 from Brides.com These days there's this huge push to be an individual. We need to customize our lives to outwardly reflect our personalities. These days there are rainbow colored iPods, custom ringtones for our phones and skins for our web browsers. So, when it comes to weddings this extreme need for personalization really shines through. It seems like ladies are driving themselves to the brink of insanity to come up with something that's never been seen before.
But, sometimes it just goes too far! There is a carrot on this man's lapel from crying out loud. I'm not sure where this theme came from but to me it seems like a vegan theme gone wild.
 Veggie bouquet on Brides.com Actually, the real story is something about this girl owning a catering business. In any case, I don't get it. If its truly representing a love of food, I find the theme far too literal!
My real question is did people attend this wedding and think "oooh how cute and personal!" or did they think "the bride smells like onions"?
Is this what happens to normal brides in the throes of planning? I lamented early on that I didn't want to be a bride with monogram toilet paper; that when I get to the point of wanting that then someone needs to smack me upside the head and bring me back to reality.
Was emptying the crisper drawer a sane and rational decision OR was this her monogram toilet paper?
I want to have a personal wedding but I really don't want my guests wondering if they can take the centerpieces home to their rabbit. Where does it end? Where is the line between personal and crazy? And more important, how do I know when I cross it? :)
P.S. This makes me want ranch dressing.
After my last post about being nervous about vendors, I decided to seek some advice from other brides who'd been married at the Ezell House. Maybe they could offer advice on my venue? Perhaps in hindsight they're have some words of wisdom.
One problem... I don't know anyone who is an Ezell House bride!
I must admit, I am a complete Facebook stalker. I quickly went on Facebook and looked up a couple photographers in the area. Next, I sorted through their photos for pictures of the Ezell House and then I promptly sent FB messages to a couple of brides in the photos! I know, sort of weird. But, I don't know anyone else to give me an honest opinion on the venue so I thought soliciting some anonymous advice would be a good thing.
It took me a while to draft up a non-creepy message asking the brides some advice. But, it worked! I got two replies last night! And, now, a big sigh of relief. Both brides said their days went perfectly. Funny though, the one bride told me her only issue was with Port City Rental. Remember them with their billion dollar teal linens and $250 christmas lights? I had a chance to ask them some pointed questions and I'm very satisfied that I made a good choice!
Now, the one girl I messaged was actually whose wedding I went to see being set up with Andy and Shanna when we were trying to make a decision. Obviously, she doesn't know me, we just saw her in passing while she was doing photos. At the time I remember telling Shanna how I thought she had a nice dress.
Fast forward to yesterday. While in the midst of my facebook stalking, I kept looking at this bride's photos on the photographer's FB page for inspiration. Her wedding was in front of the fountain and set up exactly how I'd envisioned my ceremony so her pictures are helpful in getting an ideas for my wedding. But, I kept looking at her dress... then it dawned on me.... THAT'S MY DRESS! I called Shanna over (we share an office at school) and she confirmed. The bride I FB stalked about her wedding at the Ezell House is also my dress twin!
Well, the good thing is that at least I know we have similar tastes since we picked the same venue and dress. She gave the venue a rave review so this must be a good sign. And, I know what my dress looks like on a person in front of the house (I'm not sure why that matters).
 DRESS TWIN!
Did you think I was actually going to show you the whole dress? No way!!!
 And here is a crappy dressing room picture of the top of my dress. I assure you that this sweetheart neckline is indeed the same!
Note: I have actually tried on a veil, I just don't love it. I also don't love my hair down which is funny because I usually prefer it that way... ah, decisions for another day!
So, am I crazy for all this facebook stalking? I know I already booked the place so there's no backing out, I just felt like maybe there'd be some red flags to make sure I addressed before my big day. Any of you that are married or have experience, how did you pick a venue?
The answer: not as much as Port City Rentals would like me to think.
While my mom was in town we decided to check out a few other vendors, including rental places for chairs, tables and linens.
