Miami Sound Machine

I’m away at a conference in Florida for the week!

Today’s session was spent with Steve Kemble, event and wedding guru learning about trends of the wedding industry.  Once I get back to the “mainland.” I’ll be sure to share them all with you!

See you soon!

via Lonely Planet

Life is What Happens When You are Busy Making (Wedding) Plans

You won’t believe all of the changes taking place in the Brennan/Power Household within the next month!

via In This Instance {source}

In the next two weeks we will be moving to the suburbs of Boston and finally living in a house with a little yard for Bradley.  I cannot wait! It’s happened a little sooner than expected but we are very excited about the move.

We’ve begun searching for a washer and dryer to buy for the house (I was shocked to see how expensive they were) as well as a car for us to get around in.  Not to mention settling in a new town, finding movers, gearing up for the Christmas season and finding out how to get back to Pennsylvania for the holidays with Brad!

The big secret however is that while we are back in my hometown, we will be getting legally married!  I wanted to keep it a secret and share with you after the big day but who was I kidding.  I can’t keep secrets!  Although the “real” wedding ceremony and reception is still in Ireland in August, this will also be very special to us as well.

To make the visa process as easy as possible, we learned that getting civilly married before traveling over to Ireland would be most ideal.  Originally we had thought of doing it after Ger graduated from Grad School however, we soon found out that it could take up to 5 months to process all of the papers.  This is when I had the bright idea of getting married over Christmas and to share the experience with all of my family that aren’t able to make it over to Ireland! Remember my dilemma? Problem solved, right?  I love that we are able to incorporate both of our families into this great celebration and I am even able to wear my first wedding dress!

I’ve always been the type that whenever I wanted to get a new hair style or a hair cut, I needed to do it right away.  It would drive me crazy to wait for days until my appointment and by then, I usually changed my mind anyway.  I admit, I can be quite impulsive at times.  I get so tired of planning and researching EVERYTHING.  Sometimes you just need to go for it, right?

Has anyone else been impulsive when it comes to life and wedding planning?

What About Me?

via My Own Collection

If Bradley could talk, I’m sure this is what he would be asking me.  With all of the Wedding plans, it’s easy to forget about our little guy and what we plan on doing with him during the wedding.

We would love to have Bradley be apart of the big day.  It really wouldn’t be complete without him there however, it is turning out to be quite a challenge.  Although our venue is dog friendly, the hard part will be to get him over to Ireland.

Imagine Bradley in a little bow tie running around on our big day!  He would be such a gentleman.  However, this brings up another point, in the midst of all of the last minute details and events, would we really be able to give him all of the love an attention he needs? Would we be too distracted to watch after him? What about when it’s time to go on our honeymoon.  Does he stay in Ireland while we are in Japan?

One of the other side of the coin, could we really go 3+ weeks without this guy? Where in the world would he go? I’m sure the cost of puppy hotel’s aren’t cheap.  This plan doesn’t seem any better!

I need your help!  For those of you who have special guys at home, how are you incorporating them into your wedding plans?

Let’s Talk about Location

No, I’m not talking about for our wedding, I’m talking about after the wedding.

Here’s a snapshot of our background:

Abby

Pennsylvania -> San Francisco, CA -> Boston, MA-> ???

Ger

England -> Ireland -> Pennsylvania -> San Francisco, CA -> Boston, MA -> ???

As you can see, we’ve been around!  We both met in college in Pennsylvania and moved to San Francisco and Boston together.  It was important to us to live in new and different cities that offered cultural enriching experiences.  This not only helped us grow but also helped us gain independence.

Although we wouldn’t change our experiences, we miss our family and looking to settle down.  Seems simple enough, right? Not so fast.  How in the world are we going to decide where we are going to settle when each of us are from a different country? Perhaps we never can?

Here are the options that are the table right now.

