Our registries give to charity, too!

We opened our third and final(?) registry last weekend at Crate and Barrel. The store really made the experience pleasant for both of us. C&B had a special "registry event" where only couples were allowed in the store, we got a little gift and were even served mimosas (yum!). We decided to register for our cookware and fancy flatware there along with plenty of other things (mostly kitchen gadgets). Very fun.

So, we've got registries at Target, Macy's and Crate and Barrel. Following all that, we signed up at the I Do Foundation. It's a great organization that facilitates donations to charity through wedding registries. The foundation has partnered with a bunch of stores (including all three of ours -- actually, Macy's and Crate and Barrel do their registries at WeddingChannel.com) to donate a percentage of gift costs to charities selected by the couple.

Basically, by clicking through the I Do Foundation to access our Target registry, 5 percent of whatever is spent on registry items for us will be donated -- at no additional cost to our guests or us -- to charities we've selected. As mentioned, Target does 5 percent, and the two other stores do 3 percent. I thought this was a really cool thing.

We selected the Human Rights Watch and American Red Cross as our charities. That way money is going to both those at home and abroad. I added the I Do Foundation links to registries on our wedding Web site. I'm really hoping that people will utilize it. If you're going to spend the same amount of money either way, part of it might as well go to help others, right?

Also: I'm really, really excited about our china. I never thought I'd be excited about china, but it's super pretty.

We've booked DJ DeLuxe

I have to say, I was really surprised how much DJs cost in Dallas. I had priced them in Phoenix before we made the move, and let's just say the mark-up between cities is significant. What's so weird about it is that everything else has been less expensive here. Not sure what to make of that. That said, we found a remarkable DJ -- Mark Ridlen -- who was kind enough to work within our budget.

He's fun. He's talented. He knows "our kind" of music. He didn't roll his eyes when we said our song is "Punk Rock Girl" by The Dead Milkmen. Mark was been in the business for more than 16 years, he's well-known as both a club DJ and an event DJ and host. He's done a bunch of the Observer parties, and my bridesmaid Merritt (who works with me at the Observer) sings his praises.

It's such a relief to have a DJ booked. More than that, Matt and I really wanted to have a stellar DJ and amazing photographers and we do. (I totally just realized I never posted that we signed our contract with Nine Photography. We love them. Lots.)

We picked the bridesmaids' dresses

My maid of honor, step-mom and I traipsed all over Phoenix this Saturday looking at bridesmaid dresses. Megan (my MOH) gets two gold stars -- one for trying on tons of sample dresses and another for wanting to put dresses she didn't like in the "maybe" pile. However, all three of us love the dress we picked, After Six style No. 6506. Go here to see the dress.

While we (well, Megan) tried it on in the pictured ivory/black combo, we're going with the black-on-black. Over at the After Six site, you can see what the dress would look like in black. Unfortunately, you can't see the back detail too well in the online picture. It features small pleats that look really great when moving and minimize the booty. I did find this sketch of the gown to give you an idea. Overall, the dress is classy and should be very flattering on all the 'maids. I'm definitely happy.

Apparently this dress is pretty popular. All the stores we went to had it available, and at the third place various ladies had to take turns trying it on (us included). We ended up selecting the Wedding Accessory Superstore in north Phoenix to order the dresses from. We received good service there and the store offers 20 percent off bridesmaid dresses. So, it costs less than at the other shops with better services and on-site alterations.

We had a horrible experience at the Azteca Bridal Plaza in downtown Phoenix. We received no service (and the dressing rooms were, um, disappointing), and then when we asked them to write down the number of the gown we liked, we were given a hard sell. The woman said that we shouldn't be writing down, but measuring and ordering because there was no way we'd get our dresses in early enough for the wedding if I didn't order that day. It wasn't true, and she was really rude about it. The ladies at the Wedding Accessory Superstore said we're right on time for ordering and have a couple weeks for ordering to provide time for any alterations.

