08.25.08
Posted in wedding planning at 3:29 pm by Pammy
I finally have some free time to write about the Baltimore Bridal Expo that I attended on August 17th. I was busy taking an Adobe Flash CS3 course in DC last week and then I was in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia for a family reunion with my fiance. But now I’m back and ready to write!
I had purchased advanced tickets online at baltimorebridalexpo.com since they were $8 as opposed to $10 at the door. I thought I was being thrifty, but it turns out that we could have gotten in for free as there were at least three people that tried to give us tickets as we made our way to the Marriot waterfront hotel. Before getting in line we registered for raffle tickets and a years subscription to Modern Bride. We got a cute red “bride to be” pin and a page of tickets with our personal identification number on them, these are supposed to be deposited into each booth’s box for the chance to win a prize; anything from a nice gift basket to a honeymoon trip!
Photo credit: Elizabeth Malby, The Baltimore Sun
The layout was a bit deceiving because when you first enter into the exhibition, the booths are set up in a long hallway, so once we got to the end I thought that was all there was. But really, there were ten times as many booths inside the ballroom. There was such a variety of vendors at the event, 130 in all, I think that the only thing that was missing were caterers. There were all kinds of vendors; DJs, stationery, makeup and hair artists, florists, photographers, cakes, and a couple of passion party booths. I loved that the bakeries had samples of cake flavors! That was a nice treat. There was also a fashion show with bridal gown styles, bridesmaid dresses, tux styles, and flower girl dresses. They showed a good variety, but I didn’t see anything I loved all too much, the styles weren’t very modern.
In the end I didn’t win anything.. but I’m still waiting for a call from the 25,000 prize from Tux! All in all the expo was really fun and informative. I got a ton of samples, freebies, and information take aways. Here we are in the middle of the ballroom with all the action around us.
I will say that the raffle contests could have been done better. Some of the vendors didn’t even know that they were supposed to have a raffle ticket box. It was difficult to find out if you had won anything. You were supposed to walk around to each booth after each fashion show after they had done the drawing, where you would check to see if your number was written on the box. Some vendors had the numbers blocked, hadn’t done their drawing yet, etc. Plus it was really crowded because everyone was trying to get to the same place.
I am having a good old time going through all of my stuff to see if there are any deals I want to take advantage of. Thanks Katie for coming with me!!!
Cheesy picture of Katie and I with our pins and “diamond engagement rings”
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08.15.08
Posted in wedding planning at 9:57 am by Pammy
This past Tuesday my mom and I made our way back to Baltimore to check out two more possible reception sites. First up was the Port Discovery Children’s Museum, located at Power Plant. My first reaction to the location was that it was basically perfect. There were two parking garages within walking distance, a nice little courtyard area right outside, & at least 5 bars across the street. So people could easily be dropped off right at the entrance and then go park their car. The lobby to the museum was very colorful and open, with a lot of light pouring in. The best part, of course, was the three story “urban tree house” called Kidworks, in the center of the building. And it lights up at night! Here is their Catered Events Flier, it shows a great picture of the tree house. There are also other interactive exhibits that guests will be able to take advantage of like the Egyptian tomb and a mystery house. Everything seems really fun and it sounds like it would bring out some fun and imagination in our guests!
The woman that we met with was so nice and helpful, she gave us a guided tour of the museum and explained how each space has been used in the past and gave examples of other ways we could use it. The space was a bit broken up for my tastes, because different areas would be cut off from each other. For example, the ceremony would be in the MPT Studio, which has a large projection screen and a balcony, like a mini theater. Afterward, this room could be used for dancing and music. Another area that is sectioned off could be used as the sit down dinner area. I don’t really like the idea of everything being separated. But I love the urban tree house. It is large enough that adults can fit through the spaces, and there are several entrances on every level of the museum. The museum is having a Gala event this October where they are setting up a bar inside the tree house, it will be on a platform within the mazes and such. This sounded so cool to me, because it would get people having fun inside of the structure. The event coordinator there said she would send me some pictures from that night. On the third and second floors, there are some open spaces where traveling exhibits are usually set up, but there are some time frames where nothing would be there so we could use the whole space for tables or whatever.
Now the catering situation is more flexible at this venue; there are six approved caterers with varying price ranges that we can chose from. There are two that I’m excited to check out that I have heard are really hip, but also lighter on the checkbook (Innovative Gourmet, and Rouge Fine Catering).
