see what they can do.  Very basic though, maybe integrating the cherry theme with cherry ribbon on the bouquets.

My BM are in black dresses w/ red trim, groomsmen in black tuxes, black shirts, red vests and i'm in an ivory dress with HEAVY red trim and hot cherry peeptoe pumps.  OMG, just thinking about it gets me excited!!  I've been w/ my FI for 8 years, so we're way past due! 

It's great to hear how everyone's planning is going.  Excited to hear more details!!  Good luck to all

gretiffa

This month I'm going and making our first half payment to Stonebrook.  I really want to play around with the linens, napkins and layouts to see what I need and dont need.  I'm not sure if they will let me, but I'm going to ask!  Also another bit of cool info is:  I approached one of the ladies at Stonebrook the evening of the tasting and asked her how far in advance would I need to let them know about getting a different color bow for the chairs. Well, they tell you that they only have those 4 colors, but they have more!  I need brown and she asked me how many people we are going to have (100) and told me she had them.  They just dont advertise it because they dont have enough for super large parties.  So I dont have to pay extra for the different color bows which is super cool!  So if they dont have your color you should ask! 
I'm torn right now for what to do with my cake.  I have a beautiful design picked out, but because of the fondant detail SB is going to charge me an additional $300!  I cant decide what to do yet.  I have a great cake lady in town that can totally pull it off, but also is going to charge me approx the same price.  Anyone know how many people the SB cake will feed? 
I'm going this friday to meet with a florist.  I too, dont need many flowers just for us, but I dont think we are going to use them in the decor, but not 100% sure about that yet. 
And then next week we are going wedding dress shopping!  Yeah that is going to be a fun day!
Cant wait to hear back from you all.

brew311

Does anyone have a digital map of directions for Stonebrook for your invites?  I called them and they said it's in their brochure.  I don't really want to re-create it, even though it's pretty basic.

TIA,

Misty

gretiffa

Not yet.  I just started looking for invitations.  I have samples on the way and then I will start worrying what to put in them!   If you come across one that you could share I would love to see it.
Thanks, Tiffany

ps.  are any of you decorating the stair case?  I want to, but just not sure what to do with it yet.

brew311

I was thinking of decorating the stairway, I meet w/ the florist on Friday to discuss options.  Since they decorate there all the time, I'm curious to see what kind of ideas they have.  Also, I have my FI scan the brochure and my invite lady prettied it up.  If anyone would like to use it, please email me at brew311 at yahoo and I can send it back to you

BTW, Gretiffa, did you go play with the linen yet?  How did it go?

Misty

gretiffa

Misty if you could email me the map that would be awesome!  gretiffa@msn.com is my email.
I haven't gone to play with the linens. I did go in and make my payment and asked if they would let me and she said yes.  So yeah!  Let me know what kind of ideas your florist suggested for the staircase. I cant really think of anything besides weaving tule and lights through it.  What are you doing for centerpieces?  I'm kinda leaning towards using branches in cylinder vases  and hanging tealights from them.  I have seen several pictures and think it looks beautiful, but I will see if I can pull it off or not.  We are not doing flowers.  What florist are you using?  I've visited one (petals and pearls) in brighton and will visit with one more next month and make my decision on who we will use. We are only getting flowers for the bouquet,  and for the MVP's to wear.  Who are you using for your invites? I'm currently looking and have a lady in Colorado Springs sending me a sample, I really like the pocket fold invites.  Have you found your dress?  I started shopping 2 weeks ago, I have it narrowed down to 2.  I will make my final decision on the 3rd!  I'm glad I started shopping when I did. I had no clue it took so long to get a dress back!  Sorry for the million questions!

Tiffany

brew311

Tiffany,

I'm not too sure about flowers either.  We're using the Stonebrook florist, cuz flowers are not a big priority for me.  When we went to the tasting though, they had a rep there and their book was pretty amazing.  They can do a lot of "decorating" stuff that isn't necessarily floral, or maybe it just has petals, but not an over the top kind of centerpiece.  I wanted to make our table numbers wine flavors instead of just plain numbers.  So one table would be Merlot, and another table Pinot Noir, etc.  (The FI and I love wine.)  So I was hoping the florist could coordinate a wine bottle (our fav brand of that type) as the focal point and then do something fun around the bottle.  Our escort cards would be wine corks with slits cut in them to hold the cards. 

