hmmmm, maybe i know the owners....

its such a beautiful place.


i mean ultimately i have my own photographer, officiant, makeup, and i want to bring my own plates.
thats it.....

[Edited on February 18, 2010 at 10:22 AM. Reason : oh and i have a few of my own decorations i want to det up ]

2/18/2010 10:21:52 AM

i just talked to a woman whos daughter had a wedding there last year....
she said if she remembers correctly..the only thing you HAD to do was use their food....

which a part of me thinks is awesome, but another part of me doesnt (i have certain reasons)
im gonna talk to them and cody and see what happens

2/18/2010 2:31:04 PM

Have you looked at West Point on the Eno, Joie? It's public land, so they could give two shits who your vendors are, and since it's park of the parks system, the reservation is only like $50 or something (forgot exactly how much it is).

2/18/2010 6:32:18 PM

ooohhh. that looks interesting.

i shall look into it.

thank you!

2/18/2010 6:35:53 PM

This is what I was thinking of:

Quote :

"Amphitheatre at West Point This secluded area nestled in the woods is the perfect setting for company picnics, festivals, concerts, performances, and other large group gatherings. The facility can accommodate up to 4,000 people and includes a large open field, lawn seating, stage, electricity, water, and ample parking. To arrange a visit, or for rental and reservation information, contact Beth Highley at 471-1623. "

2/18/2010 11:52:48 PM

For all you Do-it-yourselfers this is a good website. Not all wedding related, but def some stuff that could be DIY for a wedding.

http://www.oneprettything.com/

2/24/2010 9:52:23 PM

the flowers for my brooch bouquet is coming together so nicely!
and codys mom found some plates for the reception (woo hoo i have 6 now ahahahah)

and sunday im checking out the preston woodall house.

my second option...theres a piece of land near my house in dunn that used to have an old drive in movie theatre on it.
they tore the theatre down but left the huge rock wall up.

im finding out who owns it.





[Edited on February 27, 2010 at 2:42 PM. Reason : ghdfgdf]

2/27/2010 2:39:04 PM

we're going to meet with the lady from Evoke pretty soon and I think we're leaning towards River Ridge for a place... my mom wants us to nail down the venue by summertime so we have longer to pay for it, which I think is a good idea

also found a compromise with Eric (since he decided the previous cake had too many flowers >_>

2/28/2010 12:24:39 PM

evoke is niiiiiiice!


also cody and i just got back from preston woodall.

im almost positive were gonne use itL

get this:

we get the whole house PLUS three cottages for the whole weekend.
they'll do the catering and alcohol.
i can decorate any way i want.
if it rains they take the ballroom and turn it into the ceremony place.
then the guests go into the parlors for cocktails and while they are in there they transform it back into the reception area.
how badass is that?

2/28/2010 2:02:26 PM

we just booked it!



now we are entertaining the idea of a murder mystery engagement party!


by the way- their "no outside vendor" policy only applies to food and alcohol.

[Edited on February 28, 2010 at 4:34 PM. Reason : hko]

2/28/2010 4:26:30 PM

Lots of documents for weddings:
http://docs.google.com/templates?q=wedding+template+collection&sort=user&view=public

I liked some of them and hope you can find them useful!

3/1/2010 5:59:34 PM

a murder mystery engagement party sounds so fun!

im living vicariously through you ladies since i'll prob not get to plan a wedding

3/1/2010 7:31:06 PM

Quote :

"they'll do the catering and alcohol. "

Be careful with in-house alcohol. 99% of the time it ends of being MUCH more expensive than if you can bring in your own alcohol (without a corking fee). If money is no object though then it definitely makes things easier

3/3/2010 8:07:03 PM

If you were to be attending a wedding, would you prefer the ceremony to be at 1 location and the reception at another? Or would you prefer both to occur in the same place?

3/5/2010 3:17:02 PM

i don't think it matters - i mean keep it not too far apart. but something less than a 30 minute drive is doable.

