Welcome to my site!

Hi folks!  If you're coming to my blog after reading about it in the Jackson Free Press's Hitched, Welcome!

I'm in the process of making my entries public, and will do a few every day for the next couple of months.  Thanks for your patience!

Here are a few pictures from the fantastic Adam Hudson to tide you over:

My fantastic photographer.

How could I have not mentioned Adam Hudson Photography so far?!

They did our engagement shoot last Christmas holiday in Jackson.  Adam was such a good sport, he even let us bring our sweet Abbey dog.

Here are some of my faves:

Adam has reasonable prices, a great eye for pictures, and can travel.  We simply love him, and could not ask for anyone better.

Dear sweet baby Jesus...

...and any other wedding gods that make wedding dreams come true....

THEY'RE HERE.

The dresses.

No, no, not mine.

The girls'. The long awaited bridesmaids dresses in the color that I never thought would appear.

Let me explain.  I have spent infinitely more time looking for their dresses than my own. Let me be clear.... I have NEVER been to a bridal salon for myself.  But I have been to 3 or 4 stores and countless sites looking for the girls.   I was convinced that I would never find them.

... and of course, they are from my love, J. Crew.

Spiced Wine is the color. I am sure that I am not the only bride who is thanking her lucky stars that these dresses are here.  There are maybe 8 styles in all in this color, so this will fit all my girls' body types (from 14 years old and teeny to my curvacious dearest friends).

I've got the okay from all of my girls, and since several of my girls are students, they can claim the 15% discount that J. Crew offers.  And there's a new J. Crew in Mississippi, so the girls can get it shipped to the store and save on shipping.

And they will all be able to pick out their own gold shiny shoes (I think the ones below from J. Crew are perfect) and jewelry.

The dresses range from about $180 to $300 which isn't too, too exorbitant, and they're all silk or cotton and not the nasty fake satin. And let's be honest, I would definitely wear these dresses again.  Seriously.

Okay, and one more...

Again, from Kathryn at Snippet and Ink.

Wedding Inspiration Porn

Here are some things that are inspiring me right now:

Unfortunately tulips are out because of the season (though they're gorgeous in Seattle about now!) but I love the color combo.  This would be a great color for bridesmaids dresses.

Ohhh, I love these zinnias.  I mean, you wouldn't even necessarily need fillers!

Also, I'm sure this isn't a surprise to anyone, but HOW MUCH DO I LOVE the wedding inspiration site Snippet and Ink?!  Look at the following beautiful boards that definitely fit my wedding dreams:

I could look at Snippet and Ink all day.  And sometimes, I do, because I'm the bride.

And the winner is.... Mynelle Gardens

I present to you our reception site:

The Westbrook House at Mynelle Gardens

The beautiful Sunroom, where we will have the guest book, favors, and present table.

The main room, where folks will eat.

.... we're not going to have seating for everyone (I estimate about 150 folks will attend), but we will have plenty of bar tables for folks to stand at.  I only want enough seating for folks who can't stand for very long, so everyone is milling around, and DANCING!

And this is the dance room-  It will need a LOT of color!

This picture does not do the atrium justice.  It'll be our cake room.

Our food room!

So, as you can see, we have a great start.  The house costs $800 to rent, and has a lot of tables ready to go, which cuts down on rental costs.  It also has a kitchen, which will be immensely helpful for the food situation (you just wait til you hear about that!)

There is plenty of space, even if the guest list exceeds our expectations.  I can't wait to start posting inspirations for the decorations!

Eeeeyeaaah.....

Those dresses sucked.  Lame.

Thoughts on bridesmaids

My girls would revolt on me if I put them in green.


Oh, how I wish I could!  Why do bridesmaid dressmakers REFUSE to put out a nice beautiful green color in a non-nasty fabric.

Well, let's be clear.  Simple Silhouettes does.  They make a fantastic leaf color in real silk, and I LOVE the varieties of dresses they have.  

I really want the girls to be able to pick their own style of dress if possible, because it's just unfair for brides to pick dresses that their maids hate.  (Brides, please take note- your girls WILL resent you for choosing fake satin fabric, even if it costs less.  They will, even if they say they don't).  Now my girls are the type who WOULD say they hate a dress (and this is why I love them), so I'd like to avoid that at all costs.

So I'm going for plum, or raspberry, or wine.  A color that would look good on everyone.   These are the best I've found so far from Alfred Sung of the Dessy Group:

The feedback I've gotten from the girls is pretty good.  They like the dresses that have pockets.  I'm going to Moms, Maids, and More tomorrow to see them.

How I picked my wedding colors.

There is one obvious choice for the wedding color of an environmentally-conscious wedding.

I am not even going to say it.

{palette via pantone}


.... But how do you pick?!



A September wedding is kind of a tricky spot.  The 12th is still technically summer (and certainly HOT), but September makes us think of fall.  I started out thinking about an earthy palette with leafy greens and rustic wood browns.  But when I told this to my bridesmaid Kate, she insisted that everyone was putting their bridesmaids in brown (this appeared to be true), and that I had to pick something else.