I'm not doing a full sit down dinner so, in theory, linens should be easy. I have eleven 36" round tables in the courtyard that I want to put tablecloths on. I have a couple more of the same size in the bar. I want to rent a few tall bistro tables and teal tablecloths for these and then white linens for the food serving tables. All and all its a pretty small order, we're looking at 21 teal table clothes and 8 white ones. Want to know what that will cost me? Over $1200! Yep, that's a whopping $40 each. I like teal but there's no way in hell I'm paying for that. The cost of renting the bistro tables (not included in this price) are one quarter of the tablecloth price. SERIOUSLY?! The tablecloth is more than the table!?
I don't even understand why people would do this. About 4 seconds of google searching leads you to all sorts of online options where I can buy all my tablecloths for under $200. For $6.99 I can get a tablecloth for my courtyard tables.
 3 strands of $250 lights Now, if the price of tablecloths wasn't enough, my trip to the rental place brought me even more surprises. The Ezell House is decked out in lights for nighttime. All the banisters are wrapped in rope lights and the courtyard area has those italian style lights draped over it. The courtyard is broken into two sections, the main courtyard and the courtyard extension seen in my photo.
When we went to the rental place, they tacked on a $250 lighting charge to our quote so "we wouldn't be surprised later!". Screw being surprised later, I'm surprised now! Apparently, the lights over the courtyard extension aren't part of the venue's lighting, they're strung up by the rental company. All the rest of the lighting, including the italian lighting in the main courtyard are permanent and part of the rental.
Now look at this picture. The wedding taking place when I took the picture had added their own lanterns to the lighting but as you can see there are three strands of lights over the courtyard extension. Three. Apparently, if the lights aren't up, the rental place will string them up for $250. Sometimes they take them down when putting up tents, etc. If they're already up, lucky me, I just pay a $50 usage fee.
This is bullshit. First, why wouldn't the venue own all the lights? Why are 3 strands of lights excluded? Of course, this area will be my dance floor so lights are necessary. Second, the rental company just announced that the lighting fee would be included in the quote. They didn't even take time to tell me what the actual deal with the lights was. I had to email them and the Ezell House back and forth trying to get the scoop. I mean, why are 3 strands of lights now included on my quote? Why can't the venue just own them and deal with them? How confusing?!
So, of course, like linens, I'll do my own. This kind of thing just irritates me to no end! I'm sure this will just be an ongoing annoyance. I'm hoping the Ezell House will be helpful in letting me put up my own lights. All my bridal bargain books warn me of venues being in cahoots with vendors. I sort of feel like this is one of those situations where they're basically tricking brides into throwing down an extra $250.
SO frustrated!
FYI to all you other brides to be:
www.linentablecloth.com
www.cvlinens.com
Cheap! Lacy, another grad student here, just told me she got hers from the first one. Thanks!
 Me and a bear in the Exhibit hall! Well, Sunday we went to 5 Rivers! I actually liked it more than I had originally anticipated. Overall, I liked the venue already but I was having a hard time getting a firm idea of how it'd work for a ceremony and a reception.
5 Rivers is very in line with Andy and I's personalities. Its right on the water which is perfect for marine biologists. the rooms are spacious with high lofty ceilings, a giant rock fireplace and paneling made from 150 year old ocean salvaged wood.
Andy and I were originally concerned with where we'd have a ceremony. We saw ceremonies on the dock in the photos but it looked like only 10 people could be there. Once we got to 5 Rivers we learned that there is a lot more room to watch the ceremony on the decks adjacent to the water. Its very beautiful.
5 Rivers is run by the state as a conservation site. It also has an awesome exhibit hall with a natural history of Alabama (which explains me and the bear). There are three buildings and the exhibit hall is on the far end, the big room for the reception is the middle building and the other end building is a theater. They're all connected by extensive decking (covered and uncovered). The theater would be used to get ready for the wedding!
