Dress shopping: Day 1

We survived the overwhelming first day of dress shopping. I tried on around 20 dresses today (yes, I went to a couple places), and it was exhausting. The first dress I tried on -- a Justin Alexander -- is my favorite so far. I'm comparing EVERYTHING to it. Really stunning. I tried it on again before leaving, and it resulted in tears for those involved. (The veil did it for my mom.)

I was surprised at how much I liked lace and how much I really didn't liked that Sottero gown I was all about before.

We're regrouping for more shopping tomorrow. If my favorite changes, I'll be sure to share. For now, you get the catalog picture of this day's favorite -- I doubt my hair will ever be that tall.

Shopping and venue updates

I've made the first two appointments at bridal shops for the dress shopping extravaganza that will be next week. Monday we'll be heading to I Do! I Do Bridal, and Tuesday we'll be at Suzanne's Bridal in Gilbert. More phone calls need to be made -- obviously.

Also, one of the women on The Knot said that Seville now asks a $5,000 facility fee in addition to the fees listed on the site. She said she thinks it may be negotiable, though. If it isn't, then we'll probably rule it out. If it is, then it stays on the list. It's that simple. Hopefully, I'll hear from them soon.

Wedding venues: Narrowing the list

Matt and I reviewed the current venue options tonight, and narrowed it down to three places -- Phoenix Art Museum, Seville and Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza.

The top choice continues to be the Phoenix Art Museum (post). Unfortunately, our preferred date of April 5, 2008, is already booked.

Also, we're still doing negotiating with the caterers who fit into our budget. One wants $7 a person for the china package. Most people charge $3. They say it's worth it because they're square plates, etc. Lame.For the sake of keeping you all updated on where we're at with the venues, I'll give a basic recap on the top three.

1. Phoenix Art Museum
Pros: Gorgeous location, fits our personality, offers something to do (galleries) during cocktail hour, friendly staff
Cons: Required to use one of the preferred caterers (read: pricey). Currently, the pricing is less than appealing. However, one looks to be great on the food -- but a bit of a "nickel and dimer" on the service, rentals and other requirements.

2. Seville Golf & Country Club - Gilbert, Ariz.
We have yet to tour this venue, because we're both ridiculously busy right now. However, the pictures (above and right) are beautiful. So, nothing will be set in stone until we can set up a tour. I've contacted the club, and hopefully will have more details soon.
Pros: Stunning mountain views, reasonable prices for premium elements (booze, food, etc.), rose petal ceremony aisle is part of the deal -- who doesn't want an aisle of rose petals to walk down? Um, everyone wants that.
Cons: It's in middle-of-nowhere Gilbert...also known as Higley and Riggs roads (map)

3. Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza
There is something utterly romantic about dining under the stars. An April wedding in Arizona is destined to be gorgeous outside. The idea would be to hold the ceremony at the fountain stage (picture), then move to the amphitheater (picture) for the reception. Of course we'd need to rent a big tent, dance floor, tables, linens and the like, but if done correctly, this could be really stunning.
Pros: Romantic, get choice of any caterer and any bartender, more control, picturesque
Cons: Must coordinate all the rentals and vendors, deal with city permits, possible problems if it's really windy

As always, input is welcome. If you have an idea, let me know. I'm hoping we can make this decision ASAP. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to get our desired date (as we've found with the art museum).

Preparing for dress shopping

My file of potential wedding dresses is brimming with pages torn from magazines right now. This is a good thing, as my mom will be out here in about a week to go shopping for "the dress."

I realized the photos from magazines aren't readily available. So, I've grabbed photos of two of the must-try-on gowns to share with everyone.

So, first we have the Sottero-Midgley A-line dress. Originally I was really anti the colored sash thing. I have heard others complain about having to constantly re-tie it during the reception. Plus, I like the idea of being clad in all white. However, this is just too cute. It keeps growing on me. The sash is available in both red and black. I would pick one of those. Either way, I like the rouching and clean lines. Pretty, pretty.