Kate turned out to be right.  Mark and his men will have grey suits (more on that later), and brown dresses + gray suits = uggggalksdjfa;lkjsfen.  It seemed more construction work than earthy at that point.  So back to the drawing board.

My next inspiration came from the only flowers that I know will be blooming at the time: zinnias and roses.  I know I can get all shades of pink and orange and red, so that is what I will have.  Can they all be my "colors"?!

 {all pictures via flickr}

So I haven't really settled on another color to pair with green, but I'm just going to leave my options open to any (or all) of these gorgeous hues.

Our reception site will  basically be a blank palette, so I can make it what I want. I'll post pictures next time!

How about this for a palette- fern, apple, plum, and marigold?

The Dress

I was never the kind of girl who fantasized about my wedding dress.  Maybe it's because at an early age, I realized how terrible I looked in white.  Jewelry, music, flowers, sure.  I thought about kitchens a lot, and gardens.  But not wedding dresses.

I really like Carolina Herrera, super a lot.  And I like Oscar, of course.

I could eat this dress with a spoon:

{CH via brides.com}


But I can't fathom paying top dollar for a dress my children will be too tall to wear (HELLO 11 inch height difference with my fiance!).

The first place I went was actually a consignment store in Kirkland, WA, called Champagne Taste.  And there I found a wedding dress that fit like a glove.  It was $300.  The catch- it was David's Bridal.  Now they have some truly lovely dresses, but I knew that I wanted a dress no one else would ever have.

Fast forward a few months.  I realize that we still have my dear mother's wedding dress, which was never really used (she and my dad eloped).  It was a little 70's-tastic.   Okay, it was a LOT 70's-tastic. (I don't feel weird about posting this since the dress will be so different after alterations).

My grandmother had kept it at her house, in a wardrobe, IN A BEDSHEET.

Seriously, folks, no $300 preservation, no nothin'.  A bedsheet.  For 25 years.

Wanna take a guess at where she got it? 25 years ago?




.... The Goodwill.  If that isn't budget friendly, I don't know what is.

And it's beautiful.  The fabric is strong, embroidered organza in a beautiful candlelight ivory (NOT WHITE!  HOORAY!), and there are the dearest cotton lace flowers on the belt, neckline and arms.

I will have my dressmaker, the great and esteemed Sandra Ashford, redo this dress.   She's the go-to woman in Mississippi for redoing dresses, but she's also about to be family- she's my future mother-in-law's cousin. She's going to make it into the typical strapless silhouette, and put all the lace around the bustline.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.  I have my first fitting when I go home in May!

She will also be making my veil and even a garter.  Ladies, if you have an heirloom dress, you simply have to call Sandra!

Where to recept?

Admittedly, the most important thing to me about my wedding reception site was affordability. I can't afford high rental sites, and I DEFINITELY can't afford to have the wedding catered. Seriously, the mark ups for catering are so bad my head wants to spin. Alcohol mark-ups (another must for my wedding) are even worse. I'm sure I could find a beautiful place outside to have it, but my wedding date ---- September 12 ---- is the prime season for this:


Having lived through several destructive hurricanes, I can handle this possibility. I CANNOT, however, justify having a tent wedding with no indoor option. Plus with rentals and everything, it can be just as expensive as renting a facility. Did I mention that it was September 12th? That's still about 85 degrees in Mississippi, and we're gonna have some old people. Outdoor wedding/ reception is a no-go.

So, I looked.

And looked...


And LOOKED!


And I came up with a grand list. Which was narrowed down to the following several sites:

1) The Westbrooke House at Mynelle Gardens
Aside from having a reception at the church, this is a steal at $800 for 4 hours. The house is big enough for a standing reception of at least 200. The gardens won't be much by the dog days of September, but the house is beautiful, recently redone, and AC'ed) It also has a kitchen, and you can bring in whatever caterer you like (or not have one, like me!).

2) The Grand Old Post Office in Canton
The downside: Far away from Galloway (30 mins?). It doesn't hold more than 200 folks standing. Not the prettiest place, but cheap! They have most of the rentals you would need. Unfortunately the indoors is not pretty, but certainly not ugly. Any licensed caterer is welcome. Here's the website:
http://www.grandoldpostoffice.com/index.htm

3) The Ag Museum
Not one I checked out much because they will be having Celtic fest on my wedding weekend (an activity possibility?), but many different options for renting. People usually use the forestry auditorium. It is nice and easily decorated, plus close to galloway with ample parking.
http://www.mdac.state.ms.us/n_library/departments/ag_museum/agm_rental.html

4) Natchez Trace Craft Center
Absolutely GORGEOUS, huge location. Many of my friends have had their receptions here and loved it. Relatively expensive on my budget although it's not extreme for the average budget, and you have to use a caterer from their list (which puts it WELL out of our budget).
http://mscrafts.org/index.php/facility-rental/

5) MS Museum of Art
This is a newer building but I think a lot of my contemporaries have had their receptions here. It's pretty inside, and you have to use their caterer. And it's too pricey for my budget, although still reasonable ($1300 base rental fee). http://www.msmuseumart.org/events-facility-rental.html

6) Cedars Historic Home
I was surprised by how expensive it was to reserve this house, regardless of how pretty it is. I can't remember the price, but you could call them and ask.
Here's a wedding that was held there:
http://adamhudson.blogspot.com/2008/11/this-was-actually-rare-wedding-for-me.html

7) Fairview Inn
Home to Sophia's Restaurant, This beautiful mansion has several rooms that can be rented out. For real, it's pure class, and I would totally have my reception here if I could afford it. (Noticing a pattern here?). Seriously, though- an $8000 minimum for a summer wedding? My entire wedding budget?! But, here it is: http://www.fairviewinn.com/jackson-mississippi-wedding-facility.htm .... I mean, if you got it, flaunt it. They treat you right here.

