At first I was reluctant to have a wedding website. What if a stranger randomly finds the website and decides to crash my wedding?! Or someone is a little stalkerish and wants to know all the details just because… ok, I’d admit I’ve done that before. SEE! If anyone is as crazy as I am about weddings and just likes to know any random couple’s wedding details, then it’s a valid reason not to want a wedding website.  However, it is sooo convenient in many ways. It’s a way for your guests to know all the details without having more paper to go along with your invitations, especially if you’re having a lot of out of town guests and/or a destination wedding.

Instead of creating a website on my own, I decided to use Wedding Wire. Not only because Simply Chic has our listing on the website [insert shameless plug here], but they also offer password protection and ability for guests to RSVP online. I’ve seen on Wedding Bee how bee-ers love getting their RSVP postcards back, but I’d rather use money that would go toward the RSVP card and postage on something else. Our guests have yet to see our wedding website (the info will be included in our Save-The-Dates), but since I’m practically done (I think), I’ll give a little preview. It starts with the Welcome page:

I’m not crazy about any of themes Wedding Wire has available, but the website is free and it doesn’t take up a lot of my time as building one entirely on my own would. Do you notice the picture of our pug Otis?? He’s such a big part of lives and our relationship so of course I had to include him! I also included an “Our Story” page with this collage I quickly created:

I created pages for the following:
Bride and Groom (a little info about the both of us as individuals)
Wedding Party (our bridesmaids and groomsmen)
Parents, Sponsors, Flower Girls, & Bearers
Ceremony
Reception
Accommodations
Local Activities
Maps
Registry
RSVP
Reception Music Request

Should I add anything else? Has anyone opted for or against a wedding website? What are your pros and cons? If any of you created a website, did your guests find it useful? Did your guests even go to your website? Helpful feedback is greatly appreciated!

I just realized I had introduced you to my bridesmaids, but I had yet to do the same with Justin’s groomsmen! Hopefully they don’t mind that I stole pictures from Facebook or whatever pictures I have of them. If they disapprove, I’ll gladly switch them out for one they prefer.

First up in Justin’s Best Man - Romeo aka Roe, Justin’s older brother:

Growing up, Justin always looked up to Roe. When Roe’s not too busy trying to take over the world, he enjoys working out, yoga, salsa dancing, rock climbing, travelling, and seeking his next hobby or adventure.

Brian aka B, Justin’s younger brother:

When B’s not too busy working on becoming a lawyer, he enjoys playing his guitar, attending concerts, and glassblowing!

Jonny, Justin’s friend since middle school:

Jonny’s working on getting his Math Ph.D at UCSD. While Justin and Jonny aren’t “raging” together on football Sundays, Jonny enjoys cooking us awesome meals!

Kevin, my older brother:

My brother is about to move back down from the Bay Area, where he worked for the past year. He enjoys playing video games, watching football, and hanging out with his awesome sisters. Ok, I don’t know about the last part but I just threw it out there!

Chris, Justin’s friend since college and my friend since middle school (?):

Justin and Chris have been really good friends since meeting in college, playing Mario Kart, drinking games, going to casino, and supporting local bands. I’ve been friends with Chris since middle school. We were even bus partners during co-ed dance/drill competitions in high school.

Ken, Justin’s friend since high school:

Ken has recently finished culinary school. He has yet to make a meal for me and Justin, but he enjoys watching the Lakers kick ass on the court (yeah!) and playing basketball.

Daniel, Justin and my friend since college:

Daniel now lives in Texas. In college, Justin and Daniel were often mistaken for brothers because of their light skin (hah!) and they were always together. I became friends with Daniel through tagalog class. We were even tinikling partners at one of the Pilipino Cultural Celebrations we were a part of.

There are still a lot of decor aspects I am very indecisive about (which tends to give way to irritation and frustration toward myself even though I still have a long way to go!)  One thing I’m very proud of establishing is on a color scheme! Thanks to our paper goods supplier, I was able to come up with a scheme based on Envelopments’ stock colors:

The main colors will be black and ivory with gray and teal/turquoise accents. I added the patterned image because I will be using it on some of the event stationery. I basically got the designs for invitations and most of the event stationery down. I also decided on attire.  My dress is ivory and Justin’s tux will be black with white shirt, black skinny tie, and white pocket square. The bridesmaids will wear gray dresses with matching teal shoes and accessories of their choice. The groomsmen will wear the same black tux as Justin, but with teal skinny ties and pocket squares.

Most other decor – linens, napkins, flowers, lighting, etc. – have yet to be determined. I have some kind of idea on bouquets, but I totally go back and forth with different centerpiece ideas. I keep telling myself to be patient and there’s plenty of time to make decisions on all the design and decor details, but I’m the type of person that likes to get things done and over with. Well, at least for things I actually care about. I have browsed through wedding blogs and websites since starting Simply Chic (okay okay, even before that) and have found plenty of inspirational images but not too many for my own wedding. We’re meeting with a couple floral designers next week so hopefully once we decide on that, I’ll get help finalizing the design dilemmas I’ve created in my head.

We’re now in Part 3 of 3 of my Extravagant Wants. This last want is probably the most ridiculous (to some), but it’s still something I really really wanted and thought I could actually have.

I wanted Chameleon Chairs! What the heck is that, you ask? Well, here you go:

Straight for their website:

The Chameleon chair is a remarkably versatile stacking chair designed to meet the ever-changing demands of the party and special events market. It is ergonomically engineered for comfort and style. The Chameleon Chair® Collection includes metallic and covered backs as well as seat cushions in a variety of colors, fabrics and patterns.