3/5/2010 3:24:41 PM

the groom thinks its strange to have both ceremony and reception in same place, every wedding hes gone to has been a double venue type wedding..

right now we are thinking of having the reception and ceremony at caffe luna since we're both italian

3/5/2010 3:37:23 PM

my sister did it at the same place and it's nice

really just whatever suits

3/5/2010 3:40:14 PM

when did she do it there? that makes me happy someone i "know" has experienced it there. was it decent?

3/5/2010 3:48:28 PM

oh sorry i meant like the wedding and reception at the same place. my bad. lack of nouns ftl

3/5/2010 3:53:09 PM

lol no big

3/5/2010 4:01:47 PM

(this is joie)

i have been to several weddings where the reception is in the same place as well as weddings with two separate venues. personally, i've never really thought about it.
i mean it was nice not to have to drive, but its not like a 15 minute drive was that big of a deal to begin with .
so i guess its just whatever you really want to do

cody and i were originally gonna have it in my moms backyard and then reception about 2 miles away, but we have opted for having the ceremony where the reception will be because we think it may be a little easier on the guests (especially since we're gonna be in the backroads of Dunn and Benson ).

so it's whatever you wanna do!




i have a question.
cody and i are having buffet style reception.
should we still make a seating chart?

i've heard arguments both ways.

the first being that if your not having a plated dinner then it shouldn't matter and let guests sit where they want. people will sit with who they like.

the other being that it may work out better to seat them because that way you won't have one table with a ton of people (you know pulling up chairs and whatnot) and another table half empty.
and it also skips over confusion of "where do i sit" for the guests.
i've also had a couple of people say they like the assigned seating because its fun to see who youre near. (i thought that was kinda weird, but i did hear it from more than one person! )





thoughts?



[Edited on March 5, 2010 at 5:02 PM. Reason : im leaning toward no seating chart]

3/5/2010 5:00:51 PM

Quote :

"If you were to be attending a wedding, would you prefer the ceremony to be at 1 location and the reception at another? Or would you prefer both to occur in the same place?"

I've been a guest at both types, and at our own wedding we had ceremony and reception at 2 locations. I have noticed as a guest, that the travel time between locations makes the time spent waiting on the bride & groom and bridal party to arrive from the ceremony and any post ceremony pictures seem less. Light hors d'oeurves, drinks, and music also help that time seem shorter though regardless of 1 site for both or 2 sites.

Having everyone at one place makes it convenient for parking and any shuttle services (if you wanted to/or are able to provide that) for the more bottle friendly receptions.

If you choose two places, less than 30 min (w/ traffic) & good directions is key.

Quote :

"cody and i are having buffet style reception. should we still make a seating chart?"

we had a buffet and did not make a seating chart, but reserved a couple of tables for wedding party, grandparents, and parents. worked fine. plus it was less headache--"oh no! we can't sit aunt polly next to cousin rachel...they HATE each other!"

But like others have told you...not having a seating chart can be chaotic if people pull chairs from other tables to sit with their group. I didn't see any at ours (may have happened though).

Quote :

"i've also had a couple of people say they like the assigned seating because its fun to see who youre near. (i thought that was kinda weird, but i did hear it from more than one person! )"

Yeah that whole thing actually made me feel like I was sitting at the "others" table at one wedding (and maybe we were...sadface). All of our friends that we're very close to were sitting at a table by the dance floor, and we were sitting in a back corner table w/ people that we weren't nearly as close w/ or didn't even know. We tried to make the best of it and spark up a conversation, but it really fell flat. We were all such opposites that it just sucked. With so much time spent at that table, by the time the meal was over we were not having a great time and ended up leaving early. Not how I like to celebrate a wedding...we're big "stay the the end" and "where's the after party?" type of guests. They should have mixed it up more.

However, one couple did an EXCELLENT job of their assigned seating and pairing people that knew each other w/ folks that didn't in a balanced way of personalities. Found out later we were "the party table"

3/5/2010 5:30:13 PM

Quote :

"right now we are thinking of having the reception and ceremony at caffe luna since we're both italian"

i was in a wedding last year and the couple had their engagement party at cafe luna. awesome job. i really liked the private room for the party.

