March Madness

Having the venue booked at the beginning of the month and heading fresh into the month of March we really started to ramp up our vendor search.  This month [along with the venue] we managed to knock out two major components of the wedding -- our officiant and the photographer.

It's kind of funny; with the officiant we really did not have a clear vision in previous months of how that would end up playing out.  We toyed with the notion of having someone close to us get ordained and do the ceremony.  The more we thought about that route, the only people we would want to do it were people who we really wanted to enjoy the day and not be tasked with performing the ceremony. 

On the other hand, we're not members of any specific church or group and I personally was having a hard time wrapping my mind around just randomly selecting a person.  Kristen was doing her research and came across a company called "Sensational Ceremonies" and they are headed up by Reverend Glenn Ferguson.  We wanted to get to know them a little before making the decision so we met him one day after work at the Starbucks in College Park.  We probably sat and talked to him for like 2 hours and quickly realized we had the right guy.  He seemed very professional, tons of knowledge/experience within the wedding industry and it also didn't hurt that he has roots in the Panhandle. 

This was a huge relief because it was something that was plaguing me for awhile but once we found Glenn, there was a sense of relief that our ceremony was going to be in good hands. 

Another big task we tackled in March was booking our photographer.  As you've probably read in previous posts, we had attended a few wedding shows as well as signed ourselves up into every wedding related email database we could find.  Throughout our shows and many emails we kept hearing about a company called "Elegant Imagery."  We went to their website and checked out samples of their work and we were impressed with their portfolios and overall presentation.

Eventually, they offered a specific package at the right time that included an engagement shoot and at that point we had to bite.  Usually when you're looking to spend a large chunk of change on something like a photographer, you normally have an initial conversation, mull it over then possibly pull the trigger.  With this specific booking we did no such thing.  We scheduled a call with our contact [Victoria] and pretty much knocked it out in about an hour. 

It was funny because as soon as we hung up the phone and I had given Victoria my credit card number, Kristen and I just looked at each other and both admitted that we didn't expect that to be as easy as it was.  I expected to go through several proposals from different photographers, but that was not the case.  We just felt their offer was great and we were confident that they understood our vision; we figured, why put it off when we have a million other things to knock off the list.

In that same call we also managed to schedule the engagement shoot for a few weeks down the road which meant one thing -- the dieting must begin!  Kristen and I set out to both lose a little bit of weight so we could look our best for the pictures.  This would mean no late night Taco Bell for me as well as trimming down the amount of beers I normally put down on a Friday night.  This, was no easy task!

In our next post you'll see the results as well as how the pictures turned out.  STAY TUNED!

- Smitty

Venue and Fun Stuff!

I mentioned in a previous post that we had been weighing a few possible venues and different locations in Florida, but that there was one we kept comparing everything to. Well, we finally pulled the trigger.

Tah Dah!

Behold, the beautiful John & Mable Ringling Musuem of Art in Sarasota, FL!

We had our hearts set on this for a few reasons:

1.) We wanted to do the wedding in a semi-destination location, and Sarasota is GORGEOUS with beautiful beaches guests could enjoy. Plus, it's a fairly short drive (about 2 hours) for anyone traveling from Orlando...not too bad!

2.) There is no other venue like this in Florida. When I was in Europe with my sisters last Summer, I remember saying to them, "Wow, the architecture is so beautiful, I want to get married somewhere here!" Well I definitely get that same feeling at this museum with the Greek statues, loggias, stone, and other intricate details.

3.) This was the first place Gary and I could "picture" getting married at. It kind of spoke to both of us, seeing as we're both creative and were looking for something a little different. Plus, we both love things with history, and exploring areas like museums has been something we've enjoyed throughout our relationship.

4.) They had our date available---Sept. 4th! We wanted this because it's over Labor Day weekend which would allow more time for traveling guests, and it's also exactly one year from the day Gary proposed!

Feel free to read about the history of the museum and John & Mable Ringling (yes, as in the Ringling Brothers Circus) here.

We will be doing both the ceremony and reception in the outdoor courtyard space, and there will definitely be fun surprises to look forward to! On that topic of being pretty much completely outdoors, please help me pray that we have good weather. Please, please, PLEASE God let there be good weather....no hurricanes, rain, or unbearable heat/humidity. Thank you. :)

With the venue being booked, we needed to decide on a creative direction. Without giving too much away, being that I'm an artist (examples of my artwork) and Gary being an avid music lover, our union has a theme of "Art and Music Collide." You'll notice classically subtle elements of both throughout our day!

