Five Hundred and Twenty Two

....days to go until May 5, 2012 - Our wedding day

Must I really wait 522 days to see all of my ideas come to life? I wonder how many more dresses I'll buy (and hopefully sell). I wonder how many times I'll change my colors. More importantly, I wonder how much money I'll be able to save!

Looking to save on the big ticket items by locking in 2010 rates, I was luckily able to book the following:

1) Venue: From the previous post, we had a very hard time deciding. In the end, my upfront research definitely paid off because the venue we picked raised their rates less than a week after our appointment. (Picture from the open house below!)

2) DJ: A highlight of my sister's wedding was the music and party atmosphere. One of the reasons for this (other than all the fun guests) was their DJ. To top it off, they offer a very reasonable rate!

3) Transportation: Although this isn't really something that people book THIS early, the venue that we selected partners with a trolley company and quoted me what seemed to be a good rate for an all-day trolley service for the bridal party and for guests to be picked up from the hotel to the reception. So I figured...why not? I might as well book them now before prices go up in 2011 and again in 2012!

4) Church: This doesn't really fall into the category of raising rates but this was the first thing that I made sure to research before I did anything else because I was not a parishioner in any of the Philadelphia churches. But through some research, I now feel better knowing that there are options for us in Philly. Pending a meeting with their priest, I hope to officially tie the knot and walk down the aisle at St. Rita of Cascia.


Venue Sneak Peak at the open house this past Sunday taken with my new camera =)



522 more days....really?!?!?

The Cronicles of an Indecisive Bride To Be...

...Should be the name of this blog.

A few people - ok most of you - know about my wedding dress "issue" and how many I have racked up even though the wedding is not until 2012. My problem is that I happen to like...no absolutely Loooove...alot of different options. I'm picky but not really. I don't even know if that makes sense.

Unfortunately, in the wedding business, there's no such thing as returns or exchanges so being indecisive is not a good thing. Most wedding dresses are final sales especially if you've altered it or purchased it at a sample sale. Wedding venues require that you put a non-refundable deposit which are at least $1000.

The issue of absolutely loving everything definitely came into play when the fiance and I booked seven wedding venue appointments yesterday. We managed to make it through all of them but one and surprise surprise, I absolutely loved every single one of them. I walked into each venue like a girl who had just realized that her dream wedding could actually come true. I "ooohed and ahhhed" and twirled around every venue's dance floor despite running on 4 hrs of sleep the night before.

At the end of the day, I knew EXACTLY where we would have our wedding (emphasize the "I knew" and not "WE knew"). The more I saw (or didn't see) the same level of enthusiasm from the fiance, the more I second guessed my choice. Luckily, contracts haven't been signed and we have two weeks to decide.


I'll save the reviews on the other venues at a later time. For now, I'd like to focus on the two that are in the running.


Option 1: Ballroom at the Ben

Pros: + Meets the budget BUT wedding must be done in March

+ Ballroom with built in up lighting and pin spot lighting on tables (only brides will appreciate this!) which is typically extra cost everywhere else (at least $500)

+ Lots of weddings have happened here and it s well photographed so I've seen lots of pictures online that validate how beautiful it is and that it can hold the number of guests that we'll be expecting

+ Slightly closer to hotels downtown


+ Fiance loves it and prefers this over Option 2


Cons: - Wedding MUST be before end of March to meet budget which is still cold weather and wedding will be during lent

- Guests park a block away in a lot and must navigate themselves to the ballroom inside a multi-purpose building (office space and condos). We can choose to pay for everyone's parking and they are given a voucher ticket at the ballroom to present to the garage attendant. I've heard from a review that didn't work out so well and guests had to pay for parking even though bride and groom pre-paid.


- Must pay extra for linens other than ivory or white

- Cocktail hour area (balcony above ballroom) looks dated


- Guests must go down elevators and out lobby of the building to get some air

Here are professional pictures...

[Source] [Source]

Option 2: Tendenza
Pros + A very unique venue that is unlike anything that I've seen. I was blown away as soon as I walked into the space


+ For a little bit more than budget, we can have the wedding in April or May which is warmer than March.

+ Included in the price is the only thing that fiance asked for which is a raw bar

+ No additional cost for different linen options and square tables

+ No additional fee for duet entree which is one of the things we are considering to have

+ For an extra fee (similar to Option 1's parking fee) our guests will have valet parking right outside of the venue at no cost to them

+ Common outdoor courtyard on the same level as venue so easy access to get air

+ Color scheme of the place matches what I wanted for our wedding colors (black, ivory, and a couple of accent colors that I haven't decided on)


Cons - It is brand new and has not officially opened so no history of weddings or online pictures to better visualize a wedding set-up

- Planner says they max out at 40 people over our planned party size. Fiance is worried that it will be tight for our size party

- Over budget by $10 per person

- Light colored floors and walls (in some areas) which look great now but worried that it will look dirty and worn by the time our wedding comes around (space is booking fast even though they haven't opened yet)

- Fiance is worried that it looks like a club


Here are some pics from my iphone. I REALLY wish I brought a camera with me that day.

Cocktail Hour space - stairs lead up to dinner/dance space




Dinner/Dance Space



One of two Bars (they are back to back - one in the Cocktail reception area and one ine the dinner/dance area)






So long story short, I'm confused yet again. Help?