A Taste of Things to Come

Last week, Jacob and I attended an open house at Keene Run with my mom and his parents.

This event was put on by their catering service, DaRae and Friends, to showcase the venue as an event spot and display their tantalizing food offerings...and let me tell you, the food was amazing. I tasted things I have never tried before (like shrimp and grits...wow) and sampled old favorites with a new spin (DaRae's pimento cheese was to die for!).

Ultimately, it was really great to see the clubhouse full of life and people. A hint to what it will look like on our wedding day. Also, I enjoyed examining the space inside the clubhouse to create an idea of where my DIY projects could go, how things could be set up, etc. Prior to the wedding, and once I have more stuff together, I plan to go back down to Keene Run for a few sample photos. Much to get organized!

The pictures I took were not that great, but here are a few to get a better understanding of what the space looks like:

This one doesn't do the front justice, but you can see the stairwell leading from the parking lot to the entry...a perfect place for large, ripe pumpkins to sit and greet the guests:

Ignore the random people...this is the front entryway. Very elegant and spacious. Large entry table on the right, perfect for the guestbook and some photos, among other things:

Right beyond the entry is the bar area. Very upscale and seating space is available in there. The bar is rather decently sized...and a large TV is viewable above the bar (perhaps guests can watch a football game or something if they want...):

The large dining space down the hall is divided by a half wall and pillars. The decor is very understated and classy. I love it! The tables and chairs are gorgeous...no need for tablecloths on these tables:

There is a wrap-around porch at Keene Run that is pretty much amazing. There will be seating, more than likely, on all sides of the patio. Also, there will be high top tables for people to mingle. The outside tables, brought over from the pool house/rented, will certainly need some extra pizzazz, so tablecloths will definitely be needed:

This shot was taken a little further away, to get a fuller view of the back of Keene Run. If the weather is nice, we may set up tables on the sidewalk like they did for this event. I love how spacious this venue is!

Well there you have it...a sneak peek at Keene Run Golf Club! So excited to share this venue with everyone.

A Very Happy Birthday

Today is Jacob's Birthday! Hard to believe that he is 27 now...

Here is a photo of us from the open house we attended last week at our reception site, Keene Run Golf Club. Look for an entry this week on our experiences and to see a few photos!

In the meantime, Happy Birthday Jacob! I love you and cannot wait to marry you!

Making a Grand Exit

So many weddings these days don't have a "grand exit." You know, when the bride and groom leave the reception to a crowd of people waving sparklers, blowing bubbles, throwing confetti (eco-friendly of course), bird seed or, in the old days, rice.

My sister's wedding last summer had an exit from the church where we blew bubbles at them...it was cute and the photos turned out adorable. Bridesmaid Anna's wedding a few years back had a grand exit...they left the Bell House to 100 Years by Five for Fighting and a crowd of people saying goodbye to them from the porch. It was a really touching moment.

But other than those two occurrences, I cannot recall another grand exit at a wedding I have attended. In fact, a lot of weddings I have been to see the bride and groom through the end of the reception...even after the lights flash back on and the DJ pulls the plug. I have even attended weddings where the bride and groom attend after-parties and hit the bar scene after the reception comes to a close.

So not feeling that. If I had it my way, Jacob and I would leave the reception a good 45 minutes before the party ends (we will see if I can talk him into this...). AND we would have a grand exit from the golf club. In fact, I am hoping to have guests out on the patio and down the front stairwell waving sparklers at us as we hop into our getaway car. If possible, I also plan to ask the DJ to play a specific song as we leave...Going up the Country by Canned Heat. LOVE that song and the lyrics are pretty fitting too!

I am picturing something like this:

What do you think about this idea for our grand exit?

DIY Project: Reception Site Program

Have you ever been to a wedding and had no idea what was going on?

Most weddings you attend, you just go with the flow of what is going on (aka you listen to the DJ or emcee for announcements). And that is ok if the entire reception is taking place in a single room (like at a hotel). However, if your wedding reception site is broken up, or your DJ does not announce events, it is very easy for guests to get lost in the flow.

For this reason, and not to mention the fact that Father of the Bride always made me nervous!, I am leaning toward a reception program. Now I know what you might be thinking...she is just too type A, yada, yada, yada... But this is something, I think, can be kind of fun (and enlightening).

When I say "program" I mean a large piece of sturdy cardstock on an easel, with a program printed on it. More of a timeline format I suppose. (Though I realize the times I print will not happen as planned...I have come to grips with this!)

This flow chart will be something guests can take a look at and have an idea for what is going on throughout the course of the evening. That way, people can know when to watch the first dance or grab a slice of cake once it's cut.

Also, with all of the fun touches I am working on for the wedding, it will be a nice way to highlight them so guests can take a look.

Of course, this program will be in a fun font to match the rest of the stationary items I am creating (invitation, RSVP card, program, other reception signage, etc.).

I found a cute table easel at IKEA that I am considering for this project. And I have already been playing with language for this...

