New here, hello!

TriSaratops10 · March 2010

Hello ladies! I'm a long-time lurker here, but first-time poster here

My name is Sara & my FI, Keith, are getting married in Minneapolis, but we actually are both living in Maryland right now. Keith is from the Minneapolis area and my family is originally from South Dakota, hence our decision to have our wedding in MN

You ladies have already helped me soo much so thank you!!

LittleSweetie · March 2010

Welcome!! Thanks for the intro - glad we have been helpful. Hope to see you more here!

What do you have planned for your wedding so far?

beka0404 · March 2010

Welcome and congrats to you!

ETA: You and your FI are so cute, and I am LOVING your bio. If you're still looking into transportation for guests, Minnesota Coaches is our vendor, and they've been awesome to work with.

dc*prep · March 2010

Welcome! I live in DC, and FI lives in MD, and we've been planning our wedding from here too.

I'm so jealous that your reception is at Semple! That was our #1 choice, but they were booked on the day we got for our ceremony, and then we ended up figuring out how all the "hidden" costs add up, and it was just too much money. I can't wait to see how beautifully yours turns out

Bimbi284 · March 2010

Welcome!!

I love your knot name...it made me laugh

!

Glad to hear of yet another OOT bride planning a MN wedding! There's a few of us on here from Chicago, and of course dc*prep (pp) in DC.

TriSaratops10 · March 2010

So far we have our reception (Semple Mansion) booked & our church (Lake of the Isles Lutheran) booked. The caterer is also pretty much booked, just need to put down the deposit $

Still need : Photography, Flowers, Cake, transportation, DOC, sigh! I feel behind, but hopefully it will force me to be decisive and not "over-think" things too much!

Thanks!

Bimbi284 · March 2010

My recommendations for Photog: Laura Ivanova (make sure to check out her blog for recent pics). Flowers: Sadie's Floral (she's a sweetheart, super talented, and has the cutest little studio!). Cake: Queen of Cakes (soooo yummy, and everyone there is sooo nice!)

dc*prep · March 2010

I saw that you're considering Deven Nelson for flowers. I *LOVE* her. She's such a dear. Also, as Bimbi mentioned, Sadie is also popular. I'd recommend meeting with no more than three florists. Any more than that, and you'll just get overwhelmed!

TriSaratops10 · March 2010

Thank you so much ladies! thank you Bimbi for the suggestions!!

dcprep - I have been admiring your bio from afar for awhile!! I love your style! The Semple has definitely been a budget killer, but b/c of the space and ability to choose your own caterer it was just the easiest to plan from here.

OOTers, how many times did you go back to MN to check out vendors? Is meeting with the florist in person a necessity?? Is 5 months out from wedding date too late for engagement pictures (ie should I just do them here in MD?)? (sorry for all the questions!)

shameless_ad · March 2010

Welcome!

I would also recommend Deven Nelson for flowers. She also does DOC, for a VERY reasonable price, so I would definitely check with her on that too.

Queen of Cakes is awesome - my FI and I were both blown away by their customer service, and the cake is absolutely delicious.

As for e-pics, we were supposed to have ours done in Oct, but the weather was so bad we ended up canceling. We'll be doing ours in June, which will be about 4 months before the wedding. Our photog is Laura Ivanova, so I also second the recommendation on her too!

dc*prep · March 2010

Aw, I'm glad you like my bio

Honestly, if the Semple were available on our date, I might have been willing to look past the price and booked it anyway

It's just SO beautiful. And it's nice to have the flexibility of choosing your own caterer. Do you know what the contract says about alcohol? I remember one of the brides on here had some issues with what the contract said, versus what they were going to be charged. (I don't remember if it was FutureCEO?) http://www.theknot.com/profiles/FutureCEO/myknot/myOldBio/Index

Let's see... FI and I got engaged in February 2009, and our wedding is August 2010 (almost exactly a year and a half later). We went back to Minnesota in June 2009, October 2009, and now March 2010 for the last time before we're married. (Well, I'll be back in July 2010 for my bach party/bridal shower, and to do hair/makeup trials.) I personally would suggest meeting with a florist. I kind of knew what I was looking for, but it REALLY helped to see the flowers in person -- cause you might know which type of flower you want, but there might be subtle differences in shades/colors, and it helps to see them in a bouquet. When we met with Deven in October, we went to the huge warehouse place where vendors buy their flowers, and we walked around and pulled out all the different flowers we liked. It really helped to see them all in person, and then we were able to edit out the flowers that didn't necessarily look right.

Re: the e-pics... It's never "too late." It really just depends on what you want to use them for. You might find that it's more cost-effective to do your e-pics and wedding pics with the same photographer, cause they'll give them to you as part of a package. Plus, it's nice to get to know your photographer during your e-pics -- I think it'll make you more relaxed with him/her on your wedding, and you'll have a better idea of how your wedding pics will turn out. Alternately, you could contact a photog in the DC area, and see if they'd be willing to give you a deal if you booked an e-pic session and also maybe a TTD session for after the wedding. (Or maybe b-pics instead of a TTD, if that's what you'd like.)