So, we're ready to go. Now, I just have to get the other 'maids to call in their measurements, and we'll be good to go on that front. I love making progress.

Hotel and travel updates

Hotels
We have a room block reserved at the Hilton DFW Lakes. The reduced rate there apparently fluxuates depending on how close to capacity the hotel gets, but currently the rate is $119/night for a double queen or single king room. If you call, ask for the "wedding rate" and if you book online enter the code "WED" to get the special. The phone number for this hotel is (817) 481-8444.

While we don't have a block reserved, the >Fairfield Inn & Suites in Grapevine is about a block away from the other hotel and is very nice. Their prices are nicer, too. Currently, the room rate is $89-$99/night. The hotel's toll-free phone number is (800) 489-0923.

A third option in the area (all three hotels are next to Grapevine Mills Mall, Lake Grapevine and Bass Pro Shop: Outdoor World) is the Springhill Suites. All the options here are suites, but current rates are $109/night. This hotel's phone number is (972) 724-5500.

Flights
If you're looking for the right time to book travel, I suggest checking out Farecast.com. The site will provide you an alert when prices for a selected trip drop or are about to go back up. I've found it to be very helpful. Also, there are two airports in Dallas, DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth International) and DAL (Dallas Love Field). DFW is 5 minutes from the hotels and 10 from the wedding. Love Field is smaller and will be an additional 30-45 minute drive. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. While we haven't lived here too long, we've been to the airport a surprising amount.

Pirate wedding? Well, a little.

So, the one "pirate" aspect to our wedding is complete. We've ordered the favors for the wedding. We ordered custom printed nice quality shot glasses. We like to convey that our marriage will be 'til death by including a jolly Roger. Here's what the image on the glasses looks like. They came out really cool.

Potential photographer: Nine Photography

So, we're going to meet with another photographer. Actually, Nine Photography is a couple: Kelli and Brendan Ahern. I've been emailing back and forth with Kelli, and just like her and Brendan's photos, she's bright, bold and sincere. I like her. After filling her in on the basics of our wedding, she was able to offer up a couple packages (one with an album, one without) that were what we're looking for -- in the kind of price range we wanted to see. Definitely makes me happy.

Their Web site features a gallery with photos from a single wedding. It highlights their creativity and use of color. Both Matt and I liked the pictures. They're fun, and we want that. Plus, there's not one of the bridal party jumping. It's a deal breaker. I'm pretty sure Matt would quit participating in the formal photos if a photographer tried to get him to do that. Can't say I'd blame him. We don't want anything that looks fake or posed. We want to remember our day the way it was -- the real way. Makes sense, no?

The package we're looking at with Nine Photography includes an engagement session (with as many locations as we want, all the images on CD with print rights, a proof book and a handful of prints), full wedding day coverage (up to 12 hours with both photographers), online viewing and ordering, all high resolution images on CD with print rights, proof book and another handful of prints. Really great. By getting the images we can print our own pictures and create our own albums via Shutterfly. (I've made one there before and loved it.)

Scoping spring bridesmaids dresses

Many of the bridal companies are releasing their Spring 2008 bridesmaids collections right now, so I'm back looking for the right dress for my favorite ladies. B2 by Jasmine Bridal has the entire spring collection available on its site. Of course, you have to go to a store to get a price, try it on and order. There are a couple dresses from the line that I like -- especially now that they are offering lighter fabrics like chiffon. I also saw a couple that could work from Ann Taylor Celebrations (one is pictured).

A large bridal salon in Lewisville, Bridal Boutique, carries the B2 line, After Six, Dessy, Alfred Sung, Bill Levkoff and all the other major lines. I'm hoping to convince my aunt to go with me over there to look at the dresses. Hopefully, I'll be able to narrow it down to a couple. Then, my lovely maid of honor Megan can check it out in Phoenix. Planning from afar isn't easy, but it helps to have good friends.