I love the idea of branches with tea lights as your centerpieces.  They are very popular right now, but for good reason, they are so beautiful!  Let me know what you decide

'm using a gal on etsy for my invites.  Her handle is platinumdesigns and they are the pocketfolds as well (LOVE THEM!).  I'm not sure where she's located, but she is so on top of things, it's scary!  I will send her an email and she will answer in a few hours.  Or I will ask 8 million questions, and she will have the answers within a day.  They are also completely custom, so there is a lot of communication both ways.   Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=25211271

I go to the florist tomorrow morning, I'll let you all know how it goes!

Misty

gretiffa

Misty I cant wait to hear about your visit to the florist!   I dont know why I didnt even think to use SB's florist!  I will wait to hear from you to see if I should schedule an appoinment.   We are scheduled to meet with a Harpist in 2 weeks!  We are going to have her play for the ceremony. I cant wait to meet her and hear her music!  Have a great weekend!
Tiffany

missajason2010

Hey Tiffany!
I am so anxious to hear how your harpist meeting goes - I don't think we are using the same person, but I am really excited about having her play our ceremony. Have you decided on processional/recessional songs yet? We are having a really hard time coming up with classic, yet not traditional songs to be played on the harp.
Also, we are using Dawn Ackerman with Hillside Consultants as our florist. She is so amazing, budget friendly, and just all around great. She works in the Springs but communicates very well through email and will deliver for $50.

Melissa

brew311

Hey girls,

I met w/ Cathy@Elite Flowers on Friday and it went great!!!  We picked everything that comes included in the SB package (bouquets, boutineres, cake flowers, etc), but then I went above and beyond by getting centerpieces.  I had originally thought to do CP's by myself by loaning stuff from my MOH's wedding.  But the one big, huge clencher for me was the Elite sets up and tears down as part of your package.  At my MOH's wedding last year, she DIY'd everything including the decs and center pieces and we spent the last 1/2 hr of the reception cleaning up.  Not fun when everyone is intoxicated and just wants to keep dancing or go pass out! 

Cathy said that most floral budgets for wedding average around $2K.  I did $1200 total minus the $500 SB package.  So that's $700 out of pocket.  Eek!  But that's a high estimate as well (assuming 15 tables instead of 10 etc).  But I'm really pleased with the service, you can literally pick ANYTHING!  And she gave me more budget-friendly options like using a different "filler" flower in the Bmaids bouquets.  Also, I'm not doing a toss bouquet or cake flowers, so even though they are included in the SB package, she took those fees and applied them to my CP's, so it hepled to balance as well.  Another cool thing was that I picked 2 different centerpieces.  One more traditional and one with a little more flair that is more me.  I liked that that was even an option, but not necessarily more expensive.  Plus, they rent all the glassware for free, in the SB package, so if you want to get your own decorative items (branches, etc) that would make the price more reasonable.

I'd love to hear how the harpist meetings go.  Hadn't really considered one, but the one at my MOH's wedding was amazing   My ceremony music is pretty traditional, so I don't think I have any recommendations for you Melissa

I have some questions for y'all:
1) How is your reception timeline going to go?  I worry about the 4 hr reception time and trying to cram everything in.  Do you get announced as Mr and Mrs and then share your 1st dance, then eat? 

2) Are you having a receiving line?  If not, what are you doing?   We were thinking of eating quickly, then greeting ppl at the beginning of the buffet line.  Is that lame?

3) How are you guys leaving SB?  Since they don't allow things to be thrown like flower petals or confetti (or have fireworks), are you doing anything for when you leave for the night?

Thanks!
Misty

gretiffa

Misty I think I will go ahead and call them too, since you liked the so much and see what they can do for us.  I really like the idea of them cleaning up!      I have not started thinking about the reception lineup yet!  I try not to think about everything at once or I get overwhelmed!  I really like The Knot checklist, it really helps me stay focused on what needs to be done when.   But I dont think we are going to have a recieving line, because of the limited amount of time.  We are having a dinner with all out of town guests before the wedding so we can give our thanks and gratitude for them flying out.  And then we will be sure to take the time to go around the night of the wedding to speak with everyone else.    SB will let you blow bubbles outside. But it will be dark for us.  So I might research other creative ideas.  I know we are riding away in a limo.  Thanks for informing me of the florist. I'm excited to meet her.
Tiffany