A snippet of my program:

7 p.m.
While the wedding party wraps up a few photos, enjoy a drink at the bar or explore the beautiful property of the Keene Run Golf Club. Appetizers will be passed inside the clubhouse at this time.

A drink station is set up outside on the patio, complete with soda, sweet tea and water. Feel free to help yourself throughout the evening.

What do you think about this project?

Anniversaries, Weddings and Birthdays...Oh my!

The weekend we get married, we will be celebrating Jacob's parents' wedding anniversary (September 17), our wedding day (September 18) and Jacob's brother Seth's Birthday (September 19). Not to mention we are marrying on his aunt and uncle's wedding anniversary. September is apparently a huge month in the Kelly family.

As such, I have been thinking of ways we can commemorate these events within our weekend wedding extravaganza...

First off, I definitely think that a toast(s) (from Jacob and I) during our Rehearsal Dinner would be a nice touch. And in such an intimate setting, this could be really great!

Second, I have been doing a lot of thinking about placing old family wedding photos in pretty frames at the reception site...I have seen a few images from weddings that had a similar set up and it looks like a really nice idea. And a really great conversation starter! Consider this photo of my grandparents (Mom's parents) at their 1955 wedding (left), and my great grandparents (Mom's grandparents), at their wedding sometime in the early 20th century (right). Priceless!

I think the tricky thing will be to find a classy way to display these... I am leaning toward an entryway table, where we can also set the guest book and some pretty flowers. Maybe something like the below. Thoughts?


Speaking of photos...I thought about possibly having a display of photos of Jacob and I at Keene Run. Not sure if this is something we really need or not (we plan to have a pre-wedding trivia show for guests to play in the church before the ceremony starts AND Jacob's mom is working on a slideshow for the rehearsal dinner that we may also be able to play at the reception as well). But, these are cute ways to display photos if we do decide to go that route:

And, finally, I plan to have the DJ play first dance songs from family members' weddings. This is a simple (and fun) way to tie family weddings to ours. I can hardly wait to hear what these songs were for family members...especially after Mom told me she and my Dad had some totally 80's number. For the life of me I cannot remember what it was, but I laughed and I laughed when I heard what it was. Ha!

But when it comes to Seth's Birthday, I don't know how to best incorporate it into our wedding...ideas?

Cutting the non-necessities...

There are several wedding-related expenses I would happily cut to help the bottom line...things like transportation and save the dates. For me, these two items, among many other details, are really not that important in the grand scheme of things.

A) our ceremony and reception sites are literally right down the road from each other. Anna and I timed it...Southland is exactly .08 miles down Harrodsburg Road from Keene Run Golf Club. Why hire a limo or bus or other mode of transportation for .08 miles? Not only that, but have you been in a wedding party that has transportation? After the reception, you are scrambling to hitch a ride with someone back to the ceremony site to pick up your car. I think with our situation, opting against group transportation is the best bet. And it will save money.

What will we do for transportation? Well...maybe we will ask friends or relatives with a nice ride to let us borrow it for the wedding day...Not sure. These details remain to be discussed in depth. But the bottom line: no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a ride to take us less than a mile down the road.

And two, save the dates, in my opinion, are an unnecessary expense if you are not getting married on a busy holiday weekend or if you have a long engagement. (We are in both camps.) I can certainly see the need for a save the date if your wedding is over Labor Day weekend or Thanksgiving or any other holiday weekend (or any other especially busy time in the year), but September 18? And we have a 17 month engagement? No need for that. Sure, they can be cute and there are MANY ways to make these creative and really set the tone for your wedding, but are they really worth the extra expense?

I would rather put a little more into post-wedding thank yous. I have a great idea for these shaping up... Or another thought: what about getting postcards from the city/area your wedding is taking place and writing notes on them for those guests coming from out of town? It would be especially touching to have these postcards at the front desk of the hotel they are staying in for them to receive upon check-in.

What do you think? Are these non-necessities for you?

The New First Look

Ever since I was a little girl, I imagined what walking down the aisle on my wedding day would be like. Especially that moment when the church doors open and the music begins...and your groom sees you for the first time. A very surreal moment I am sure.

The wedding "first look" has certainly evolved since those days. There are still plenty of brides out there who prefer to wait until the walk down the aisle to see their groom (I always thought I would be one of them), but more and more brides are doing what is called a "first look" that allows the bride and groom a few special moments together to connect before the festivities begin (captured by a photographer of course!).

Ideally, the "first look" would involve the groom waiting in a room or chapel with his back to the door. When the bride enters, the groom either turns around or he waits until the bride comes up behind him before turning around. Either way, I have heard it is a very sentimental moment.

Photo from http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to do a "first look" on our wedding day. Not only would it give us a chance to see each other before the wedding began, but it would tremendously cut down on the time needed post-ceremony for wedding photos. (Translation: the wedding party could leave immediately following the ceremony.)

