All photos by Copper Photography
Intervention #1
After hours of Internet research, I had narrowed my reception sites down to only a few but I just KNEW that a conservatory would be perfect. And so in the middle of a damn blizzard, my father and I drove all the way downtown from our house in the suburbs to get a tour of a particular Chicago conservatory which shall remain nameless. We got the tour and I was smitten. It was perfect and it was perfectly in my price range. So at the end of the tour I asked the manager to confirm the price and it was double...DOUBLE...the price I was told. Apparently I had been told last year's price and I was getting married next year so there was nothing they could do. REALLY?! Lies.
I got in the car and sobbed while calling my mom. It was December 23rd and I had visited all of the other options already and none would work. (Not enough seats, too expensive caterer, stairs instead of an elevator-- and with a father with heart problems that certainly wouldn't work). So my mom called around and every place in the area was booked up, but one person happened to refer her to the park district of the town right next to ours. Apparently they had just renovated a mansion in and were hoping to book events for the spring. A park district rep met us at the mansion, even though they were closed, in the middle of a blizzard! And it was perfect. And actually perfectly in my price range without any funny business. It was literally 5 minutes from our church and we never knew.
Intervention #2
My bridesmaid Amanda and her family were very involved in their church. Because of their relationship with the priest, I was able to get married on a Sunday (UNHEARD OF!) and their family served as my cantor, and alter servers. This helped alleviate stress on my part since I knew that I wouldn't have to worry about anything "church" related, and because they were all there with us for our vows, it helped fill the room with that much more love.
One of my bridesmaids, Leen, is one of those people who is so nice it hurts. So consequently, she has a million friends in all different walks of life. She was one of my first calls when all of the crazy went down because I just felt like she'd know what to do. Turns out she hooked us up with our brilliant photographer who was so wonderful through the whole process, and truly took some beautiful photos. Leen and Copper had been friends for a long time and somehow we had never met. She was able to sit with me over some coffee while I was home and I was sold the minute we met. She was calm, happy, and wonderfully creative. I only wished she lived closer so that we could hang out!
Leen also has a friend who "DJ's on the side"...what?! So for a ridiculous amount of money (read: practically nothing) her good friend, and all around good guy, DJ'd our wedding. I danced all night so clearly I was happy with the results.
Finally, Leen had a friend who recently got married and had some extra fishbowls and candles she wasn't going to use ever again. I figured they would work well for the centerpieces (more on them in Intervention #6) and so I said I would take them. I didn't see them (or even know how many there were) until the week of the wedding. When I unpacked them not only were they painted in my color scheme (purple and orange...who else does purple and orange? *cue creepy coincidence music*) But there were ex.act.ly. the number of bowls I needed. Not one more, not one less. And my bride twin gave them to me for free! FREE!
Intervention #6
My father went to flea markets every weekend morning for as long as I can remember. So along his shopping adventures he made lots of contacts with the different vendors. One such vendor happened to sell orchid plants. Orchids are my favorite flower, but they can get very expensive. The plants regularly sell for $30 at stores near me. However, this vendor agreed to sell me all the orchid plants I wanted for $10 each. Yep. That's it. So I now had centerpieces. He delivered them the day before the wedding (in all my specified colors) and even picked out a special double plant for mine and Sean's sweetheart table. Leen, my other bridesmaid Amanda, and I put together all the centerpieces at the ass-crack of dawn the day before the wedding. It was a bonding experience for sure. So that means that my centerpieces cost me a total of $10 each. For a beautiful plant that my guests took home. Many are still alive 2 years later which makes my growing green heart very happy. I love sustainability!
Intervention #7
I wanted cupcakes for our wedding cake, and have even before they were trendy--I swear! So again, I did Internet research and found the bakeries in the area best known for their cupcakes. I had my good friend Ian pick up a sampling on his way to visit one day and we gorged ourselves on the sweets. They were all terrible! Frustrated I was flipping through a local wedding magazine, and happened upon an add for a bakery--only 15 minutes from my house. I called and asked if they made cupcakes and they told me to come in that afternoon for a tasting. Well you can guess where this is headed--BEST. CAKE. EVER. You'll have to take my word that they were delicious, but you can be the judge of how fantastic they looked:
Intervention #8
While munching on my cake a lady next to me asked me how it was since it looked so delicious. I looked up to answer and saw her name tag: "Linda" both mine, and Sean's mom's name. I also saw her smock: Phillips Flowers. Turns out her shop was 2 doors down and she had time for a consultation that afternoon. I told her my colors, and said the rest was up to her. They turned out EXACTLY as I imagined. Perfect.
All of these things happened in a matter of days. The details for our wedding fell into place as if it was meant to be that way the whole time.
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