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| I'm a strong believer in that once you set the date and find the wedding venue(s), everything else sort of falls into place slowly but surely 
Things to first consider when searching for a venue:
- Sit down with your fiance (and family) and set a date! Most venues book up a year in advance, but you can still find a site if you're planning your wedding in 6 months or less--there may be fewer options and it may take longer to search for a venue, but it can be done!
- Location, location, location
- Do you want an indoor or outdoor event?
- Do you want to have the ceremony and reception at the same location or at 2 separate places?
- How many wedding guests are you expecting?
Joe and I pretty much had similar expectations when it came to wedding venues. We both knew that we wanted to get married at a traditional church with stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings, and dark wooden pews. We also wanted to get married in the Bay Area where we grew up and where our families still reside. We agreed to have separate ceremony and reception locations. Given our large wedding guest list and our Chinese/Taiwanese backgrounds, a Chinese banquet reception seemed more feasible.
With the above "criteria" we set out to search for our ideal venues. I performed random Yahoo/Google searches for both wedding ceremony and reception sites and received recommendations by word of mouth as well. I actually stumbled across our ceremony site online. As I was browsing through the website and looking at gorgeous photos of the church, I had a feeling it was "the one." I immediately showed Joe and he was instantly blown away by the architecture of the church like me. We knew we had to visit the site! We met with the church coordinator and were speechless. The in-person visit confirmed that the church indeed was "the one"! We actually booked it right then and there and within the same week of our engagement! Finding a location for our reception site is another story, with drama of it's own, that I may post for another day.
Here's a sneak peak
A book that I find very resourceful throughout this planning process is Bridal Bargains by Denise & Alan Fields. They even guarantee that their book will help you save at least $500. Apparently the book was featured on Oprah and you can find it at your local Barnes & Nobel or Borders bookstores
Here are some questions to ask (courtesy of Denise & Alan Fields) when looking for a ceremony site:
- Do you have my wedding date available?
- What are the restrictions, set-up times, and clean-up requirements?
- Are there any rules regarding candles or flowers?
- Who will be my contact?
- What kind of equipment must be rented for my wedding?
- How early will the site be available for decorating?
- What is the expected honorarium, donation, or fee paid to the church/officiant? When is this normally paid?
- Is there any pre-wedding counseling required?
- For officiants, are there any travel charges, rehearsal fees, or other costs? Do you offer different ceremony options?
Have fun finding your dream venue!
Other sites I found helpful for planning:
www.weddingbee.com
www.projectwedding.com
www.theknot.com
www.yelp.com (for reviews)
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| I'm going to start posting more wedding related topics. No one really reads this thing anymore but I'm going to make an attempt at documenting our wedding planning process. You only get engaged once!
Where Do I Even Begin?
That's probably one of the first questions every girl asks herself the moment she gets engaged. Everything happens oh so quickly--the events of the day, the methodically planned out proposal, your significant other getting down on one knee to pop the question, the celebration with family and friends, the bazillion congratulatory messages, you're on Cloud 9--it all can be somewhat overwhelming.
Joe and I have been engaged since August 2007, nearly a year and a half. So I've had time to ponder the engagement period. Some tips, from others' and from my own experience, on where to begin:
- Celebrate your engagement with family and friends but also steal some alone time with your fiance to soak it all in and to reflect on your relationship.
- Enjoy the engagement period, whether it's 3 months or even 2 years, because it really does go by quickly. Take time to adjust to introducing one another as "my fiance"
 - Once the shock, excitement, and emotions have calmed down a bit, don't be afraid to start asking your already-married-friends for help/advice/tips on anything wedding related. They are more than happy to help and I'm sure most of them had a fun time planning their own weddings! My friends automatically extended their help by sharing tips from their own weddings, sending me templates, recommending me to leaf through bridal magazines, and referring me to an online wedding blog (www.weddingbee.com) that has helped me tremendously throughout my wedding planning process.
So there you have it!
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| This is my attempt at keeping this xanga somewhat alive.
2008 was great, but I have a feeling 2009 will be even better! Only two life-changing events happening this year for me~finally graduating from optometry school and getting married 
It's snowing in Boston right now. I'm tired of the cold weather and ready to move back to California permanently! Only 5 more months to go!
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| Yup, Joe and I have been engaged for exactly 1 year. Another year to go before we finally tie the knot! I have a feeling it's gonna go by fast...at least I hope it does Happy early Birthday to Joe! Tomorrow is his actual birthday, but I most likely won't be on here to wish him a proper cyberspace birthday. Also tomorrow is my last day of my first rotation and I'm heading off to Ireland and Amsterdam for the long weekend! | | |
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I don't care if he's overly publicized! He's just so amazing to watch!! He's going down in history--everybody loves a winner=) Go Michael Phelps!! | | |
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