I do not want a lot of photos taken at the church (despite the strong sentimental value of SCC, there is not much by way of curb appeal...inside or out...), and would rather have a bit of time post-ceremony to book it to the reception site/start taking photos at the golf course. There are so many cute ideas for wedding golf photos! See below:

Eat, drink and be merry

I don't think I have ever mentioned much about our caterer...or even our reception site, two of the largest aspects (and expenses) of our wedding. So today, I will fill you in on both!

Choosing the reception site was one of the most difficult things in the wedding process, for us anyway. We knew that we wanted to be married in the church we both grew up in (Southland Christian Church), but when it came to reception sites, we were at a complete loss. At one point early in the planning process, I had a list of 30-something potential reception sites, from hotels to clubhouses and golf courses to historic sites. It was un-real. And it seemed there was something wrong with every location; it was too big, too small, too expensive, the food/caterer was not good, etc. That was the case at every site until we happened upon Keene Run Golf Club, in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Keene Run is a relatively new private golf club, located on Harrodsburg Road, only .08 miles from SCC. It holds just the right amount of people, has an amazing caterer on site (DaRae and Friends out of Lexington), is absolutely gorgeous (lush greenery, rolling hills, very "Kentucky") and has the perfect feel to the kind of wedding we wanted (classy yet unrefined, not uptight). One of my absolutely favorite features is the wrap-around porch on three sides of the clubhouse; it has a very light and airy feeling and opens up to the expansive course. A fabulous view! Needless to say, we fell in love with this place right away.

Our plan is to have seating/tables both inside and out (on the patio). I especially love the idea of high top tables outside for people to gather. As the space is relatively new (inside decor is not outdated), there is really not a serious need for decorations inside the clubhouse. I am still bouncing around ideas (for centerpieces and reception site in general) and once those are more concrete, I will definitely share those plans.

As for food, DaRae and Friends will be catering our reception. If you have not had her food yet, you are in for a treat. It is delicious! At this point, our plan is heavy hors d'oeuvres and a carving station. A menu has not been set yet, but we have plenty of time to work this out. In fact, we will be taste testing her food in April, and our plan is to have a menu planned by mid-July. We are toying with the idea of having passed hors d'oeuvres while guests are waiting on the wedding party to arrive (love this idea) and having the full spread ready once we arrive.

Since Jacob and I are planning to see each other before the ceremony (a first look!), there will not be a need to stick around the church for additional photos. Instead, we can book it to the reception site to get photos in over there. In fact, it may even work out that we can get some photos at the golf club done before the ceremony...since it is so close to the church. We will have to play around with those times with our photographer.

As for the bar, we are not quite sure what the case will be on this front. There are several options, from setting a dollar limit (once this limit is hit, the bar will close or turn to a cash bar) to having an open bar for x number of hours (and cash bar to follow once that time limit is up). But we have not played around with numbers or anything yet.

I am super excited about our wedding reception! The food and location are absolutely perfect and will really pull the entire event together. And best of all, it truly sums up everything we wanted that day. Love it!

Taking Inventory

With a 17 month engagement, I knew that we would have plenty of time for planning...being engaged...and saving money. However, I think the extra time has made me lazy! Jacob and I have been engaged for nearly 7 months already and I feel like there is still so much to do. In actuality, we do have quite a bit to accomplish, but we are moving along at a nice leisurely speed.

What gets me are the people who have gotten engaged recently and have just as much - or more - planned for their weddings that are just as far off as mine! Makes me feel like even more of a slacker. :)

My big thing lately has been to get organized. The wedding binder is looking good, budgeting spreadsheets have been laid out, checklists created and timelines drafted. I am in a good position. I just need to move forward!!

To feel a little better about what I have accomplished, I am going to do a little inventory.

Things I have to date:

• A date/time: September 18, 2010
• Ceremony site: Southland Christian Church (where we both grew up)
• Reception site: Keene Run Golf Club
• Caterer: DaRae and Friends
• Wedding Party: Check (sans a few of the ceremonial roles/ushers)
• Minister: Todd Tyler (close to Jacob and the Kelly's)
• Color scheme: emerald green, dark orange, white
• Photographer: Mary Lashbrook

Things I have ideas about:

• Invitations
• Programs
• Centerpieces
• Reception/ceremony decor
• Ceremony components
• My dress
• Wedding party attire
• Flowers

Goals to accomplish before Christmas 2009:

• Research and hire a DJ
• Research and hire a florist
• Make a decision about a cake and hire a baker

Also along the way, I have bought misc. items that we will need for the big day. Things like crafting supplies (bone folder, paper cutter, corner rounder), dessert serving set (super cute orange/green set from Pier One), dried grasses and berries for a centerpiece at the reception, etc.

The many ideas out there are a bit overwhelming...I think it is my fear that I will get the whole thing planned and then have some totally other ideas come into mind. And then what will I do??! I think the only thing is to make my decisions and stick with them...no matter what else may come up.