Bimbi284 · March 2010

We've been engaged for like 2 years now, so we've had plenty of time, which has helped a lot being an OOT bride. Since then, I've gone back every couple of months or so (less so this past year) for a few days to get some major things checked off.

I definitely recommend meeting with the florist if you can. It was important for me to really get the sense that the florist understood my vision, and meeting her in person was the only way that I felt I could be assured about this (I may be a bit OCD about it, whatevs). I've heard good things about Devon Nelson and like I said, Sadie is awesome, so if you absolutely can't make it here to meet with the florist, you'd be in good hands with either of those 2.

As for e-pics, I don't think 5 months out is too late, but you may want to consider doing them a bit earlier if you wanted to use any pics for your save the dates. Otherwise, 5 months should be fine. FI and I got our e-pics taken WAY soon after we got engaged, so we've had them for years now, lol.

leggwilliams · March 2010

Hi and welcome! Love your invitations and STD inspirations! So cute! And I'm glad to hear you're going with Fab.You.Lous for DOC, she's great you'll love her! I'd also recommend our photographer, Render Photography, if you're still looking!

debbieupper · March 2010

Hey there! Welcome and I love your bio! We've got some similar decor ideas (pumpkins in the fall? YES, please! Check out a pumpkin variety called "one too many". It's ivory with orange veins all over -- elegant and awesome looking!

I am also an OOT bride-to-be. I live in Chicago with my FI and I also work half-time in Portland, OR. Since it's just a 6.5 hour drive for us from Chicago, we get to MN every couple of months. Even with that, I feel stressed about planning and get consumed by it (which I also sort of like because I'm totally Type A).

We're just having our e-pics taken next weekend, which is about 7 months out, and I wouldn't be concerned if we waited another couple of months. You should be fine! But I am a bit sad that we're not doing our e-pics in Chicago where our life together is, so you might want to consider if that matters much to you.

drdifabio · March 2010

Welcome! Your Bio is great! It looks like you but a ton of awesome things in there! Glad to have you on the board!

Bimbi284 · March 2010

Also, can I just say that your "may I help you?" section is seriously amazing?!?!?!

Thanks.

shameless_ad · March 2010

Hey Sara, I saw in your bio that you're planning on doing bathroom baskets too! I just loved this idea when I first saw it!

I posted my list on here a few days ago, and the other ladies had some great suggestions for additions. Take a look at that post for other things you might want to add to yours!

Bathroom basket discussion <-- Hopefully this link works *crosses fingers*

debbieupper · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_new-here-hello?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:7046756b-fe9d-4326-878f-3131a7261aeePost:0255e176-f78c-47cf-8ac2-4fc3d19caa37">Re: New here, hello!</a>:
[QUOTE]Also, can I just say that your "may I help you?" section is seriously amazing?!?!?! Thanks.
Posted by Bimbi284[/QUOTE]

Ditto THAT! Yum, something more to occupy myself with during working hours ...

kkaew816 · March 2010

HI Sara! Welcome! Your bio looks great! I love your centerpiece ideas.

MoriaMN · March 2010

Hi Sara:

So glad to meet you. Your bio is a gold mine already. Really loving the fall feel of your inspirations.

TriSaratops10 · March 2010

Aww! Thanks ladies!! I have had a lot of good examples to work from! I am also a Type A person so it is definitely going to be an umm..."experience" with having to relinquish some control. Unfortunately since I'm starting my residency in June and FI is also a resident we can only realistically make it out one (maybe another weekend, maybe) more time before the wedding

. Which has me a little scared, but I think with all of you to help it will go smoothly

Yet another question for you OOTers, with regards to getting stuff there (aisle runners, vases, etc) how are you getting that all there? How are you bringing your dress? Thanks!!

Bimbi284 · March 2010

I actually bought my dress in MN, so its there already. As for the other stuff, I've been taking it little by little the times I have gone back there. For example, I am gonna be in MN all next week, so I am filling my big-ass suitcase with as many wedding tidbits as I can (frames, accessories, invite stuff, etc).

dc*prep · March 2010

Yeah, I'm going to try to take out some stuff this month, and then I'll take more stuff in July. Fortunately, FI's parents live about 3.5 hrs away from here (in PA), and they're driving to MN. So we'll be able to load their car with a bunch of stuff

I'm going to carry my dress on the plane for our wedding and hang it in their closet.

debbieupper · March 2010

You also might want to consider looking for stuff online that can be shipped to or picked up in MN.

For example, I sometimes check out the Mpls/St. Paul Craigslist for stuff and have my parents go see it and buy it if it's cool. Or if I find something at a store like Target, I'll call up Targets in the Twin Cities to see what their stock is and have someone in MN pick it up and we pay them back. Makes it a little easier than physically hauling it or shipping it all yourself.

Bimbi- I'll be in MN next weekend, too! E-pics, meeting with our officiant, potential florist, etc! Have fun!

TriSaratops10 · March 2010

Thanks everyone!! Great ideas, definitely have to get over being shy and get used to asking favors of family members.

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