Starting the planning journey!

becky22002

Got engaged on Christmas Eve. Looking at the weekend of January 23, 2015 (considering doing a Friday).

It's only been a few days, and I can't even sleep! Just keep thinking of ideas, and to do's, but it seems so far off! Most likely we will have our reception at Ridge Manor in Brooklyn, but have no idea for ceremony. Fiance is totally against having it at a church, and outdoor in January could be quite a disaster Thinking of an on site ceremony and reception, but worried about the logistics, how to I do pictures? Do I have to take a bunch of posed photos?? How do I ensure I get to thank and talk to all of my guests! I fear table visits, the past two weddings I went to, the bride and groom never made it to my table! 

I guess I'm just venting.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated  

Thanks!

[Deleted User]

First Congrats! Now breath & enjoy the fact you are marrying the man of your dreams. I found using the checklist that is available for free on this site to be very helpful to keep me on track of what needed to be done & by when. First thing to do is figure out how much money you can save between now & your wedding. Don't plan on using gifts to cover bills, it's less stressful that way. Once you know your budget, call your reception hall to make an appointment to find out what they offer & their prices (unless you have info already) Once you have that information you will be able to figure out how large of a guest list you can afford by how much you can save up and how much the per person cost is at your venue.

For the ceremony, nothing wrong with doing it at the same location. I went to two weddings where the ceremony was  at the same location as the reception and the bride and groom exited the ceremony & then stood at the end of the isle where people exited (both venues seating for the ceremony in traditional ceremony style) and just greated everyone as they headed towards the bar/tables. If you don't want to do that, think outside of the box of buildings in your area that are unique like city halls, libraries, etc.

The options you have for some fun photos are to either do photos prior to the ceremony or to do them the next day. But if you do them the next day, don't expect everyone in your Bridal Party to be available. Good luck & enjoy the planning process, it can be overhelming, but a lot of fun at the same time.

ashcolyer

Everything @Erikan73 said. Take some time now to truly enjoy being engaged. It's a special part of life and I know personally I hastily made decisions rather than soaking in the moment. Your budget determines the wedding you are having (including the guest list) so sit down and come up with that first. Get a binder and stay organized. Once the first few decisions are made it slowly comes together. Lastly, read reviews. Several on here saved my day. Good luck!

mlg78

I had my reception at Ridge Manor! Sharon was amazing to work with and so many people said they've never had such delicious wedding food. Our ceremony was a mile away at a Lutheran church on Memphis. There is an adorable little park across from Ridge Manor that we did pictures at. There's a gazebo, a little arched bridge, lamp posts, etc. You can take plenty of outdoor pics there. Here are my reviews from my wedding. In addition to Ridge Manor, I can't rave enough about Work Shed Pictures videography and Roses for Weddings! Congrats!!! http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/995927/i-m-married-here-are-my-reviews#latest

mlg78

I had my reception at Ridge Manor! Sharon was amazing to work with and so many people said they've never had such delicious wedding food. Our ceremony was a mile away at a Lutheran church on Memphis. There is an adorable little park across from Ridge Manor that we did pictures at. There's a gazebo, a little arched bridge, lamp posts, etc. You can take plenty of outdoor pics there. Here are my reviews from my wedding. In addition to Ridge Manor, I can't rave enough about Work Shed Pictures videography and Roses for Weddings! Congrats!!! http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/995927/i-m-married-here-are-my-reviews#latest

uszakk

First, congrats and enjoy this time - the planning will go by faster than you can imagine! 

I am not super-familiar with your site or the area, but if you are concerned about pictures, I would give you the name of our photographer - One Red Door in Woodmere. Melissa and Dustin are very creative and would help you come up with a plan for getting the pictures you want, even if the ceremony and reception are at the same place. My wedding was in late November and we were worried about running out of daylight for outdoor photos. They had some really great suggestions and scoped out the site the week before the wedding so they had some ideas the day of. Also, since your wedding will be in January, they'd probably give you the off season price. I love my photos and loved working with them. Good luck to you!