Holy Newbies, Batman!

LaRositaMonita

It must be engagement season.  kristinrotondo did it, you can too!  Introduce yourselves, gals! Help me live vicariously through your upcoming nuptials!

Do we need a poll to help?

1) When is your wedding date?

2) Ceremony/reception venue?

3) Proposal story?

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date?

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite?

cfblechman

ok Ill bite. I have been lurking for a while and posted once. So might as well introduce myself. My name is Cheryl btw.

1) When is your wedding date?
June 2, 2012
Yes I know its soooo far away. But FI is getting his phD and is school so wanted to do it in the summer and once we found our venue it kinda happened to have to be that late.

2) Ceremony/reception venue?
The Joseph Ambler Inn. Ceremony and Reception both there.

3) Proposal story?
We went camping for a week in a national park with a friend. But he knew that i didnt want to look gross when he did it.  and we were averaging 8-10 mile hikes up mountains every day. (also I kinda knew it was going to happen soon anyways since I had just moved down/into our apartment in DE and even though we had talked a little bit about it/had gone ring looking to get an idea I had told him flat out that I expected it by the end of the summer) So instead he carried it everywhere in the wilderness for a week! We then returned to Bethany Beach where his parents were renting a beach house. and he did it on July 3rd on a walk on the beach with families shooting off fireworks nearby!

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date?
This one is complicated. Cause we met and kissed before we were together. We met on a mini study abroad trip/class in Italy before our sophmore year of college but we were both dating other people from our respective homes. But we instantly clicked and our first first was in Rome on the top of the villa we were staying at (with the Vatican in the background). We disagree over what was our official first date. He says it was in Rochester, NY after we moved in and he invited me over to his dorm/apartment for pasta. I say its after he actual asked me out and we went out to this very nice restaurant in Rochester called Two Vine.

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite?
Favorite part is looking at everything and trying to plan it all now even though I know that i will change my mind! Least fav. is not having a job and feeling very guilty about spending money (and its so far away) so I look alot but havent done much booking of vendors. But at the same time i want to book alot of vendors before i get a real job and wont have time to do anything.

cll915

Although I have been engaged for 2 years and my wedding is 10 days away, Ii have just discovered these boards. I have been on here for a few weeks now and have found a lot of helpful tips.

 Now that i am only 10 days away I guess I will introduce myself.

I am Cassie

1) When is your wedding date?  10/01/2010

2) Ceremony/reception venue? Spring Mill Manor

3) Proposal story?
Lame... but I love him.
I was bugging and bugging him about getting engaged as we were already living together, I had graduated college and knew it was coming. So one night 8/8/08 (opening night of olympics) he decided we were going out to a nice dinner. At dessert he kinda just handed it to me.

His original plan was on a rooftop in center city on 7/4 during fireworks, but it rained

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date?
We were already living together by the time we had a real date. We went on a stroll through Peddler's Village and had lunch.

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite?
Favorite Part - i'm done planning
Least favorite part - making everyone else happy. we were originally planning a beach wedding in Charleston, SC, but the complaining was unbelievable! As soon as i moved it back north everyone started moving from the girls and their dresses to his sisters and mother and how they could help.

Bride_to_be_2011

Awe congrats ladies!

10 days out! woo hoo! Glad you found the boards, a little late, oh well. I am getting married at the Country Club across the street! haha

cll915

Yea it took a while to get me started on planning. We just bought our first house and i was planning everything this summer. I was really on the knot for ideas in charleston, but once i moved back up here and things started really stressing me out i found some posts helpful.

The country Club is beautiful as well. I didn't have much of a choice. We were originally at Doylestown Country Club when I moved the wedding up her because FI's sister worked there and we were receiving a nice discount. Right after invites went out she was fired for no reason and discount went out the door. Thank god we did not put a deposit down yet.

Spring Mill luckily had that date and time available and it is 10 times prettier! I booked Spring Mill at the beginning of September and had to send change of venue notes out to all guests.

Its been a crazy year!

Bride_to_be_2011

That is some craziness! Who is your photog?

cll915

Michael Duretz just add the dot com. My FI used to work for him as a photographer (when he was younger not so much anymore) and he is doing our wedding.

rachpass

I, too, have been lurking on the boards because I love weddings and love hearing about what other people have going on for their weddings. My name is Rachel and I am a transplant for Texas. 

1) When is your wedding date?
Hopefully either 10/8/11 or 11/5/10. We are trying to work out stuff with the FMIL. She doesn’t think location matters, only food (she is Italian), and thinks the place we are looking at doesn’t have enough food and people will leave the wedding starving and therefore hate it. She told us that would be “embarrassing”. Ugh….But we are determined to work it all out and have a date set by the end of this month!

2) Ceremony/reception venue?
Hopefully Elkins Estate (fingers crossed!)

3) Proposal story?
My FI goes on travel to Japan a lot for work. I had just finished a contract at my previous job and was unemployed so he suggested I come to Japan with him (since we would only have to pay for the plane ticket). I was hesitant since I was out of work and we were trying to buy a house, but my mother (knowing the plan all along) said she would pay half of the plane ticket. So that was that. 

He had grand plans to propose our last night in Tokyo but soon realized that he couldn’t leave the ring in the room with during the day and he didn’t want to bring the ring with him while he was working. So on our first full day there (we hadn’t been in town for more than 16 hours after a 24 hour trip) he took my down to the river to see the cherry blossoms and take some pictures. While kneeling to take a picture he reached into his camera case and pulled out the ring box. I stared dumbfounded for a moment and then cried a lot. When he actually asked me I said “duh”. 

