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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04.24.08
Posted in fashion, shopping at 12:15 pm by Pammy
Finally, my favorite shoe store has launched their online store. I have been getting emails mentioning it for months, and now it’s here.
I was actually just at DSW a few days before the site was announced, so I didn’t find much that I hadn’t already seen. I did get some really cute finds though. My new favorite brand is Bobbi Blu, they make the cutest shoes. They use great colors and a mix of fabrics and textures. They have a lot of wedges too so that’s always a plus. The first two pairs are both Madden Girl. I couldn’t find an image online of the Bobbi Blu shoes I got, but I am showing a similar pair. The ones I got have more green in them, and the fabric on the sides are in several pieces, very cute!
Check out my purchases:
Here are some other shoes designed by Bobbi Blu, they’re amazing… I might get them all! They range in price from approx $35-$100.
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04.09.08
Posted in food & drink, green living at 10:57 am by Pammy
This morning I was watching The Today Show while at the gym, and a segment came on that caught my ear. It was about water bottles and how a chemical called Bisphenol-A that is in the plastic they are made out of is seriously harmful to your health. Apparently, if you reuse regular plastic water bottles and do things like put them in the dishwasher or microwave, a chemical leaches through the plastic and can be ingested. But it is at such small levels that people shouldn’t be too concerned. However, in Nalgene bottles and other similar plastic bottles, the leaching is more dangerous. It can cause developmental disorders in children, type 2 diabetes, and infertility. If the bottle is labeled on the bottom with a 7, it is more likely to leach BPA into your water. You can read more about this issue at The Green Guide. They offer some advice for people that already own bottles of this type. They say that you should “wash them by hand with mild dishwashing soap, not in the dishwasher, to avoid degrading the plastic and increasing leaching of BPA.”
I think that I am going to replace my Nalgene and other similar bottles altogether. I have my eye on a Sigg bottle, that is made from aluminium (so it’s light) and is non-leaching. They have tons of different styles and colors on their website. And I will absolutely be using glass bottles when I have children. Happy sipping!
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02.02.08
Posted in home decor, shopping at 1:52 pm by Pammy
So I get this great newsletter called Daily Candy Deals. They keep me up to date on what’s new, hot, and undiscovered. “From fashion and style to gadgets and travel. As useful as it is entertaining, it’s like getting an e-mail from your clever, unpredictable, and totally in-the-know best friend. The one who knows about secret beauty treatments, must-have jeans, hot new restaurants — and always shares the scoop.” You can subscribe to several metropolitan areas, like DC, Chicago, NYC, etc. I also love their cute illustrations. This week’s candy included a 25% off coupon code for this amazing screen print shop called Luxury Lab Linens. After consulting with Chris I ordered this really cool graphic duvet set, complete with two crow pillow shams. I’m also excited for their throw pillow collection that is coming soon! Thank goodness for daily candy, without this deal I would have never been able to own this wonderful piece of useful art!
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01.31.08
Posted in food & drink, randomness, travel at 4:39 pm by Pammy
It’s been a little over a year since I was in Lesotho and South Africa. There was an article today in the New York Times about ongoing electricity outages in South Africa. Apparently the company that powers the country doesn’t have enough power grids, so they are scheduling rolling blackouts where each town takes a turn without electricity. Lesotho, which is an independent country within the borders of South Africa, is most likely effected by this situation as well. I emailed my host family to find out more about the situation. Ironic though, considering they might not get the email since they don’t have power!
This article got me reminiscing about my trip. I was actually able to find the town that my host family lives in on google earth. None of the roads or neighborhoods are labeled (not that I would recognize them anyway), so I just searched for landmarks that I recognized. I wasn’t able to find the actual house that I stayed in, but here is downtown Maseru. I recognized it by the distinctive shape of an art museum roof, that is large and round and made of straw material.
Location of Maseru within South Africa
Downtown Maseru, Lesotho, Art Museum is marked
There was a lot to do in South Africa for the few days that we were there. One night we went to a 24 hour bar called The Cat’z Pyjamas. Another night, on my birthday, we went to a restaurant in Sandton that was amaaazing. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name and can’t seem to find it online. I do remember that we all signed the guestbook and basically got all of our food for free! Here is a photo of us with the chef.
It was basically the best night ever!