missajason2010

Hi Misty,
This is a rough draft of our timeline:
6:30 - 7 cocktail "hour"/picture wrap-up (we're going to try to get a lot done before the ceremony)
7 introduction/groom toast
7 - 8 buffet dinner/champagne/other toasts
8 - 8:15 first dance/parent dances
8:15 - 8:45 dancing
8:45 -  9 cake cutting
9 - 10:30 dancing
Since the reception isn't super long we didn't want to break up the dancing - that's why we are going to wait on the first dance. But that's just us. Also, we don't plan to do a receiving line. We're having 70-80 people so will just try to go around to all the tables at the end of dinner or after our dances.
Anyway, hopefully this helps.

Melissa

gretiffa

Melissa, thanks for the timeline it will surely help me put mine together.  I just met with a Harpist today and I'm so excited!  She plays beautifully.  But she asked me all these questions of course I wasnt ready to answer. I havent thought about the songs to be played before during and after the ceremony.  But she played me several songs and I loved them all.  So now I have some decisions to make. I found my dress this month!  It will arrive in August and then I will go straight in alterations, so its going to be super close to the wedding date once it done, I cant wait to see it again!   Here are my pictures!  This month I hope to accomplish my invites and fill out the contract for the harpist.  What are you doing this month?  Are things coming along nice and smooth so far for you? 

brew311

Hey girls!  We're hitting the 5 month mark, how is everything going??

I forgot to tell y'all that when I met w/ the flower lady, I also got aisle flowers.  I don't think I have a flower girl (source of stress, lemme tell ya!), so Kathy will line the chairs with ribbon and a flower on every other chair.  After those flowers are used for the ceremony, they will take them inside and decorate the banister with them.  I thought that was neat of them, so you get dual use out of your purchase.

I just put a list together of all the little things to start working on like cake topper, unity sand set up, garter, greeting card box (for the gift table), etc.  Lists make me feel better   Ive been shopping on eBay and etsy to get things custom made or at a good discount so that has been fun.

We still haven't ordered or BM dresses.  My MOH just had her baby and now is too busy to get it done.  We still have some time, but I'd like to not do it last minute.  Other than that, things are going well.  I'm getting really excited!!  It's hard to focus at work sometimes

What's flowing for you vs. what your stress points are?  I'm curious if I'm starting to overreact

Misty

gretiffa

Misty I think as we all get closer the stress gets heavier.  I'm trying not to stress, its just so much to think about and I dont want to forget anything!  I have been having dreams often, that I changed the date to earlier and then I notice that I didnt buy my dress or the tuxes havent been rented yet!   Thats always scary!  But then just relized it was  a dream!   Things are coming along great!  In this last month I got my dress ordered, met with the Harpist, the florist, ordered my invitations,  and just found the vintage limo I wanted! Talked with them this morning!  In May I'm going to focus on centerpiece ideas and finding my shoes.  Have you got your shoes yet?  If so where did you get them or look to find them?  
Dont stress, hopefully your MOH will get things rolling soon.  I dont have a wedding party since we are renewing our vows, its so nice to not have to deal with that aspect of the wedding! 
Take care, relax and enjoy the experience!
Tiffany

missajason2010

Hi Ladies!! Tiffany - I love your dress!!! It is so pretty!
Okay, so I definitely had a bit of a break down at my 5 month mark last week - just worrying about all of the little things that I was afraid I was going to forget. But I keep telling myself that none of it really matters as long as we are married at the end of the day!
Otherwise, I'm in pretty good shape and am trying to stay on top of things. I'm excited for the tasting next month and very curious to see how that goes. We are thinking of springing for the prime rib, but maybe I'll love one of their other dishes just as much, so we'll see. We did a "trial" of our favors/escort cards last weekend and I think we've got it nailed down (we are baking shortbread cookies cut in to heart shapes, wrapping and tying them with green ribbon and the tags that will have their names/table #'s are made of seeded paper - I'm super excited!!). But I wanted to know how many batches of cookies to make, if the cookie cutters were an okay size, etc. I know, I'm a bit of a control freak, but oh well! But, we need to learn how to do calligraphy so we can start putting the names on the tags of people we know will come. Also, we found a guest book that we love, but of course we're taking it apart and only using the cover so that needs to be worked on; and I want to start trying some different things for addressing our invites as we plan to do that ourselves.