8)Capital Club
I'm anti- because everyone does there reception here (EVERYONE). No offense, 7,000 friends of mine who have had receptions there. And their food is mediocre half the time, and their L-shaped party room is awkward for large crowds of dancing. And, regardless of the fact that it does reside in Mississippi's capital, I hate that it could also be interpreted as the "Money" Club. "Oh, where are you having your reception? The Money Club? Sounds classy!" Also, all of the receptions I've seen here have looked really similar, so I don't think this venue is particularly flexible as far as decorations. http://www.capitalclubms.com/reservations.html

9) Millsaps/Belhaven
I think you would have to know an alumni, but there are places you can do a reception. I haven't been to any wedding receptions here, but I'm sure there are places to do it.

10) Law Firms/Businesses
My future cousin-in-law Georgia Anne is having her July reception at the groom's father's law firm in several of the big conference rooms. Seems like this could be a reasonably inexpensive way to go.

11) Club Houses
Various neighborhoods like Northbay in Madison and Northpointe in Jackson (the big red barn) have houses that are rentable. Usually you have to know someone in the neighborhood to vouch for you. This seemed like another entirely reasonable option.

10) The Bulldog
A really great place for an afterparty. You get their huge party room for $500, which is put towards food and kegs.

11) Hotels/Country Clubs
Don't neglect really pretty places like The Edison Walthall... But, pretty much any hotel will do a wedding, and if you can afford it, country clubs are always an appropriate standby.

12) Church
Some churches have better rooms than others, and these are almost always the most economical choice. The fellowship hall at Galloway is a grey, windowless room with old stained carpeting. No matter how desperate I was, this wasn't an option.

Location, Location, Location

Admittedly, I have been engaged for 9 months, and so this blog is not going to be full of all the crazy ideas I have had during that time. I'm going to try to talk about the more sensible ideas I had, in hopes of helping other Deep South brides who har having a hard time planning green and on a budget.

The first thing to figure out?

Where to hold the wedding and reception.


Now, Mark and I threw out several ideas- Getting married in Seattle, having a destination wedding somewhere tropical, having a destination wedding closer to home (New Orleans), and just having it at home. From an environmental standpoint, the best thing for us to do was go to the place that was the closest to the guests. This means beautiful Mississippi.

For me, this was great. I had always known that I wanted to get married here:
Galloway United Methodist Church in downtown Jackson (and photo by the fantastic Adam Hudson). It is the church of my childhood and youth, right next to the gorgeous State Capitol.

My jaw dropped when I found out how much it cost for a member to get married here. $1100!! Granted, this includes the coordinator, organist, security, and clean-up, but YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. There was no way for us to afford this, and I was sure I was going to have to have the wedding and reception in the same place.

But, because they're good like that, my future family-in-law offered to pay for the Galloway expenses, and so it will be galloway.

Welcome.

THIS

IS

ME.

I suppose that's not all you need to know. There are other important notes to make, like......


I have loved this devastatingly handsome man.

For six years.

And we are getting married
on September 12th, 2009.

{cute, huh?}

<<----- I kind of like this, too.




For as long as I can remember, I have cared about our environments. My earliest evidence of this is a piece of notebook paper from kindergarten which makes a variety of promises, such as "I will not kill endangered species" and "I will not hurt a tree". I'll have to scan it for you sometime, so you can see how undeniably adorable I was.

Now I'm here:

At the University of Washington in Seattle.

I'm getting two Masters degrees.... they're both environmental-y.

Because I believe in clean air, and clean water, and healthy people.

.....And because I believe we should be doing things a little differently.



Like my wedding, for instance. You know how much weddings cost these days. $25 grand? Are you kidding?! Well, when Mark and I got engaged last April, that was the first thing that had to go. This 23 year old will be paying for the wedding herself (mostly!) on top of her everyday needs, and grad school expenses.

Don't pity me. It means that I get to call the shots (though, as I've found over the past 9 months, this isn't entirely true) and that I have every reason to make my wedding what I want it. Total budget? 8 grand. Still exorbitant in my mind.... really exorbitant. I am selfish. But, I am from Mississippi, and if Mississippi does anything right, it's throwing a wedding. So in the grand tradition of Southern women, I too will have a wedding.

On top of this is the challenge of making my wedding as environmentally and socially conscious as possible. We all know green is more expensive, right? And, I'm sure you've figured out that Mississippi is not the hub of the environmental movement. So, how will I do it?

My blog will chronicle these adventures and more. Stay tuned......