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Posted in food & drink at 1:38 pm by Pammy
I know I know, i’m two weeks late. But I still wanted to put in my two cent review on Restaurant Week! This event is great; for a week, restaurants in the DC metro area put together a special Prix Fix menu for restaurant goers for a steal. This year, it was $20.08 for lunch, and $30.08 for dinner. So, I made three reservations:
On Wednesday I went to The Caucus Room which is a steakhouse by the capital. I went with my friend Jacki who works in Georgetown, so she likes the DC scene. Apparently this place is known to have politicians since it’s so close to the capitol. We had dinner reservations at 730 on Wednesday. I had read reviews on the place and they had said that they might treat us rudely because we are there for the (cheap) restaurant week. But actually, we were treated very nicely and our waiter was great.
- We both ordered the split pea soup for the first course. It had maple smoked bacon and garlic croûtons and was absolutely delicious. I’ve never had split pea soup before, i thought that the pea flavor would be really strong but it actually wasn’t at all.
- For the second course I ordered the salmon and Jacki ordered a steak with a bleu cheese and peppers. Then the waiter comes to tell us that they are out of salmon! He is really nice and not rude at all, he was joking around about how the restaurant didn’t even warn the staff that they were running out when they still have three more days and are already out of the fish choice. It was no big deal though because they were subbing crab claws for the salmon. The crab was very good but of course took forever to get the meat out of the shell, although they were already broken open so that was nice. Jacki didn’t like her steak that much but I tried it and thought it was yummy.
- Then for the third and last course I got a Mango Sorbet dessert inside of a dark chocolate shell with raspberry sauce. It was delish. Jacki got a fruit tort. Mine was better.
- All in all I would say that I liked the pea soup the best. Just because I’ve had crab before so I wasn’t blown away. I thought that the service was great, unlike the reviews i read. The atmosphere was not my style. It was dark, and most of the customer’s were over 40. I was pretty much the only person in the restaurant wearing color. Apparently DC is only black and white. I would not go back again. I would recommend it for a business lunch or dinner where you want to impress them with a professional political atmosphere.
Then the very next day I made a date with Gaby for Ceviche, which is a Peruvian place in Silver Spring. I had read up on their menu online and it sounded great. I am usually not a very adventurous eater so I was taking a chance. Their main specialty is raw seafood marinated in lime or lemon juice, which “cooks” the fish without heating it. The small squares of marinated fish (or shrimp or mixed seafood) are mixed with other ingredients to make a “fish salad.” This didn’t sound very appetizing to me but Gaby says it’s good!
- For the first course I ordered the Causa de Pollo, which is a Peruvian potato salad seasoned with Aji amarillo and served with chicken salad, avocado and tomato. It was delicious. The potato was really good I don’t know how they made it the way the did. And the chicken salad was good too but nothing special. We also ordered fried plantains, or Chifles.
- The second course was also very very good. I asked for the Papa rellena de Aji de pollo. That is a stuffed potato with pulled chicken in an aji cream sauce. I don’t know how they made this but wow was it great. I must find someplace close to me that I can get this dish again!
- For the third dessert course I ordered the Mis dos Chocolates. It was basically a rich chocolate cake. Gaby ordered the Tres Leches, which is a soft cake soaked in three kinds of cream or milk. I have tried this dessert before and I didn’t like it.
- This place was really, really good, I would definately go back again. The atmosphere was great, lively, bright, and young. It’s a good thing it’s a bit of a drive or I would be there every weekend. The service was also really great. If you are looking for a fun dinner with friends and good food and drink, this is the place to go. I couldn’t find a photo of the interior, but this place is definitely very cool!
On Sunday we had made lunch reservations for four at Bistro Bis, a French restaurant at The Hotel George in DC. Chris and I were going with his cousin and his wife (David & Missy), but unfortunately I had to cancel. It was the day after my birthday, and needless to say, I wasn’t awake. It’s a shame though because David & Missy didn’t end up going either, we had read reviews on the chef and he is supposed to be really good. Maybe we will go back another time.
Yum just writing about all of this food is making me hungry for lunch. Oh and, don’t wait up for a review of restaurant week Baltimore because we are trying to cut back, haha.
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01.18.08
Posted in randomness at 10:52 am by Pammy
and go to Catalog Choice to stop delivery of those triplicate Victoria Secret catalogs and others. Most catalogs nowadays are available to view online, so you won’t miss out by not having it in print.
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