Military Brides

any tips on planning long distance

hello from germany!!!
we had our german job about a month ago as planned, and are now in the process of planning our re-wedding as im calling it next year in june. do any of you have any tips to share about planning from across the pond? im planning to be in houston which is our city of choice for our re-wedding in september. my parents are already looking for budget and im just not a person to confirm anything while not being able to see it.

Re: any tips on planning long distance

  • calindicalindi member
    5000 Comments Second Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Haha... I haven't heard it called a "re-wedding" before, but I think that's pretty cute.

    I'm planning from 2000 miles away from my family and venue, with no close friends nearby me, so I'm in a similar situation - though at least it's the same time zone!  That might actually work to your advantage, though, since you can call in the evenings after work on Skype and it will still be work hours in Houston.

    Honestly, it's not that difficult to plan from a distance!  You just have to do your research.  Go to your local board to get advice from girls on what vendors to use or avoid.  Get ideas from StyleMePretty or anything else.  Usually it's sort of a branching process - I found my venue on StyleMePretty and ended up doing research by googling it, talking to vendors who had worked there (based on pictures I saw online, so I called a photographer who had photographed a wedding there, then asked them for the names of the other vendors who worked a wedding there and called them), talking to brides on TK who had been married there, etc. WeddingWire is also a good resource, though their reviews tend to be mostly positive anyway so it won't always show negatives - though if it does, it's probably worth taking note of!

    So first I found my venue.  Then I asked my venue to give me advice on caterers (since we just rented the location, tables, and chairs at the venue), florists, DJs, tent/furniture rental, photographers, videographers, etc. I asked for advice on my local board. I did a lot of online searching and researching. I contacted dozens of vendors to ask for pricing and more information. I discarded dozens of vendors for various reasons - a main one is responsiveness and communications.  When planning from a distance, their ability to understand your vision from an emailed conversation and respond quickly is key. You cannot be hunting down a vendor from across the ocean!

    So the first thing I booked after the venue was the photographer - always ask for a complete wedding, all photos as they were delivered to the bride & groom.  It'll give you a more complete idea of what you'll get, not just their 10 best shots (which can be lucky shots).  Compare whole packages, not just bottom line pricing - you might pay more but get more, and it all depends on what is worth it to you.  We cut out an album, which saved us $1000, and instead we plan to make a book on Blurb for around $120.

    Then we booked the DJ based on recommendations from TK and speaking to him on the phone.  I honestly didn't consider any other DJs as he was priced 1/2 of what I expected to pay and 95% of brides on my local board had booked the same DJ and raved about him - I never saw a negative review!  And he was great speaking to him on the phone, too.

    Then the DJ pointed us towards a few caterers and a few florists.  The girls on TK also pointed me towards caterers and florists and videographers.  My Mom met with a bunch of florists since that's her favorite part and picked one, and that florist recommended another caterer that I had never heard of, but when going back to ask the girls on TK about it, they raved about the caterer.  So we ended up booking the caterer the florist recommended!

    I thought I had found my videographer based on recommendations, but when I asked to see a full video (not just the 30-second or 5-minute preview they post online, but the full 30-40 minute DVD) I was not at all impressed.  Then another girl bragged about her videographer on TK, and I loved their work and booked them immediately!

    So that's about it!  I think you'd want to do cake tasting and do a tasting with your caterer or venue, if they're serving the food, before you book.  Do those two things in September if you can - everything else is easier to do via pictures. If you can't go yourself, have your parents or someone you trust go.  Other than that, it's just not that hard!

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  • CJMorrisonCJMorrison member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    i should have mentioned i dont have any family there my parents are here and his family is in ohio, and his mom and i butt heads over everything. houston was mutual stopming grounds no one has super territory over it. i've got a friend but she will be having a baby in august and shes the reason im going back in september besides wedding scoping. but thanks for the tips i havent been about the boards to even know there were local boards so that will help me a lot!
    i love calling it a re-wedding, i loved my jop wedding / its day but i need a day with all my family and close friends in one place to celebrate, and i come from one of those crazy families that want to share days like this together since we dont see each other often. as i see in the german locals all the more reason to party and be merry!
  • calindicalindi member
    5000 Comments Second Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I adore Germany!  The culture, the food, the beer, the scenery... honestly, I'd move there in a heart beat!  You're very lucky!

    You sure about getting married in Houston in June?  It will be outrageously hot there!  Perhaps try Maine?  That's neutral ground and it'll be beautiful in June.  Or somewhere else up north.  Or a different time of year?  Just saying - I live in Miami, and June is truly much more miserable than you'd ever imagine.  It's not as bad as July or August, but it's still pretty unbearable.  And usually Texas is even hotter than Miami!

    If you don't have anyone in the area to check things out, you might want to hire a planner to help you out.  They'll be able to handle on-the-ground type things, and it'll be one less headache that you don't have to stress about.  I'm sure the girls on your local board will be able to help you with referrals to good wedding planners!  Then the wedding planner can go tasting for you.  Or book a venue where things are mostly all inclusive - some hotels offer great packages with food, drink, table settings, etc. are all included, so you'd just have to pick out any specialty items you want (certain tableclothes/napkins, serving plates, etc.) and book a florist, DJ, photographer and videographer!  Check out Rhode Island and Massachussets and Connecticut and Maine - they offer some absolutely gorgeous venues right on the water that are really quite inclusive, and the weather is gorgeous in June!

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  • CJMorrisonCJMorrison member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    oh i love germany to death, we besides our endless rainy summers. hopefully we are going to be here for a few more years because i do not see myself stateside anytime soon.
    i'm looking at a lot of indoor locations for the heat factor. my neighor suggested having a picnic on a park lawn, and i love the idea until it dawned on me a few days later texas is hot i know its hot, i lived there for three years.
  • edited December 2011
    Hey Laides, I am also a US bride living in Germany! I found all the info on here very useful, as were going to do our civil wedding here this December and planning our "Re Wedding" (cute name) for late August back in the states. Figuring out which state has been the hardest decision so far. I just moved here from Jax FL (I am American and my FI isGerman btw)...but most of my family is in WV, NC or on the west coast in CA...and of course friends in FL. So regardless its a destination wedding for everyone. It will be small, about 50 people. I like the idea of something more intimate. Well, after considering both coasts and a destination wedding in the Caribbean I think I am going to do it in Jax or surrounding areas, bc thats where me and the FI met and fell in love. The beach is a must for us. So now seeking vendors ect..will be planning this from Germany.

    Good luck to you ladies and again, thanks for the advice!

    Oh, CJ...its great to hear that your JOP wedding here in Germany was special bc thats what my concern is feeling already married and then my wedding being next year with family and friends. What did you wear when you got married at your JOP ceremony?

    Thanks
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  • CJMorrisonCJMorrison member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    literally the day before our jop i found a cute cream colored dress at the exchange on base for a whopping $35.00, he wore some dress slacks, and a vest with tie he looked pretty snazzy. i should pull up some of the pictures on here to share...  we made it more than just a regular day by going to the local park and taking pictures, bowling, and going to our favorite resturant with our friends, topped off with wedding ice cream at our favorite eis cafe.

    heres the album on facebook its got all our goofy selves in it. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150359250709908.426274.508524907

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