The Company offers eight different metal back chair styles that can be used as designed or underneath a wide variety of covered backs. The chair’s back is first covered with a custom-made liner. Once the liner is installed, a decorative cover is put on over it to give the chair a sleek, upholstered and tailored look. The company plans to introduce new designs responsive to both fashion and industry trends.

More specifically, I wanted this one:

In possibly this configuration:

I first got introduced to these creations by seeing pictures from The Special Event Wedding Luncheon last year when it was held here in San Diego and then in person at The Special Event tradeshow floor in New Orleans. I thought it would be a dream to have these chairs in my wedding! Well, as I was talking proposals and quotes with a San Francisco caterer, she had mentioned that it would cost just over $10 per chair. I thought, hey that’s not bad! Chiavari chairs are like a dollar or two less. Then I told her the specifics – Bella Fleur chair, pictured above, with Chloe configuration, pictured just above. Well the cushion cover is an additional fee, so is the chair back cover, the delivery PER CHAIR is another additional cost, I think even the chair cushion itself was another extra fee. Don’t forget the overall cost of setting up and taking down all the rentals.  So basically, it would cost times 2 or 3 that of a chiavari chair, which is already times 2 or 3 of plastic or wooden folded chairs.

I already knew it was going to be more expensive than the other rental chairs out there. I wasn’t that naive.  For some reason, I thought, I’m not getting that Monique Lhuillier dress and I’m not having our reception at the Bentley Reserve so I can have this one ridiculously extravagant thing right??? Well, as you can conclude, that’s a big fat WRONG. I even lost sleep trying to make it work within our budget and sorta had a small bridezilla moment (first and last I hope!). There was no way to justify this to Justin and more importantly, to myself.  So yes I got over it and I had a reality check on my crazy bride moment. It helped that my sister pointed out it looks like chairs from a restaurant. A nice and expensive restaurant. It still looks so beautiful [sigh]:

So I’ll have to wait til I am a coordinator or guest to a platinum wedding to sit on these suckers and enjoy it’s true beauty. Ok, that ends my extravagent/ridiculous wants for now. Who knows? I may have more {crossing fingers}, but one thing is for sure – we will have the wedding I envision without going into debt.

Does anyone feel me on having beautiful pieces of furniture for your guests to sit on or are you totally like WTF is she thinking willing to spend so much on something that your guests will have their butts on?!

What do Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, Jewel, Kate Walsh, Carrie Underwood, and Pink all have in common?  Besides being celebrities, they all donned wedding dresses by Monique Lhuillier.

Yes, my DREAM wedding dress designer is Monique Lhuillier. I didn’t really care for wedding dresses until I got into the wedding industry. No doubt they’re beautiful but I always thought they all looked the same. Until I encountered Monique when her name got out there by doing Brit Brit’s dress. Her dresses are to. die. for. Ok, I’m being a bit over-dramatic but you get the point.

Photo taken via Style Me Pretty.

Monique is from the Philippines and went to fashion school in Europe. She is now based in LA and has a salon on Melrose Place.

Photo taken via Sara Yates Blog.

I LOOOOVE her dresses, but again, unless I’m a multi-millionaire having that platinum wedding, I just can’t imagine myself paying that much for a dress. She does have her Bliss collection, her more affordable wedding dress line. With the alterations, bustle, jewelry, and shoes, it just makes it unaffordable for my budget. But I got over the fact that I can’t wear a Monique Lhuillier dress for my wedding even before I was engaged. I was strong enough to not try one of her dresses on in the salon and found a dress that works for my body and my budget! More on that later.

Anyone else have a dream wedding dress designer?? Monique Lhuillier too? What about Vera Wang or any high-end fashion designers?

This will be a three-part blog post about my extravagant wants. You know, the things you would absolutely love to have in your wedding… if you were platinum status. But I’m totally not which is a-okay with me. However, I did have some lavish and unrealistic wants which ultimately in the end wasn’t too hard of a “dream” to give up. Okay, let’s get on with it -

Part 1: Location Location Location

So there were three San Francisco venues that if I were a multi-millionaire would have loved to have my wedding reception held at. All these venues scream upscale sophistication, class, and possibly a bit stuffiness.

1) The Bentley Reserve

Image by Julie Mikos found here

Image by Andrew Weeks Photography found here

Let’s just bask in it’s beauty for a few seconds… So this was my number one choice. It was the Old Federal Reserve Bank which was added to the National Registrar of Historic Places then the building was bought by Bentley Holdings who began major renovations and had it LEED certified.

2) Asian Art Museum

Image found here

The thought of having here or any other museum was quickly dismissed because they have very strict rules and procedures. Understandable because they must protect their art.

3) City Hall

Image by Lindsay Docherty found here

We thought we could make this work because there are other banquet spaces in the building that more suited our budget, but they just didn’t measure up to the rotunda (pictured above). Plus there was sectioned carpeting that I didn’t like (Picky Patty, I know).

We actually could have made our budget work with all three of these venues, however, it probably matched my personality more than my fiance Justin’s. It’s OUR wedding so we wanted everything to reflect us as a couple, especially the venue.

Does anyone have any extravagant wants for their ultimate dream wedding?? Did you think it would be possible to get them without having to be or marry a billionaire?! Stay tuned for parts two and three because they get a little more ridiculous!