Administrative Assisstant's Day

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Can I just say how demeaning this day is? At least it has evolved from Secretary's Day. Welcome to corporate America and a gender based glass ceiling.

Tom took us out for Administrative Assistant's day to his Brookhaven Capital City Country Club. It's a beautiful location, but I am NOT a country club girl. In fact I NEVER want to be one. It's just not who (or what) I am.

Despite the fact that we were "celebrating" administrative assistant's day, I was in wedding scoping mode. I had considered holding the reception in a club and Tom had mentioned a few times that he would sponsor the event. The venue was beautiful, but the room is too small for 100 guests, and despite the beautiful decor, it seems WAY too stuffy for me. Like one of those places where if you touched something you would get in trouble.

To me, this place just screams pretentiousness and "fake-ness" and I wouldn't want to ask my boss to sponsor my event. In fact, I'd pretty much rather do anything other than that.

I think this day was created so that bosses could feel better about themselves and the crappy way that they treat their employees on a daily basis.

And that's all I have to say about that!

The Great Debate of........Hotels

Monday, April 21, 2008

So in the beginning, I was adamantly against hotels while Al was all for it.

I thought they were bland and boring and impersonal.

They just seemed a little less classy. I guess I had visions of the Days Inn or something like that in my head.

I had yet to consider the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton or Hyatt Regency located downton.

Then Twelve at Atlantic Station came to my attention and I was blown away, however, it was super modern and just not something I was looking for. (It's SO gorgeous though for any bride who is planning a very modern, clean line, monochramatic wedding)

Al liked the convenience of having everyone in one place where people could just hang out and then go upstairs. We sort of experienced this with John and Kamber's wedding last December. In addition, hotels offer comprehensive packages which include a suite for the bride and groom for the night.

I'm hoping that we can find a good compromise because the hotels that I'm willing to look at are most likely WAY out of our budget.
The two most likely hotels that I would consider and are in our budget are the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center and the Rennaissance Waverly Hotel.

We shall see....

Travel Jet Video

Saturday, April 19, 2008

The third and final vendor that Lara took us to see was Don Simmons at Travel Jet Video.
I was disappointed at best. It was at this vendor meeting that I realized that Lara was not listening to what I was looking for.
After 10 minutes I was squirming in my chair and desperate to leave. His style was completely opposite of mine and our personalities were just not on the same page AT ALL. I knew that I would not be hiring this videographer.

Moving on.....and still on the hunt.

Making Memories Catering

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Second stop......Caterer

We drove into the bowels of a subdivision (my mom's take: well, we should have laid bread cumbs to get back out of this place). It was a good thing that we were following Lara as we would have NEVER have found her place.

We had asked to have some example or taste test of food, but we were told (by Lara) that she doesn't do that because it would be too expensive....ummm....aren't you trying to sell me your business, why wouldn't you give us SOMETHING?
So after a tour of her basement, we chatted about a possible menu. We talked about options and she said she would put together a quote.....and then we left.

Ummm.....ok, maybe this is supposed to be it. I don't know, but this whole day just has not felt right.

Sweet Sensations

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Sweet Sensations was the first stop on our Tour de Jour of Newnan vendors.
I'll explain.
Lara took us on a day of vendor appointments to try to knock out some major checks on my list all in one day.

We started with the Cake Baker. After driving forever we finally arrived in Newnan. When we got inside there was one little table which Al and I sat at with the Baker. We offered my mom the last seat. She (can't remember her name) failed to even offer my parents a glass of water or even ask if they were comfortable. It was an awkward meeting and her prices were (in my opinion) quite outrageous for the quality that she presented to us. I was not impressed and started to doubt Lara's vendors. I'm crossing my fingers for the caterer.