3/5/2010 6:05:36 PM

Quote :

"I have noticed as a guest, that the travel time between locations makes the time spent waiting on the bride & groom and bridal party to arrive from the ceremony and any post ceremony pictures seem less"

i've never thought of that!
good point


luckily cody and i will be taking our pictures way before the wedding (i don't want a bridal portrait on display..i want one of both of us )

ps....how cute is this?!
http://100layercake.com/blog/archives/5114
i think im gonna do this but im not sure how to incorporate it.....
maybe as part of the takeaways?

3/5/2010 7:04:35 PM

Oh I wasn't including a portrait session in that (w/ groom or solo session, whatever your preference is)...just your typical day of wedding photos w/ bridal party and any family. We even split up photos taken b4 and after the ceremony to cut down on how long guests would be waiting for us at the reception.

3/5/2010 7:34:14 PM

^hmmm. i didnt realize it takes that long for pictures.

i figured 15 mintues-ish for the family and then 30 ish for the bride and group coupled

i dont know anything about weddings obviously

3/5/2010 7:38:10 PM

the actual pictures, sure...

the actual herding of the people, whoa...

"where's nana? has anyone seen nana??"
"i thought you were supposed to keep her here?"
"she wandered off to pee..."
"oh god...NANA!!!"

the herding factor is longer or shorter depending on the number of people

and if you want multiple locations...tack on more time to that

we had 25 people and 1 dog shuffling in and out of pictures after the ceremony alone PLUS photos of just us as newlyweds...b4 the ceremony additional shots were taken w/ Justin and his groomsmen, and I and my bridesmaids.

total time of staged photos taken b4 or after the ceremony was probably 2.5 hours.

it reads ridiculous when I type this out, and I'm even shaking my head, "why so many, LK? whyyyy'd you do that?!" yeaaaah



PS, the tags are REALLY cool

[Edited on March 5, 2010 at 8:37 PM. Reason : tags]

3/5/2010 8:35:19 PM

ignore my ugly leg. I made my own garter set! It's actually pretty easy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25401469@N07/4411941221/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25401469@N07/4411937961/

3/6/2010 9:45:00 PM

^ cute!!!



we're going to meet with the Evoke lady on Tuesday... superrrrrrrr excited!!!!

3/7/2010 1:52:15 PM

As far as the ceremony/reception thing, I personally prefer when they're both at the same venue and most of the weddings I've been to recently do it this way. Just makes things easier, especially if you're an out-of-town guest. I'm not sure about a ceremony at Caffe Luna though. Where would be the space for that? You could always have the ceremony at All Saints Chapel since it's within walking distance of Caffe Luna.

Quote :

"cody and i are having buffet style reception. should we still make a seating chart?"

I think assigned tables are really nice at a wedding. I hate when I go to a wedding where it's a free for all on the seating, especially if it's a wedding where I don't know many of the other guests. I wouldn't go as far as to assign the individual seats but at least give people a table assignment. I have always appreciated this, particularly at larger weddings. It shouldn't make much time to decide who sits at what tables and will make things go smoother the day of.

3/8/2010 12:15:24 AM

If any of you ladies are looking for flower girl dresses, TJ Maxx and Marshalls have Easter dresses now that will make cute flower girl dresses. They are $29.99 and it's a lot cheaper than some of the alternatives.

3/8/2010 1:19:33 PM

^^thanks for the input

i think we may use the tag idea as place markers

3/11/2010 11:45:56 AM

Just started actually planning things and the little tags Joie posted gave me a great idea! We are doing a destination wedding so I figured why not make my save the date cards as luggage tags to go along with our theme of destination. The cool part about our wedding is that people are going to be invited to come with us on vacation essentially so the tags portray that idea and then they can actually USE the save the date cards when they pack their luggage!

3/11/2010 4:49:17 PM

^thats such a cute idea!

3/11/2010 4:52:15 PM

^^nice.

my bro & SIL did "passports" for their destination wedding.

3/11/2010 5:40:46 PM

my friend did a destination wedding in jamaica and she had beach towels embroidered with our names and "sean & carina jamiaca 2006"

it was nice and something to keep long after the wedding

3/11/2010 6:17:50 PM

^That would be an EXCELLENT idea for part of the attendant's gifts.