On another fun note, I sketched/designed a monogram logo you'll also see.

You'll notice the KSG (classic monogram), with the G almost mimicking a backwards music clef symbol, encased in a heart for a romantic touch. All kind of woven together as one.

Throughout the wedding, we'll bring in vintage/romantic, untraditional/eclectic, and some modern styles. That probably stems from me not being able to pick one direction. LOL.

Ok, getting sleepy so time for bed. Goodnight!

Xoxo,

Krissy

February: A Month for Love & Gary's Bday!

Ah, February....the month of love.

Obviously there's things like Valentine's Day to look forward to, but for Gary and I, this is the month of "Krismitty!" If you haven't figured out what the heck that means yet, it's our nicknames "Krissy" and "Smitty" combined. This was proclaimed years ago by our friend Jen DeCicco, right around the "Brangelina" days. :)

This past year, we were celebrating our 4 year anniversary (Feb. 5th) of officially being a couple. We wanted to keep things low key since all efforts were being focused on our big day, so we decided to combine Valentine's Day and our "anniversary" celebration in one nice dinner.

Being the thoughtful romantic he is, Gary surprised me with a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers delivered to my work! In his note with the flowers, he mentioned he wanted this Valentine's to be especially memorable as it will be the only one we spend engaged. He made me feel so special! I surprised him with concert tickets to a show he'd been really wanting to see, The Getup Kids.

We later went to this really awesome steakhouse called Ruth Chris, where we wine and dined on some scrumptious food. Of course, I had to get my chocolate dessert too.

Being classy as we're waiting for our table at Ruth Chris

We also celebrated Vday by attending the "Valentine Rendezvous" benefit for the American Red Cross. The event was held at a Disney resort, and had great food, drinks, and dancing, plus we got to get all fancified which is always fun!

After fast forwarding a week later to Feb. 20th, Gary's birthday was here before we knew it! We got a group of people together and instead of going downtown like we normally do, decided to hit up the Winter Park area. It was definitely an ...ahem...interesting night for sure. :)

First off, we explored this new seafood restaurant we'd been wanting to try. The shrimp and grits had some gross red stuff on top that I hated, but besides that I guess it was okay (I wouldn't go back though). Then we hung out at a vintage-inspired bar, migrated to an Irish bar to drink and play darts, and finally ended up at a sake bar across the street. The sake bar was having open-mic rap night, and Gary was dancing up a storm. I guess you can say the night was eclectic! Here's a video of Gary being serenaded by the band at the Irish bar....

I also surprised Gary with the other set of concert tickets he'd been eying, Bright Eyes. Aside from that, on his actual birthday, the day after we partied, I took him to a nice brunch and got us tickets to go on the relaxing Winter Park boat tour...something we always wanted to do. This was a great way to unwind from the weekend birthday festivities.

Relaxing and enjoying nature (and each other) on the Winter Park boat tour

Yep, February was definitely a fun-filled month! Although, next year we'll be celebrating our official anniversary as a newly married couple in September! Can't wait!

XoXo

Krissy

We are Warriors

Okay, so I'm not going to make this post long, but I wanted to let you guys know about the most fun race EVER. It's called the Warrior Dash, and it's an annual 5k in the boonies where people dress up in ridiculous costumes, run in the mud, jump over fire, race over obstacles, and pretty much be awesome. :-)

This was the first year we had actually heard of the Warrior Dash, and Gary was determined to get a group of friends together and participate. I was all for it, but a little nervous as well....I've never been a "runner," but I've always wanted to try a 5k.

I'm happy to say we came, we saw, we conquered.

Check. It. Out. ....

Part of the Warrior Crew! Gary, Me, Johnny, Katie, and Laura.

Chest Bump!

Warriors are rewarded with beer....

....and turkey legs. Nom nom!

I guess Katie didn't get the memo...warriors don't smile.

If you feel like checking it out, you can watch a video of us jumping in the mud HERE. I have to say, after almost losing a shoe in the mud, getting caught on barbed wire, and walking an elevated plank, I will definitely be back next year! Warrior Dash is held all over the nation, so make sure to check out their 2011 locations. I highly recommend it!

<3

Krissy