Wedding Update #2 (Vendors)

Well, after much craziness, wedding plans seem to be falling into place (knock on wood, please don’t let saying that jinx anything). We have our date, our venue, our photographer, and a good lead on the caterer. Things on our checklist are eliminating themselves, one by one.

The next big conversations to have are wedding party and clothing. As far as wedding party clothing goes, the primary goal is to put everyone into something that they look awesome in and will wear again. In that vein, we would like to put each of the bridesmaids in a different color, then have the bouquet she carries in the main color of her dress with accents to match the other three dresses. Groomsmen will be in the same four colors (probably vest & tie in color, black pants, white shirt or something like that). We decided that the most flattering assortment of colors that will also look rocking on the boat would be jewel tones.

Because I’m a complete and total dork, I went to Home Despot and picked up some paint chips in the colors we’re looking at. Obviously, in fabric the colors will look different, so it’s really a moot point and was just an exercise in “keep Megan busy so she doesn’t slaughter the caterers”.

By the way, I have a theory about the “bridezilla” phenomenon. These are not women who are crazy and demanding and don’t care about their husband-to-be. Oh no. These are women who have been pushed RIGHT over the edge by the wedding industry. After the um-teenth admonishment that I really ought to be dieting already to cram myself into the dress that I should have bought months ago. After the caterers who refused to listen to a word I said (yes, we would like it non-dairy. No, I would not like a special plate so I can avoid all the real food.) or wouldn’t call us back (oh, we’re so glad you called us back! your message cut off just as you left your phone number and we just couldn’t reach you! Email? What email?). After the photography company who called four times, emailed twice, and sent me a text message, just to make sure that I knew about the Really Important Event Tuesday night!!! After the caterer who promised a quote next tuesday. I mean Friday. I mean definitely Monday or Tuesday. Tomorrow, no really.

Can you blame a girl for wanting to get a little bit violent?

Wedding Update, Phase #1 (Venue)

We spent yesterday doing a crazy amount of venue searching, but I think we’ve got it narrowed down to two. We’d pretty much narrowed it down to four before we went: Linganore, the Maryland Science Center, the Baltimore Zoo, and the USS Constellation.

Linganore *finally* got back to us three weeks later and said “Oh that sounds great. We’re full in May. How’s April?”. So they’re off the list because they made me cranky.

The zoo is kinda neat; you can hire “animal ambassadors” to come to the reception, so we could have penguins wandering around for an hour or so (until they get tired and have to go home). Unfortunately, the pavillion for the ceremony is oddly shaped and we’re not hugely fond of the reception area they offered, so when the only redeeming quality is penguins, it’s time to look at other venues. (But I mean, come on, PENGUINS.)

So our top two choices are the Science Center and the Constellation. We started the day at the Science Center. They recommend the ceremony in the Planetarium (and the projector is included in the rental price!) and then moving upstairs to the rooftop terrace for the reception, where there’s a big tent and a gorgeous view of the Inner Harbor. Because we have to start after the museum closes, start time for the ceremony would be 7pm and we could go till 11. If people still want to party, there’s always power plant live down the street. Disadvantage: they only have one caterer. Aramark is a big company, but they are willing to work with us, but it’ll probably be pricier. They have no problems with getting us local wines/beers, and when I said we’re interested in exploring local food, she said to give her a list of farms in the area and they can contact them and get some pricing for us. She put a courtesy two-week hold on May 15th for us.

And then there’s the Constellation. Also in the Inner Harbor, also a museum. We can have it 6pm-11pm, and again people can continue to party at the nearby bars. We’d get the whole ship, including the captain’s cabin on the lower level which is perfect for a buffet. The ship is big enough for 300+ men to live on for months at a time, so our 75-80 people will have PLENTY of room. They have a list of preferred caterers, so we have more selection there. The big difficulty is that the lower deck has less head room, so that’s a concern for tall people. Ben and I are planning to head up with Dad sometime next week (before we have to make a decision) to see if it’d be too short for him and the other tall people. They have May 1st available.

So that’s where things currently stand. We have officially run up against our first tough decision! Next step: compare catering options and make a decision.
– Megan