^^Too cute! I think that would be nice for the programs

3/11/2010 6:20:51 PM

codys mom just called me

she has more plates and brooches for me!!!

<3 that woman

[Edited on March 11, 2010 at 7:26 PM. Reason : she may be more excited than me ]

3/11/2010 7:25:51 PM

so cody and i like both of these:






whatchall think ?

3/13/2010 9:47:44 PM

Looks like some overpriced letterpress

3/13/2010 9:49:06 PM

the first is actually homemade.

but i like the simplicity of the second

3/13/2010 9:50:41 PM

YAY the owners of Meschantes called me today
(they've been super busy )
i dont want to call them now (they have kids who may be in bed) but i am definitely hitting them back up tomorrow.


AHHHHHH

it's on!

3/13/2010 10:26:42 PM

Has anyone here donated the leftover food from their wedding to a food kitchen?

3/14/2010 9:12:43 AM

So is this thread mostly about local weddings (by local I mean in NC)? I'm just getting started with my planning process (sort of, already picked the William Aiken House in Chas as well as a date) and was curious.

Also- we really aren't much into dancing, so I was thinking of no band or dj, just some acoustic musicians to play a little bit (more like background music) during the reception. Any of yall done this, or been to a wedding where this was the case? I'm tempted not just because the style seems more appropriate for us but also because it'll save us a ton of money (no stage, sound equipment, or dance floor will need to be rented).

3/14/2010 9:55:45 AM

I don't know, whenever I think of weddings I think of dresses, food, and dancing. Some of your guests may want to let loose, depending on the types of guests you invite. Are you not going to have a 'first dance'?

3/14/2010 10:02:51 AM

we might do the first dance thing, but if so, it would be something simple (probably no vocals) that a few guitarists could handle, or a strings group. Also, I know I won't dance with my father, and he likely does not want to dance with his mom, so the traditional dances are essentially out.

As far as guests go, we are only inviting family and very close friends for a total of abt 50-60 people, which is rather small considering his family is HUGE (I'm talking like 30 people are his kin alone...). I know most of my family isn't a big fan the dancing thing, and I don't get the impression that his is, so that leaves about ~15 people that might dance. I figured if we cut the usual dancing aspect of a reception, we will add some 'activities'. There are a couple decent lawns on the property, and I like the idea of having bocce ball off to the side and some outdoor lounge seating.

3/14/2010 10:13:51 AM

I went to a wedding where the dancing was obviously an afterthought to the planning process. Everyone was fine with not dancing, they just had some music playing on an iPod in the background, then suddenly the bride decided people should be dancing impromptu on the porch of the plantation the wedding was held in. Made for an awkward moment

3/14/2010 10:16:40 AM

^^i went to a wedding last year at my gf's home she grew up in. that had background music streaming over their outdoor stereo system from her iPod. No dancing. Just food, cocktails (limited bar) and conversation. It was a small wedding (~75) people, and worked very well. There also wasn't a dance floor, and I think that's the big signal of "we want you to dance" versus what kind of music you have.

3/14/2010 10:16:47 AM

Then I think no dj/music sounds pretty reasonable. Bocce ball is classic, but I couldn't see people doing it in the dark, and it's a little more difficult to socialize when Uncle Ernie's in competition mode. Will you be having an afternoon wedding/reception?

Your venue looks gorgeous, btw!

3/14/2010 10:21:09 AM

thanks! I fell in love with the site the first time I saw it. My favorite thing about it is how it can have all sorts of outdoor lighting. I particularly like hanging lanterns from the old oak tree. The wedding will be at dusk into the night, so I was thinking of having lots of the lanterns or other classic lighting wherever the bocce ball is (in a way that matches the rest of the decor...) My hope is that the booze will loosen everyone up- but I hadn't considered the possibly overly competitive types. I'll have to see if his brothers/cousins fall into that category.

^I agree abt the dance floor thing. I figured if we didn't have an obvious location for dancing, then it wouldn't really be missed by too many people.

3/14/2010 10:27:16 AM