White Sands Travel Agency

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tonight was Honeymoon Starz Night sponsored by White Sands Travel Agency and Jamaica Air. The event was held at Le Madeline's at Perimeter and there were 3 attendees (including myself). 5 minutes into the presentation, the other couple left. It was kind of awkward, however I had a chance to talk personally with Judith White. She still went through her presentation for Couples resorts in Jamaica. I'm totally sold on this place. It's an absolutely beautiful property that is adults only and offers many great options for doing everything or nothing at all.
Tonight definitely got me excited about our honeymoon. I have no idea what we will end up doing as Al is still pretty sold on the idea of a cruise, but I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to a long and well deserved vacation.

Wedding Planning Websites

So, in all of my crazy wedding process, I've acquired some websites to pass along.

http://www.atlantabridal.com - a good one stop shop for atlanta vendors (please be aware that my ex wedding planner is a FEATURED vendor on this website - this is a title that is bought with advertising money - not earned)

http://atlanta.perfectweddingguide.com/ - a decent website for atlanta vendors as well

http://www.onewed.com - another good one stop shop

http://www.theknot.com

http://www.weddingbee.com

Videographers - Part Two

Tier Two

The videographers in this level are budget friendly and at the top end of the medium level wedding videographers....meaning, the colors/quality style were more like something you could produce yourself. Not bad, but not "Movie" quality. All of these vendors include extensive editing and music.

*DISCLAIMER*

Also, I decided not to list any of the videographers that were on the other end of the spectrum due to the fact that "quality" is in the eye of the beholder. So something that I may dislike or label cheesy or campy may be something that another bride genuinely likes and I don't want to step on anyone's toes. Therefore, if there is a videographer that is not on this list, feel free to comment and let me know which one you're considering and if you would like/be interested in my opinion of them. Chances are, I've seen their work.

Evolution Video http://www.evolutionvideoinc.com/index.php?splashShowed=1

Joel was really great and answered all my questions. They were just a little bit out of my budget and not exactly my style, but they have a really awesome product. They're style is a bit more traditional, but the videos are wonderful.

October Skies Productionhttp://www.octoberskiespro.com/weddingvideo/index.html

Great choice and use of music. Very artistic with shots and angles. A VERY good company and reasonably priced. I just decided that I wanted to go with something that was one step up, but I would still highly recommend them.

Pretty Girl Wedding Media Co.

http://www.prettygirlweddings.com/home.html
Unique style and good editing with music. Again, just a different type of style, but still a vendor I would recommend. They are definitely willing to work with your vision of the overall product you want and are open to any ideas.

An Old Glory Production
http://oldgloryproductions.com/index2.html
Eric is very friendly and personable and this company is such a great choice for a truly documentary style wedding video. There is still editing involved, but it seems to be more of a consistent, continuous story and pure documentation of the event. Would definitely recommend and they are very budget friendly!

Videographers - Part One

I have spent the last year or so researching videographers.

To me, photography and videography were THE most important factors, so I just began gathering information.

I have collected so many demos and examples of random videographers across Georgia and I wanted to share some reviews of the top contenders that I came across (as well as some companies that were on the other end of the spectrum). Again, this is just my opinion after months of research.

So let's start at the top of my list or Tier One as I would like to call it.

If money had been no object, I would have hired Still Motion in a heartbeat.
http://www.still-motion.ca/
However, since they are based out of Canada, and because of their most recent national recognition as leaders in the industry, they were WAY out of my budget.
I cannot stress enough how much I love this company and their style.
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!!
Still Motion became my benchmark against which I compared EVERY single company I looked at afterwards.

Then I came across First Sight Pictures which is local.
http://www.firstsightpictures.com/
First Sight had the same type of quality of Still Motion, just a little less of the "edginess".
However, again, they were out of my budget. I would still HIGHLY recommend them as their work is absolutely fantastic, movie quality gorgeousness.

I then discovered Simply Cinematic.
http://simplycinematic.com/
FANTASTIC quality, style is very artsy and totally outside the box. LOVE THEM!
However, they are based out of Florida and I would have to pay travel expenses.
Rainer was super cool and very responsive to all of my questions and although they were closer to my budget and the exact type of movie quality that I want, I just couldn't afford to bring them to Georgia.