All in all I really liked this place. I think it might be more on the casual side of things, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And the way that the reception would have to be split up into sections is a bit lame. But all in all, it would make for a really fun event. My fiance thinks it is a bit too quirky though, so we will see…
Next on the itinerary was the American Visionary Art Museum, which houses works created by untrained artists. This museum is really cool, if you haven’t been, it would make a great day trip. There is definitely some quirky stuff here, but it doesn’t lack substance. The rental fee includes access to the museum for all guests.
The AVAM is located in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. There wasn’t much parking, although there is a public lot across the street near a seafood restaurant, and about 30 metered parking spaces about 5 feet from the museum. These would fill up quickly on a Saturday night though, so we would have to work something out. The rental space and the museum are completely separated from each other. The museum is on your right in one building, while the Barn and the Sculpture Garden are on your left. The Barn, a large brick building with very high ceilings and a chess board painted on the floor, is where wedding receptions take place at AVAM. The Barn is really cool, there are huge metal chess pieces that stand atop the chess board, that can be moved anywhere for your event. Hanging from the ceiling are huge paintings, and kinetic sculptures are on the loft above. There is a really cool lighting fixture permanently installed in the Barn that casts colorful rays throughout the space. On the right side of the barn are two huge doors that can remain open or closed. I think the space would look really charming in the Autumn with crunchy leaves blowing in
The Sculpture Garden, right outside of the Barn, leaves much to the imagination. It is very small and overgrown. But there are really fun metal sculptures everywhere, and a neat woven wooden structure that you can walk through, it makes for some very interesting pictures. There isn’t much space for seating, or a walkway, so their solution to this is for the procession to walk through the entrance gate and curve to the side up to the Sculpture garden. The guests would be seated on a brick area about 8 feet from where the bride and groom would stand. It seems like it would be cramped, and many people wouldn’t be able to see as the brick area runs lengthwise along the garden. Option two for the ceremony is to have it inside the museum on the second floor staircase… where I would fall to my death. So clearly that idea won’t work. But in case you think you might escape the hands of death on the staircase, your guests will suffer with standing room only. They will grant you a few chairs for Grandma and Grandpa though.
So basically I am half and half with this venue. I love the barn and everything about it. But the ceremony choices simply don’t excite me. Although the catering options are many, as they have fourteen approved caterers. In case you’re wondering.. Sascha’s and Azafran are my favorite of them all.
There is actually another unique venue right next door, the Jim Rouse Visionary Center, which I thought was part of AVAM because of the pictures I found online. They have some great sculptures outside in the courtyard. My favorite is the “bird’s nest” on the second floor. I might have to give them a call too.
I do have some updates on the whole Aquarium reception idea… but more on that later.
Tune back next week for the newest installment of “Insane Bridal Planning” after the Baltimore Bridal Expo, on Sunday, where my best friend Katie Emery has no idea what she is getting herself into!
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08.14.08
Posted in wedding planning at 4:09 pm by Pammy
Our first choice for our reception, as you probably already know, is the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The aquarium only works with one caterer, The Classic Catering People. So the only way to find out if the Aquarium reception is feasible, is to find out if the catering company is feasible as far as my budget goes.
I have gone back and forth with the AE in charge of the aquarium about everything from menu to budget. Keep in mind that I have never planned a wedding nor any other similarly large event that requires this much planning. So clearly, I don’t know what I’m doing, or what to expect. But I have read my share of bridal magazine and have seen maybe one too many episodes of “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?” There are certain things that this exposure has lead me to believe… that you can more often than not, stock your own bar, and to always be sure to request an advanced tasting from a caterer.
Before I contacted Classic, I did my research, I looked up articles on theknot.com to find out what kinds of things I should be asking the catering companies. Their suggestions included: find out what their specialty is, always ask for an advance tasting, and to ask for references. I called around to other caterers in the area, asking for menu samples and quotes. Most of the time, these businesses didn’t even want to send me these things without sitting down and meeting with my fiance and myself to talk about our favorite foods and about budget. I told them I am simply trying to figure out what to expect at this point, and if they could simply give me an estimate. All of them were nice enough to send this to me. All of them encouraged me to bring my own alcohol and have them serve it. All of them requested that I come in for a free tasting before signing a contract with them.