For choosing Stonebrook because of their all-in-one services, I sure do feel like I have a lot to do still!!
Melissa

brew311

Melissa,

I feel the EXACT same way!  The little details are what make your day important, so it's easy to stress about them.  Especially since you want things your way.  I love your favors/escort cards!  What a cute idea!  I think we decided on no favors.  We have a large party (120-150) and I honestly can't remember a wedding favor I kept or that stuck out in my memory.  So to me, it's not worth the money.

BTW, Tiffany, I agree, your dress is STUNNING!  I'm hoping to get mine in soon so I can see how it fits.  I ordered it back in Feb and have gained some weight since then. The stress definitely doesn't help   Melissa, do you have a pic of yours?  Here's mine...

gretiffa

Girls this is what we as an alternative to a guest book, its called a wishing tree!  Super Pretty!

missajason2010

Tiffany - I love that idea!! I know that I would never do anything with the cards, but you could turn it in to a really cute memory book or something!
I don't have a picture of my dress, but I found one similar:
www.davidsbridal.com/images/product/thumbnail/bridal-gowns-t9861-161516.jpg" alt="Bridal Gowns Style T9861 - Off-the-shoulder satin side-draped A-line gown with draped bodice and lace-up back" width="144" />

Hopefully this doesn't turn giant!! Mine isn't quite off the sleeves as much, and has a regular sweetheart neckline without the ruching on the chest. This is the new style that replaced mine - but I liked mine better. Plus, I got it for $99!! I give my mom a hard time because her's was more expensive than mine! But I love it just the same!

missajason2010

Oh, crappy. I don't know how to put a picture in I guess....sorry!

gretiffa

We are at the 4 month marker now!  Yikes!  I'm getting worked up over my centerpieces!  I dont know what to do with them yet? Have you picked yours, if so what are you doing?   I'm going to look for shoes tomorrow and then meeting with the cake designer on Thursday at Stonebrook.  We are going to get fitted for tuxes on the 4th.  I Hope your planning is coming along nicely!   Hope to hear from you soon!

Tiffany

brew311

Holy cow, 4 months!!  When I think too hard on it, I start to freak out.  It seems like every single day, I make at least one wedding decision.  My boss at work has even noticed.  Oops

I just did my centerpieces w/ the flower lady@Elite (from SB).  She was super nice, like I said before, and she really listened to what I wanted.  We ended up picking two different kinds, but they are really basic.  One is a square vase w/ pebbles, water and a few gerbera daisies poking out of the top.  (I call this the boring one.)  The second is a round cylinder that's been blinged out w/ rhinestones.  There's a light shining up from the bottom and it's also filled w/ water (no rocks) and has a daisy petal floating on top.  Both centerpieces will be surrounded by 3 votives.  All in all they're pretty basic, I just didn't want to put a whole lot of effort into them.  More of my details will be elsewhere.

Where did you get your tuxes?   We went to Al's b/c I got a good discount from one of the bridal shows.  What are your colors?  Are you doing tuxes or suits? 

I'm DYING to know how your cake meeting goes, keep us posted!  I'm scheduling mine tomorrow, most likely to go at the end of this month.  My mom is obsessed w/ the cake shows on TLC and really wants me to go nuts.  But seeing as how SB charges out the wazoo for extras on the cake, I'm not sure what to do.  I can't justify spending additional money on something a lot of people won't see and will just get eaten.  Any suggestions?

Has anyone gotten their engagement pics done yet?  I just scheduled ours and I'm really excited to do something outside the box.  I think we're going for a retro pinup look w/ me in a swing dress and FI all greaser-ed out.  The fam thinks I'm crazy (as does FI, I'm sure), but I'm far from normal, so why should our pics be?

Hope all is going well

Misty

gretiffa

Misty I will keep you posted on the cake thing. I'm with you, I want to see what SB can give me without paying extra. Then I guess I will go from there.

We are also going with AL's formal wear. We are doing tuxes, but not sure which ones. Our wedding colors are gold, chocolate brown and ivory. 


We did pictures back in November and used them for our Save the date cards.  I like the idea you have for your pictures, go for it! 

I will be in touch later this week with details on the cake.  Take care.