The Details
Venue:
| After vacillating between dates, and locations, we found the perfect fit for our wedding and our budget. And thank goodness too, because Vegas was lookin mighty good at that point ;). But, then we found Western Skies Golf Club in Gilbert. I was adamant about not getting married on a golf course, but we just couldn't pass this place up. It doesn't have the stuffy feel of other country clubs, and still offers a pretty view. The coordinator, Laura Jacques is amazing and absolutely accommodating to our wants and needs. I was highly impressed with how laid-back and easy working with her has been. She has offered lots of suggestions and is always availble to answer my questions. Though we are still 6 months away, I still feel like I am just as important as the bride walking down the isle tomorrow. This place is pretty inclusive, except you still have to hire your own officient, DJ, Florist, and get your cake. But their packages all include the ceremony site, white wooden chairs, and the arch. As well as the reception area, and patio, the food, beverage (including alcohol), linens (even colored ones), basic tie-backs, all the tables for your cake, DJ, etc. Wanna know the best part? It's based on which bar set up you want! It's not based on which menu you choose, and you don't have to pay extra for the ceremony. It literally comes down to do you want a cash bar, a hosted bar with wine and beer, or a hosted bar with beer, wine and hard liquor! Seriously! Thes best pricing plan I have EVER seen! Check it out! www.westernskiesgolf.com.
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Photography:
| I cannot say enough about Brittany & Mike. Brittany has been through all my ups and downs of trying to plan this wedding. Here's the funny thing, the FIRST thing I started looking at when I knew we would be getting married was photography. Nothing, in my opinion, is as important as finding someone to help with the memories of that special day. But poor Brittany has seen me change venues, change dates, change venues again, and the whole time she has had me penciled in, just waiting for my "go" signal. So, as you can see, we have our venue, we have our date, and as of this evening (8/8/11) we will have out PHOTOGRAHERS.
Mike and Bittany Hansen are a husband/wife team who make beautiful pictures. Nothing looks posed or formal. It looks real, like the peopple in them are not plastic or posed. They have great depth and composition, and you can really tell they tailor their photos to the couple's style. And the BEST part, their prices are beyond competitive. They are down-right reasonable. I told myself, the one thing I will splurge on is photography, but with Bushfire, I don't really even have to. I cannot wait for our engagement session, which we will be shooting October 14th. It's going to be a blast! To see their work, whck out www.burshfirephotography.com and also be sure to visit their blog. Brittany put alot her personality into her stories about her clients. |
Pastor:
| Spencer Brannan is not only The Director of the Mission56 (Kids) program at the church Jarrod and I attend, he is also a close friend to my our family. While we only met Spencer about 9 months ago, I already feel like he is a good friend to us as well. So kind, and super funny! A true kid at heart. Anywho...I always thought it would be so neat to be married by a friend, or at least someone you know. So of course, I hit up the only pastor I know personally to see if he was ordained and if he could possibly be the one to marry Jarrod and I. I was overjoyed, thrilled, ellated when I got a text back from him telling me he could. And not only could he do it, he absolutely would do it for us! I am so excited Spencer will be our pastor because I know, without a doubt it will be memorable, heart-felt, and sure to include some laughter. Thank you Spencer! |
DJ:
| We had the opportunity to meet with Dave about a month ago and are very happy about him being out DJ. He is super fun and laid back at the same time. He is sensitive to his client's budget and desires and is genuinely in tune with your needs.
What we liked most about him was his flexibility, versitility, and ability to be as involved as we wanted him to be. We will have lots of kiddos at our wedding so we asked him to just keep the crowd going, and my only stimulation involved avoiding the Chicken Dance! |
Cake:
| I hadn't found a reasonably priced cake as of 2 weeks ago, then Melissa (Bridesmaid) suggested I check out Craigslist. Taking her advice, I did just that and I emailed a few wedding cake vendors, and I really only had 2 responses. The 2nd One was from Angie @ Sweet Tooth Bakery. I emailed her the picture of what I wanted, told her I was on a budget, then she came bck with an AMAZING price! She doesn't have a storefront, which allows her to be even more competitive on her prices. She also makes totally cute custom cupcakes. I cannot wait for our "cupcake" tasting so we can really get a feel for her flavors!
**Update: We got and and tried our tasting cupcakes and they were ubundantly adorable. We, Jarrod, Melissa and I tried 6 different types of cake/filling combos and I think we found some amazing combinations! I am so excited for my guests to get to try these!** Check her out at www.sweettoothbakeryaz.com. |