Also- he designed the ring and had it made by a jewelry maker friend of ours. It took him 6 months total. My best friends told me it was driving them crazy that they couldn’t talk to me about it.

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date?
He was really good friends with the guys that lived next door to and would always stop by to see if I want to come over and watch hockey or go out to a bar with them. One night while at a bar he asked me out. We went to Sabrina’s and he brought a big bottle of wine and we just talked and talked. Best first date ever. We have been together as much as possible since then!

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite?I seriously love wedding planning. My best friend and I call it wedding porn because there is just so much fun stuff to look at. I love working out the details and thankfully I get some down time at work so I can obsess over EVERYTHING. 

The worst part is fighting all the time with my FMIL. The FI and I have very different views than her on what our wedding should be. My folks are super laid back and are basically like whatever you want (within what $$ allows). She its taking the joy out of this for him.  Ok so that’s my piece. I am sure I will be on the board a lot more now that I am really getting serious about wedding planning!

cll915

Well at least i am not the only one cutting it close. My FI and I feel the same way about my FMIL.

arunyan

I've been a lurker for a while and now that we have nailed down our location in Phila, I've been searching the archives!

1) When is your wedding date? June 4, 2011

2) Ceremony/reception venue? Debating ceremony site, reception to be held at the Morris Arboretum

3) Proposal story? Copied and pasted from our website:

Devin proposed on March 16, 2010, on my 25th birthday. We were on vacation in Washington D.C., a city we felt matched both of our interests perfectly: politics and history for Devin, museums and culture for me. Devin had planned a special day for my birthday. We woke up extra early to catch the sun rise over the Tidal Basin complete with Krispy Kreme and coffee. Food is important to us both, and that is true whether it be glazed doughnuts or filet mignon. After the sunrise, we had a lovely brunch at the Tabard Inn Hotel. We then visited the Woodley Park Zoo, which was the perfect thing to do on a sunny day. For lunch we had a picnic at the Jefferson Memorial and then Devin took us to a couples massage at a day spa, an incredible indulgence after a day of walking and sight-seeing.

After that, we got dressed at our incredible hotel (The Embassy Circle Guest House) and Devin had a taxi take us to dinner. I figured we were in for something special, but I wasn't prepared for the amazing tasting menu at Marcel's, a French-Belgian restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was an incredibly romantic meal, and the food was to die for. Following dinner, a town car took us to the Willard Hotel, where a horse and carriage awaited us. It wasn't until Devin walked up to the carriage that I realized it was for us! The carriage took us all around the Mall, which was gorgeous at night with all the lighting. We finally stopped in front of the Capitol. Devin helped me up onto the lawn in front of the Capitol and took out his i-touch. He played the most wonderful slide show of pictures of us from the past 6 and a half years of friendship and dating set to one of our songs. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Through tears I said yes!

Devin, always planning surprises, had also coordinated with some friends to be taking pictures of the whole proposal which was another special element of the night. I will always cherish that we have pictures of the proposal. Afterward, we sat at the foot of the Capitol and called our friends and family to tell them the good news. When we finally returned to the hotel, Devin had a bottle of champagne chilling so that we could have our first toast as an engaged couple.

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date?  Complicated question! We had been friends for over 4 years prior to getting together romantically. We went to school together but were both dating others, so we got to know each other as wonderful friends. When we were out of school and recently single, we began to see each other through different eyes...our first official date was a picnic dinner in Elizabeth Park's Rose Garden in Hartford, CT.

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite? Favorite...thinking about food! We had our first tasting on Sunday and the restaurant closed the place for us and treated us quite well. Least favorite...guest list battles, finding a dress I like, BM dress hunting.

kristinrotondo

1) When is your wedding date? August 06, 2011.

2) Ceremony/reception venue? Both at The Brookside Manor at Somerton Springs. We met working at the summer camp that runs out of the attached swim club. Awwwwww.

3) Proposal story? Rittenhouse! We went there on our first REAL date (we'd done the sneaking around thing quite a bit before this), and I turned him down for a kiss. He said, "I hope you don't reject me this time." Cute. So so so stinking cute.

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date? See above!

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite? I am having a blast, actually! No least favorites!!!!

LaRositaMonita

rotondo - you're getting married almost two years to the day after me (my anniversary is Aug. 6).  We'll be celebrating (where else) in Disney World that day...we'l have to toast to you guys :P  puffy heart.

brennashae

Ok, I too have been checking out these boards for awhile...
1. We are getting married June 4, 2011
2.  at The Powel House
3.  He cooked me breakfast and just asked (and gave me his mother's ring!!), really low key, super cute.
4. hmm... we met in college so we didn't "date" a lot, mostly just hanging out, watching movies.
5. favorite? definitely dress shopping... soo much fun/ least favorite? the guest list... we're just going to keep putting that one off for a while because it creates problems every time I bring it up.

arunyan

Congrats, @brennashae! We are date twins

cc+mm

I have been lurking for a while and don't post much, but here it goes.

1) When is your wedding date?
April 16, 2011

2) Ceremony/reception venue?
St. Mary's Church Gloucester NJ
Lippincott House

3) Proposal story?
Well, not much to tell. He woke me up and asked me if I would love him forever. Then asked me to marry him.

4) Where did your hunky fiance take you on your first date?
We had 2 first dates...Our first planned first date we went to Tria in Washington Square for wine cheese :-) The night before that, we went to an unplanned dinner at Chrstoper's in Wayne.

5) Favorite part of wedding planning so far and least favorite?
Favorite - looking at invitations and inspiratin boards
Least - trying to narrow down and find vendors