Simply Cinematic actually then directed me to Collab Creation.
http://www.collab-creation.com/
They work with Simply Cinematic and have the same type of style.
I did not contact them to find out about cost, but I'm sure they will range in $2,500 - $3,000 category.

Blue World Studios - Key Moment Cinema
http://www.blueworldstudios.com/KeyMomentCinema.html
I actually worked with Janet and EJ a few times and I can highly recommend them.
Their photography and videography are AMAZING!!!!
They have an awesome setup for video including a steadicam vest that allows you to get those smooth shots and EJ is fantastic at post-production, transitions and just an overall picture of what the finished product will be.
I'm not exactly sure what the pricing runs for the cinema, but it's DEFINITELY worth it!

And finally I would like to put SCG (otherwise known as Sanctified Crack Gorillas) in my Tier One list.
http://www.scgproductions.com/index/weddings
While they aren't as "movie-like" as the above mentioned companies, they have THE best sense of artsy style and are super edgy. You can see the passion in their work and they are just awesome people. They are definitley a company to check out!

Next....Tier 2

The Fox Theatre

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

This totally breaks my heart....I mean, I REALLY wanted to have my wedding at the Fox because it truly represents Atlanta to me - historically, emotionally, nostalgically (is that a word?)

However, their bar package is a joke and WAY out of my budget. There is no beer and wine.

There is only $32 per person, for a 4 hour minimum or consumption. Either way, that's a heck of a lot of alcohol for an early evening reception, and quite frankly, we don't want our guests completely blitzed.

So......it's a no go for me. Oh well.....kinda depressing, but that's why I honestly didn't get my hopes up.

To tell you the truth, I never even kept the Fox on my radar as a possible venue because I knew it was so darn expensive.....

However, I would like to reveiw the venue just in case someone finds this corner of the world and is thinking about going for the Fox. Hands down.....it's GORGEOUS! It's so rich with architecture, pattern, color, texture. It has this rich, luxurious feel to it that creates an awesome sense of ambiance. I had wanted to rent the Grand Salon and Terrace which meant that I would have the outside rooftop, so that my guests could get an eyeful of the Atlanta skyline. That would have been immeasurably cool.

They also put your names up on the LCD Billboard out front with your wedding date and a message of congratulations. For a girl who dared to dream that she would have her name up in lights....this was something that almost outweighed the horrendous bar package.....almost.

There's SO many amazing things about a reception at the fox:
Location, ambiance, style, beauty, history, picture opportunities, view, proximity to hotels (specifically the Georgian Terrace across the street)......I could go on.
The few negatives include budget friendliness, flexibility in bar package and stairs. If you have a large amount of elderly guests, the stairs are pretty treacherous. They do have an elevator, but it is super slow.

Had money not been so much of an object, I would have had my wedding reception at the Fox, however my head convinced my heart that it just wasn't worth it.

I'm thinking vow renewal for sure!

Avante Catering

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

I received a call from Avante Catering this morning which is completely awesome, as I filled out the e-mail submission form from their website last night at like 10:oo pm.

http://www.avantecatering.com/

I spoke with Bailey Matthews and she was very personable and just asked for a little extra information to find out what I was looking for in a menu. After a 5 minute conversation, she told me that she would get a quote to me in my e-mail by the end of this week.

I'm looking forward to seeing her package.

Catering/Caterers are going to be my greatest challenge to find I think.

I'll continue to post updates and reviews as the quotes come in.

Update 1: I just received my first quote from Avante at 3:40 pm.
The quote is significantly cheaper than Fabulous Creations and includes more of what I want. Plus they handle the cake as well. Kind of a one stop shop.
This will be interesting.
I'm hoping to schedule a tasting, to see what the food is like, then we can make a better decision....to be continued.

I FOUND MY VIDEOGRAPHER!!!!

April 6, 2008


So, I've been on a super hunt for the right videographer that will not only be in our price range, but will be artistic and just plain good.