So I sure was surprised when I asked Classic these same questions and continually was answered No. No. And No. I am not allowed under any circumstances to stock my own bar. I am not allowed to restrict the number of adults getting bar service during the reception (even if drinking alcohol is against their religion and I know for a fact that they will not consume any), they don’t offer a comped bar option (you pay the full bar bill at the end of the night), and worse of all… they do not offer a tasting session until after you sign a contract with them and give them a down payment. Is it wrong for me to expect these things? How could anyone sign on with a company without ever experiencing their product? It would be like paying upwards of $10,000 for one of those brown paper “grab-bags” where you are completely unaware of their contents.
I get the feeling that Classic doesn’t care about my business. They were voted 2007 Caterer of the year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland. So I am sure that their word of mouth advertising is great, and they most likely do have great food. But how am I to know if I will like it? They don’t seem to be worried about my little old (slightly) budget conscious wedding. Is it weird that I think this catering company should be a little adaptable to my needs? This is my only catering option for the aquarium, and at this rate, it doesn’t look like it’s going to work out…
UPDATE:
Well it looks like my bad experience might turn into something much better! I am currently in conversation with Larry Frank, Vice-President and Partner at Classic, where it turns out that they are much more flexible than it originally seemed. Thanks Larry for reaching out to me even after reading my not so stellar review.
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08.08.08
Posted in wedding planning at 12:18 pm by Pammy
So we have finally started the planning process! I know, very exciting.
I have been working on figuring out about how much everything will cost, considering i’ve never planned a wedding before so I have no clue! My first resource was this blog entry that offers a Wedding Cost Estimator excel file to help you with planning. I will admit that I was one of the people who thought that $25,000 was a ridiculous amount to spend on one day. But once you start figuring out how much each element is gonna cost; reception and ceremony site fee, catering, rentals (chairs, tables, linens, etc), the list goes on, things start adding up. My first estimate (that wasn’t very researched) was around $16,000. Which seemed like a good number, but when I realized that those numbers weren’t very accurate (the catering was way off) I tried again and came to about $22,000. So we will see…
I did end up going to visit Chase Court in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore. Turns out it wasn’t all that great. It was difficult to get to, and parking would be a nightmare for guests. It was in bad need of a paint job, and the garden didn’t look all that prolific. Loud traffic from the Baltimore streets and a much smaller footprint in the garden than expected make it less than ideal for a ceremony. The ballroom was quite large, but it took a lot of imagination to picture a reception there. There were some weird religious figures on a stained glass window at the entrance to the caterer’s area that I didn’t like. Chris had already decided he didn’t like the place before we even got there. My dad hated it. My mom pretended to like it I think.
I had already had several other places in mind though, so I wasn’t too disappointed. In the end, a garden wedding at a historic site isn’t really our style anyway. So off to visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore! Very different and unique, it would be perfect for us.
Last Friday we trekked back to Baltimore to meet with the events coordinator at the Aquarium. We had all been to the aquarium before but needed to see how it could be used as a ceremony and reception space. Of course it was beautiful. We really want it. But the part that I like the best is, of course, more expensive.
More expensive option:
Ceremony- Guests would come into the aquarium, and the ceremony would take place in the Harbor Overlook area, which is so amazing, I love it. It is on your left when you walk in and kind of in this corner space so each wall is all windows. So there is an amazing view of the harbor on one side and the glass enclosed Australian exhibit on the other.
Cocktail Hour- After the ceremony guests would make their way over to the cocktail hour nearby, in the area with the blue bubble cylinders. This space would make some cool pictures. Cocktail tables of varying heights would be set up here with a bar and some food displays. This is when Chris and I will be taking pictures with the photographer so I think it is a great solution to guests having to wait around.
Reception- Next comes the reception! Guests would walk through the aquarium at their leisure and then make their way through the walkway that goes to the Marine Mammal Pavilion, which is really pretty and has a view of the whole harbor. After getting to the dolphin viewing area, you arrive at the atrium.
This is where the reception would be set up with room for tables for a sit down dinner as well as a dance area and whatever else I want! Also, guests are allowed to go through the exhibits again at any time during the reception. This option is more expensive because it requires the rental of both buildings.