The venue has tables and chairs which is always a plus. We'd only need ceremony chairs and linens. The event coordinator there was very nice and helpful although I don't think we'd get as comprehensive help as we would at the Ezell House mainly because 5 Rivers has less wedding experience.
A few downsides, LOCATION. Although its only a 5 minute drive to hotels off the interstate it doesn't offer hotels like downtown Mobile. Its near a mall and strip malls. Just not the same!
Price. They charge a rental fee for the site and then an additional fee for the ceremony even though you don't get any additional time! Lots of places I saw do this and it makes no sense to me.
Time. Apparently the music has to end at 10:30pm and guests have to be out by 11pm. This seems a tad on the early side for me.
I'm including a few more pictures to give you a better idea of the place!
 Front of Delta Hall, the main reception room!  Other side of Delta Hall, the fireplace!  Back deck on the water with the big screened porch!  Looking down from the deck to the dock ! Overall, very beautiful. If I was judging on the building alone I'd definitely pick this place. I really love it but I'm also thinking about a lot of logistics so I'm just not sure yet!
First things first, Ezell rhymes with gazelle. I don't like that. I want it to be like "easel" with a Z.
Andy and I went to the Ezell House on Friday afternoon so I figured I should give a little update before we head up to 5 rivers this afternoon.
Overall, I think the Ezell House was a success. Visiting a site for a reception and ceremony was also very helpful because its given me a better idea of what to consider. Surprisingly, some of the things we really liked about the Ezell House had little to do with the venue itself.
First, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. You just can't ignore a good location. Downtown Mobile is great because it puts the wedding only a couple blocks from a lot of hotels! I know not everyone will want to walk a few blocks but I think that's important for all our friends we'll be inviting because it means no driving. Those downtown hotels even run shuttles from the airport so people wouldn't necessarily need to rent cars.
I know myself that being young and going to weddings gets expensive. We're already asking our friends to get hotel rooms, if we can spare them from renting a car that'd be nice. Its a quick walk to the venue and there are plenty of restaurants and bars downtown for them to fill in other time!
Second, the staff. The director at the Ezell House, Amy, was so helpful! I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since the place specializes in events. But, after reading bridal books I've learned to be wary in these situations because some venues try to pitch all sorts of wonderful things only to find out those services are extra. I've also read to be wary of recommendations from these types of places because many of them get some sort of commission or kickback.
Well, luckily, this was pretty much the opposite of what we found at the Ezell House. We were given recommendations but it was a rundown of all the big caterers in Mobile or the top 4 most popular photographers. It was very helpful. The Ezell House seemed wonderfully organized. We were given all sorts of options for setting up the ceremony and reception. They also take care of a lot of the setup for you such as getting the ceremony site set up and broken down. They also have most of the stuff you need. I'd only need to rent chairs for the ceremony and linens! This is a definitely plus! Its much easier when they have an assortment of tables to use. I think having a rental company bring all that in would be just one more thing to worry about!
Also my new big concern, the rain plan, was fully covered. I learned you can tent every inch of their courtyard if necessary. They're really on the ball with that. Once I know how many people are attending, they'll put together the rain plan and decide whether I need to get tents on "rain reserve" or whatever else. Its nice. I feel very good about the weather and this place!
Lastly, the house itself was cool! The inside was ornate and fancy as I expected. It had beautiful high ceilings and crystal chandeliers. It had a lovely brick courtyard out back for the ceremony site and for the reception. The old carriage house out back also has a bar in it. They pretty much describe it as the "man cave". The grooms there usually take over that area and deck it out like their favorite team or whatever. The only down side is the place does have some wear. You can tell its used ALL the time. There are dings in the paint in the doorways and some of the shutters were less than perfect. This definitely wasn't a deal breaker because I don't think you'd notice when the place is full of tables and decorations, etc. But, if I'm going to be picky, its not perfect.