Next, this gown from the Princess Collection by Demetrios, has a halter neckline -- without going into a deep v-neck (and showing a bit more cleavage than a wedding dress really should). I like several of the dresses from BRIDES by Demetrios and the designer's couture line. We may go to the boutique in Scottsdale. If you know anyone who has dealt with them, do give me the inside tip. I've heard mixed reviews.

A couple of the boutiques I plan on visiting with Mom require appointments, so that's on tap for this weekend. A girl I know from The Knot works at I Do! I Do! Bridal in Phoenix (one of the largest bridal stores in the Valley carrying designer gowns). She's offered to check out which dresses they all ready have in stock. The two pictured are on the list! So, hopefully, I'll have an idea of what I'm getting into with them.

If anyone knows of a good place I should visit, let me know. Same goes for if you've heard bad things about a store.

Seeking a stellar wedding site

Matt and I started looking at venues a couple weeks ago. Thus far our favorite is the Phoenix Art Museum. It offers a couple options for outdoor ceremony sites (with indoor backups if it rains). One is a large courtyard with large scale sculptures off to the side. The other is at the front of the building with a cool, modern fountain (pictured).

We were pretty excited that we could have a couple of the galleries open during the cocktail reception. That way people can offer more than "her dress was pretty" and "I can't believe it's already this warm in April" for conversations.

The room for the reception has HIGH ceilings (it's two stories) and has large scale contemporary art on the walls (picture below). It as a polished limestone floor. It's a gorgeous room that wouldn't need a lot of attention to mesh with our wedding style.

So far the only hitch in having the Phoenix Art Museum is that we're required to use one of the preferred caterers. There are seven options, and I'm waiting on quotes from a couple. We also must use ARTenders for all liquor services. I know it's a quality company with great service, but I have no idea what kind of prices we're looking at. Contacting them is on the top of the list for this coming week.

We may also look at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts/Scottsdale Civic Center mall. They also require the use of perferred caterers (four options this time), but the rental fee is less. Also, this would give out-of-town guests many hotel options and have them staying in an area they would be more likely to roam at night. Scottsdale has a much more active "family-friendly" nightlife than downtown Phoenix.

Center mall. There are a handful of areas that would work, but most likely we'll go with tIf we went that route, we would hold our ceremony in the gardens of the Scottsdale Civic Center "fountain stage" area (see it). It's near the entrance to the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts -- with a brick patio-style area in between -- and the set-up flows naturally for a ceremony.

We could then hold the cocktail hour in the brick patio area, and move into the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts atrium for the reception (pictured, right). It's another art-themed area with really cool lighting.

Originally, I was considering Taliesin West -- Frank Lloyd Wright's Scottsdale home. After a few emails and phone calls, I got a hold of the manager there. He immediately told me they are unable to do wedding ceremonies (even if they are secular ceremonies). I asked about just doing the reception there. He said that was OK and said he would email me information. I asked for pricing, and instead got capacity lists and a contract with "agreed upon fee" in the price fields.

I'm ruling out Taliesin West. If this is how things are just getting information, I think I'm going to be frustrated working with the staff.

We haven't made any decisions. We still have others to check out. If you have any good ideas, feel free to share.

Gorgeous gown with disappointing price tag

I've found a dress I'm utterly in love with -- at least in a photo. Too bad it costs far more than I'm up for spending.

A-line gowns with princess seams are what I'm after, in generality. Mostly these dresses are strapless -- which I'm not opposed to, but I don't want to be tugging up on the dress the whole time. I'm sure there is a secret to keeping that from happening. (Tips welcome.)

The current trend is pick-up skirts. I don't much care for them. I'm all about classic, sleek beauty.

It's still uplifting to see a dress that's jaw-dropping. However, I'm sure there are other dresses in the same vein, with a more reasonable -- well, reasonable for wedding dresses -- price tag.

If anyone sees a dress like this that doesn't cost several thousand dollars, do tell.