Option #1

Pittsburgh, PA

via Flickr {source}

Only about 1 1/2 hours from my hometown, it would be very close to my family.  The cost of living is much lower than what we are used to and we are closer to most of our friends.  However, this would be farther from Ger’s family and more of a challenge for him to fly home.

Option #2

Dublin, Ireland

via Discover Ireland {source}

In Dublin, Ger would be close to his family and finally back home after 7 years.  We could travel easily through Europe which would open up a lot of great experiences.  To state the obvious, I would be that much farther from my family and would have to adapt to an entire different lifestyle.

Option #3

Boston, Massachusetts

via Flickr {source}

As you know, this is where we currently live.  Boston is a great middle ground.  It has a lot of history and soul.  We love that is it so close to a lot of great cities.  The downsides still reside with its high cost of living and lack of both of our families.

We have no idea what we are going to do.  We both want to eventually move back “home” but don’t know how to do that.

Do we live in each of our own hometowns for a few years and never feel completely settled because we are constantly moving or do we decide on one place and feel settled but have one of use miss out on having our family close.  Going into a marriage it’s definitely something we want to sort out and make sure we are on the same page.  It is definitely one challenge of being a “internationally-mixed” couple!

For those of you that are in the same situation, how are you deciding where you are going to live after you get married?

“With every big decision along wedding lane, there is a small death. The end of possibilities.”

Back in June I read the most honest wedding post.  Eric over at beaucoup tells the story of how the search for his fiance’s wedding dress turned out to be more than a search for a wedding dress but a lesson about decisions.

via beaucoup {source}

Isn’t this the truth?  You think that wedding planning will be all fun all the time but when you least expect it, indecision, regret or frustration hits you.  It doesn’t seem fun anymore, it’s all too overwhelming.

Could this feeling be just because of stationary or flower petals? I think not.  As Eric so eloquently stated, “because this wasn’t actually about the dress. It was about loss. With every big decision along wedding lane, there is a small death. The end of possibilities.”

Elizabeth Anne Designs Feature: Contract Signing Tips!

The time has finally come to sign the contract to secure our wedding venue!

I can understand how stressful this can be to brides.  It is not only a big financial commitment but usually one of your first wedding related commitments.  For people that are pretty indecisive (like me) this can be quite a big deal.

As I mentioned before, I’m a Wedding Specialist at a Boston Hotel and used to being on the other side of things.  I am constantly putting contracts together for Brides and Grooms and because of this, I feel extra prepared and a little less hesitant about signing my own.

There are a few things that you should really look out for in your contract.  Every venue is different so this may vary but here are some tips.

via Real Simple {source}

1.) Make sure you know what you are signing for.  Speak with the Wedding Specialist to see what you are responsible for,  IE: food & beverage minimum, package minimum, deposit, etc.

2.) If you are going with a venue that has packages, ask to see if you are able to put the package you want in the contract so the price does not increase.  Usually if you are having your wedding a year out, you can confirm the current years pricing.

3.) Confirm that you have the correct date, time, venue location on the contract.  You don’t want to find out down the line that you have secured the wrong date.

3.) Talk about all of the “what ifs.”  For example, say you need to cancel the wedding, change the date, etc.  There will be a cancellation policy in the contract that will usually have a  time line of costs associated with each.

4) Make sure you understand the deposit schedule.  Sometimes there will be specific times when you need to pay and other times you are able to wait until right before the wedding.

5.) Read EVERYTHING.  Wedding Venues are not out to get you or take advantage of you.  Most of the clauses in the contract are there to protect you and your venue in case something were to happen.  Also look for the outside food policy.  Most hotels will not allow outside food so please consult the contract or ask your Wedding Specialist before buying lots of food or beverage that you will not be able to use at your event.

There is so much more I could write about but I hope this gave you a little insight!

Always remember that your wedding contact is there to help you and is happy to answer all of your questions.  It is a big commitment so it’s best to ask as many questions it takes for you to feel comfortable.