Overall, for the price I think its completely worth it. These people know how to do weddings but it didn't seem pushy. I feel like I'd easily get what I want there. Other pluses are that I think the decorations would be minimal because the house itself is fancy. We're talking about doing a buffet for our reception (more on this whole choice later!) and its well set up for that.
I'll let you know how it stacks up!
OK, we did it. We made appointments to see two places. The Ezell House and 5 Rivers. I'm pretty excited to actually scope a few places out in person.
Andy and I have been working on our tentative guest list trying to get an idea of the size of the wedding we will have. Its very crazy once you start tallying up family and friends. Its also hard to know who will come to a wedding so far away from Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland and California! I'm hoping we're doing alright with estimating size because obviously these places have size limits. But, I have to say its nice to see a tally of friends other then on Facebook. haha.
Here's my list of things to consider and ask about:
- capacity. duh!
- price
-what that price includes (chairs, setup of tables, etc)
- what penalties I could incur such as running over in length. Don't want to be charged an arm and a leg for guests staying too long.
- Is there a cut off time. There are noise ordinances and stuff. It'd suck to turn the music off at 10pm.
- layout and flow. Would it be comfortable to have food, dancing, etc.
- decorating restrictions (Candles seem like they have restrictions)
- other restrictions (I know the ezell house only allows red wine at seated dinner)
- security, do we need it? Some place require you hire security.
-parking. Is there any? Is it free?
- catering, florist, DJ restrictions, rules, etc.
- Can Parker and Violet come? (kidding!)(maybe)
- Is it awesome?
YAY! I think I'm getting somewhere. I hope that we either love one of these places or that it gives us a firmer idea of what we're looking for.
Shanna just pulled out an article for me on suggestions for naming tables at your wedding. Andy and I had already thought it was a nice idea and were tossing around the idea of naming the tables instead of just numbering.
This article gives us 25 new ideas for table names. They are:
1. Dog breeds (perhaps parker panda, and little ms. violet flower?)
2. cheeses (brie anyone?)
3. classical composers (didn't Beethoven have syphillis? ew.)
4. gemstones (dibs on cubic zirconia)
5. james bond movies (goldeneye was a good video game)
6. impressionist painters
7. wonders of the world (what happens if I have more than 7 tables?)
8. Old-fashioned candies
9. wine varietals (franzia, arbor mist)
10. scenic highways
11. mythical creatures (the Kraken)
12. colors (teal, aqua, turquoise)
13. explorers (Dora)
14. 1980s bands (Don't Stop Believing)
15. Greek Islands
16. Vegetables and herbs (well, I do have 6 varieties of basil)
17. Mountain peaks
18. Broadway musicals (the last thing I need to do is encourage my sister to sing Hairspray)
19. National parks
20. yoga poses (downward dog... awkward)
21. elements of the periodic table (I do like sulfur)
22. jazz artists
23. tiki-bar drinks
24. seashells
25. constellations (ursa major)
In theory, I like the idea. The picture with the article is of a place card holder that says "Rutabaga". I would laugh if I sat at table parsnip at someone's wedding. But, it did spark some ideas that are much more Andy and Ali then vegetables or jazz artists. Here's my list.
1. jellyfish
2. LOST hatches
3. hurricanes
4. HGTV shows
5. horror movies
6. zelda games
7. nicknames for Parker and Violet (P.Panda, Chicken Pot Pie, Trashy, Nugget)
8. kitchen gadgets (muddlers, avocado slicers and mandolins!)
9. sushi rolls
10. my turtles (buddy, dark, echo, val, ernest and felix. Well, ernest is kristin's but he lives with me.)
11. phytoplankton (wooo Phaeocystis)
12. famous beaches
13. locations in Middle Earth
14. Mardi Gras krewes
15. That's what she said jokes
Well, I went to the Botanical Gardens on the 4th of July with Shanna, Kristin and Renee. The gardens are lovely and I learned you can bring your dogs so it may be a fun place to take the dogs on an adventure someday!