SOOOOO hard to find, until I cam upon Indy productions.

http://www.indyproductions.net/#

AMAZING!!!!!

Artistic in composition, song choice and just overall feel.

I had requested a demo so that Al could check them out. Al and I watched the demo and he loved it! I was shocked. I'm SOOOOO excited about this. The work is amazing and I really gel with the videographer and his wife/partner.

I CAN'T WAIT!

One more thing to check off my checklist....YAY!!


Update:

May 15, 2008

My parents hate the video. They say it's too edgy and artistic for their taste. Now normally I wouldn't really care, or rather, I would take this into consideration and then just do what I want....but, because this is part of their gift.....I'm at a loss. I can't convince them otherwise, so.....back to the drawing board. I'm so depressed.

Fabulous Creations Catering

Thursday April 3, 2008

So I had not heard back from Dana at Fabulous Creations Catering in over a week, so I decided to call the office and this time, I asked for Holly Yeagar whom I had met at the Chic Occasions Bridal show at the Fox Theatre. She was with a client so I left a voice mail and about 20 minutes later, she called me back.
CAN I GET A YAY!!!!
I love it when Vendors call back immediately.
Holly was so friendly and personable. I told her that I wanted to make an appointment to get together and chat about what I would need for the reception. (She also mentioned that Dana had had a baby and was on leave from the company.....really wish someone would have told me, but I totally understand)
She said, how about today.
So we made plans to meet today for lunch at Chik-fil-a.
We met and immediately clicked. Holly is so friendly, personable and overall awesome.
I told her what my theme was, what three things were necessary for the menu and she just ran with it.
We immediately started brainstorming and she came up with all kinds of ideas for decor not only for the buffet but for the venue itself.
She shared some ideas about possibilities for our menu and I'm really excited about what she will come up with.
After our hour meeting, I felt really confident about her and her reliability.
It's nice to kind of pass the torch and work with professionals who really give you a sense that you can count on them.
Holly told me that she would try to have a customized proposal to me by Monday April 7th, so I'm totally looking forward to what she'll prepare for me.

When I got back to the office, I was immediately busy, and after a couple of hours, I was able to check my e-mail and Holly had e-mailed me saying that she enjoyed our meeting and gave a few recommendations for vendors that I should check out.
She also e-mailed me a picture of an idea for my centerpieces.
How cool!!!!!

I'm hoping that her services will fit into my budget, because I would really like to use her for all of my catering needs.

I'll update after I hear back from her.

Update 1: Holly has not yet gotten a quote to me. She did e-mail an apology stating that she had a tasting and deliveries that took up her entire day, so I totally understood. As of Tuesday 4/8/8 at 1:59, I have not received a quote......I will continue update.

Update 2: Just received my first quote from Holly at 3 pm. It's about 50% what I'm looking for, but she told me that this is our "first draft" and that we would be able to change things up.
Overall, I'm pretty excited about it.
It gives my a ball park to look at.
I'm looking forward to making changes and settling on an actual menu. I'm hoping that I can make some changes tonight and get it back to her as quickly as possible. I'm basically looking at $9,000.00 for food/beverage and labor, china and glassware and staff. That will most likely need to be reduced. We'll see what happens.

Update 3: I received my second draft of the reception menu on 4/10/8. I LOVE IT!
It's exactly what I'm looking for.
For cocktail hour:
Fruit and cheese display and then the following items passed:
Shrimp cocktail
Lamb lollipops
Gingered Chicken Cakes
There's a choice of beef and chicken at one station with mashed potatoes, a grilled veggie platter and green beans, then a pasta station with various choices for the guests.
Coffee and tea service as well as other beverages are included.
With presentation, buffet linens/decor, china, silverware, glassware, staff and food, my total was $8,584.75

I'm thinking this might be a little out of my budget, but I've got a few other caterers to meet with.
We'll see how it goes.

Overall I would DEFINITELY recommend checking them out.