Less expensive option:
Ceremony- In this scenario the ceremony would also be in the Harbor Overlook area, which I didn’t take a picture of myself, but here is the space set up for a reception (from the events coordinator)
Cocktail Hour- Guests would also enjoy a cocktail hour in the blue bubble cylinders area in this scenario. At this time the caterers would be setting up the reception space.
Reception- Back to the Harbor Overlook area! I had asked if it was possible to use the space for both the ceremony and reception, and the events coordinator explained that they hadn’t tried this yet, but this Fall a bride is trying it for the first time. The caterer’s would work out the details on converting the space. Hopefully there would be a curtain set up so that the guests wouldn’t be right there sipping their drinks and watching the set up. I will have to ask about this. I think that guests would be walking through the exhibit during this time anyway. So when they returned the reception would be opened up to both the cocktail hour area and the reception area in the Harbor Overlook space.
I really want my wedding to be at the aquarium, but the problem is that they only work with one exclusive caterer, The Classic Catering People. They are pretty expensive, so what I’m going to do is get together a proposal from them and talk it all over with my dad before signing with the aquarium. We are also continuing to look at other sites in case it doesn’t work out.
Other notable wedding planning events so far include; trying on dresses with my brother’s fiance, Jaime, at the David’s Bridal in Rockville, where I unexpectedly fell in love with a gown (try to guess which one!), finding the perfect photographer, discovering that said photographer is too expensive for my dad’s tastes, trying on more dresses at The Columbia Bridal Boutique with Jacki… and being disappointed in their collection. And there are more coming soon!
Check back next week for reviews and photos of The American Visionary Art Museum and the Port Discovery Children’s Museum. Both, of course, in Baltimore, where everything cool and unique is.
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11.28.07
Posted in wedding planning at 6:25 pm by Pammy
I wish I could use these for something.. maybe a wedding rehearsal dinner invite? Although I don’t think that those are sent separately from the actual wedding invitations. But then what do I know, I’ve never planned a wedding before! You can buy them here from Paper Cloud, along with other equally cute illustrated merch.
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08.17.07
Posted in wedding planning at 10:44 am by Pammy
This Sunday I will be attending The Great Bridal Expo in Washington DC along with two of my good friends, one of which might be getting engaged in the next few year(s) ::winks::. I am very excited because I have been putting off planning the wedding and so this will be a great opportunity to see what choices I have, although I still won’t be making any decisions as of yet.
I will be sure to post all about it after the fact!
Find a Bridal Expo event near you.
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07.19.07
Posted in randomness, wedding planning at 12:41 pm by Pammy
New York based photographer Shay Stephens takes candid photos of wedding proposals. Check out these ones from over the weekend. What a great idea!
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07.14.07
Posted in wedding planning at 11:17 am by Pammy
After hearing about a friend of a friend’s reception that took place at The Ten Oaks Ballroom in Columbia, MD, I went to their website and looked through other sites that the company handles. That is where I found this gem, Chase Court, located in baltimore. It’s amazing and pretty much exactly what we’re looking for. It’s small (aprx 125 guests), different (it has only been open to the public since 2002), unaffiliated with any religious institution, and has a beautiful garden with blooming flowers.
The first destination that I had wanted our ceremony to be was Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. But Chris didn’t like that idea since his parents had part of their wedding there. I knew I wanted to have it at a garden, because with flowers in their natural setting you don’t need much more decoration.
Chase Court even has a little goldfish pond in their garden. I think that my favorite part besides the garden is the gothic revival architecture. I can’t wait to go visit the site to see it in person, because the photos look amazing already!
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07.10.07
Posted in randomness, wedding planning at 8:10 pm by Pammy
In honor of my first blog post I will keep it light.
After a week of relaxation (ie. drinking) at the beach I have returned and must get back to reality. The reality is my full-time job of only one month. How odd that I felt I already needed a vacation. Because of self-prescribed vacation lag (coined by the one and only Russell Heimlich,) instead of going to sleep at a reasonable hour, I have instead colored my hair, purchased a birthday gift for my brother online, and set up this blog.
In planning, this blog was meant to be all about my fiance (he will have one too… eventually) and my own future wedding. In hindsight it seems it will be more fortuitous- considering our only plans-so-far are for June of 2009. So, think design trends, random thoughts, fashion, astronomy, art, interior design… I could go on, but I am feeling my head start to tingle, perhaps I left the hair dye on too long?
On that note I should really get to sleep. Hopefully a more pointed post to come…
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