Unfortunately, I learned that pictures online are deceiving. I saw some of a pretty room with beautiful rafters in the ceiling but in person the center beam is so low I'm sure Andy smack his head on it! I saw some pictures on the Knot of a real wedding at the gardens but in person I really had a hard time picturing how more than 20 people would be in this particular courtyard I'd seen. It was odd. I'm also now getting worried about outdoor spaces in general. The gardens would be fine if I have perfect weather. Adjacent to this building is an herb garden and lovely brick courtyard but I don't think they can be tented for bad weather. Sad. I'm still going to call and talk to someone there and see if there's other areas we could use that we might have missed.
There are just so many things to think about when you look for a reception site. Oh well, at the very least I found a neat, free place to wander around. I think I'll try to go see an old southern mansion next!
I've also decided that there are lots of cute bridesmaid dresses in magazine adds but lots of terrible wedding dresses. How come the models wearing the wedding dresses never smile? Isn't this the happiest day of your life? I don't want to look pouty, I want to be radiant!
OK, enough for today!
First things first, I have to have a place for the wedding. I must refrain from picking out candles and flowers until I know where I'm going to put them. I think Andy and I are going for the reception and ceremony at the same location. We don't want to get married in a church and have a reception elsewhere, so we're looking for something to can encompass both parts of the wedding. We also want to have this place be fairly close to hotels so people don't have to drive too far. We're really debating where to have the wedding. We know we'll do it on the Gulf Coast but I don't know if that means in Mobile or over on the beach in like Destin, Florida. I think we've also settled on an October wedding (October next year... I need time to do this). I've been trying to think about things I want to have in a reception site. I know I really enjoyed two things about Kelly's wedding 1. it was at the hotel we stayed in and 2. there was "drunk food". They wheeled out delicious snacks at like 11pm. Fondue = awesome. I also enjoyed my cousin Kali's wedding a lot because her reception and ceremony were at the same place. There wasn't a huge amount of down time in between the wedding ceremony and reception. In fact, there were hors d'oeuvres almost immediately upon going into the reception site. Now that I've sketched out some things I think I want , I'm sitting down with my arsenal of books, magazines and websites to get ideas of venues and ideas of what I want at those sites. I figure I can't look for sites if I don't know what I want. Luckily for me, all my resources are happy to tell me what I should want at a reception location. 1. couches. Yep, tables and chairs aren't enough. If I want my guests to be comfortable and have a good time, I need couches. I've only been to one wedding with a "lounge" which means I guess I've only been comfortable at one wedding I've attended. 2. A photo booth. Forget disposable cameras on the table, now we're on to photo booths. I can either rent one like at the mall or set up my own with a digital camera and a photo printer. My DIY book and the knot both say so. 3. a Surprise choreographed dance. This is EVERYWHERE and I'm not doing it. I can't dance and neither can my friends and the last thing I'd do is force you to watch us try. It won't be charming, funny or endearing. It'll be awkward. Alright, Martha, its your turn. The knot is getting me nowhere. Martha, I don't care if you grow special super secret flowers, you actually gave me real advice. I'm sorry I doubted you. I'm still calling my mom for appetizer pairing though. Martha says I have to determine my needs. Do I need a full service facility or am I doing this myself? Ugh. I don't know. Ideally, I LOVE the idea of setting up myself. I mean, arranging the guestbook table and stuff will be fun but now I'm having to think about reality. If I can only get into a reception site the morning of my wedding and everything has to be set up and I have to get ready, how will I do this? Seriously, I have no idea. If I craft custom votives to surround my centerpieces, who will put them there? Oh good, Martha is even giving me a list of questions to ask when I call to setup appointments so I don't waste my time. Unfortunately, that magical reception site hasn't appeared to me. I have a few more things to consider on the list while I look but unfortunately, I don't feel like I've gotten anywhere. Oh well, I guess I'll keep surfing.
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