We have some pictures ALREADY

Yes, only a couple hours after I posted the last entry, Banks sent me the link to the pictures. It pays to have amazingly talented friends who love stuff like this :). He's still working on uploading pictures (he's already at over 200 pictures), but I have to give you a preview of some of my favorites so far..! SOOOOO good!

-Lisa

Engagement Photo Shoot - Done!

Patrick and I are acting as housesitters for the summer for a couple of people I got to know them really well through my job with the Mercury. They actually own their own pharmaceutical company, and their house (which is in North Scottsdale) is absolutely incredible. Since their landscaping is done so well, there's a golf course [literally] across the street from the house & the fact that there are tons of great photo ops, we thought it'd be a great idea to take some engagement pictures there.

We asked our friend Daniel Banks ("Banks") to take pictures; he has a really nice camera, and even though he's not a professional photographer, he takes great pictures. When asking him, we explained that we don't have unrealistic expectations: we're only hoping for one or two good pictures that we could use for our Save the Date's. If none of the pictures turned out, no big deal!

Yesterday was our photo shoot. We took pictures in front of the house, on the rocks next to the pool, around the side/back yard, on the golf course and with the mountains/cacti in the background. We tried to really do it up & even had a few outfit changes! Because none of us claim to know how to pose, I had gone through a bunch of engagement pictures online to find some poses/pictures to imitate. That made things so much easier.

I haven't seen the pictures on the computer - and Banks said he wanted to photoshop some of them to touch them up before letting me look - but from looking at the pictures on the screen of his camera, there are plenty of good ones to choose from! I had a great time, but I have to say that even though he got stuck by a cactus THREE separate times ;) , Banks probably had more fun than either of us. He was totally into it and loved changing the settings/lighting/angles/etc.

Banks is one of the most genuine and loyal people I've ever met, and it's now official that he's going to be one of our groomsmen. Patrick asked Banks and Mal (Chris Mallory) to be groomsmen last night. They've been two of my closest guy friends for years, and they clicked with Patrick as soon as they met. When Patrick took Banks and Mal aside to ask them, I asked Mal's wife, Mandy, to be one of my bridesmaids. As a couple, Mandy and Mal have been so supportive through our relationship and have always been there for us when needed. Patrick even had them go with him to help him pick out the diamond for my ring (Mal has a hilarious impression of Patrick stressing out about choosing the right one).

Mandy / Me:                                   Banks / Patrick / Mal:

It was exciting being able to start asking the most important people in our lives to stand by our sides, and it makes all of this feel a little more real.

As soon as we get the link to the pictures from Banks, I'll post some of my favorites. I can't wait to see them!!

-Lisa

Photographers: 2 Down... 1 to Go

Like the entry's title says: two photographers down, one to go. Since I put the websites on here, I'm not going to go into detail of the names until it's the photographer we choose (I'm sure they're all great; just not for us!). One of them, We had an appointment to meet with "Photographer #1" before the open house. #1 was fantastic: outgoing, positive, really nice work and they really seemed to love their job. We were very impressed with #1's albums and they did a great job answering questions while knowing what they were talking about.

From a distance, we watched "Photographer #2"s interaction with other people and that was about enough. Just the vibe we got from #2 was creepy. From looking at the websites online, #2 had been my last pick out of the 3. Patrick looked at me and asked, "Do we really have to go to over there?" My response: "Absolutely not," and we checked #2 off the list.

We got to meet one of the florists and one of the bakers. The dj company had a table set up with fliers and business cards, but he wasn't there in person. 

My fiance (yes, I'm still getting used to saying that!) LOVES food, so his favorite part of the Open House was that it was catered... at no cost to us. We found out that we're able to set up complimentary food tastings with each of the catering company options - and they said to make sure to show up with an empty stomach b/c we'd be leaving FULL. You should have seen Patrick's eyes light up when he heard that! That'll be a fun step, and we can even bring a couple people along to taste food with us!

 My mom booked a flight to come visit the last week of this month, and we're going to go dress shopping!! I have to admit that I've probably seen every episode of 'Say Yes to the Dress' at least once, so I have definite ideas of what I'm looking for. I'm trying to keep an open mind though b/c I realize that my ideal dress might not look as good as I hope on me. Only one way to find out though..!

Alright, time to get to sleep. Sweet dreams,
Lisa

Thinking About Photography

We've really enjoyed being able to exhale and knowing that we've made a couple of the biggest decisions for the wedding - date and location.

The next step is to figure out our photographer. I've communicated via email with all 3 of the photographers included in our package, and two of them are going to be at the Aldea Open House tomorrow night. In addition to seeing how it's set up for a wedding (in person), we've set up an appointment with one of them before the Open House & the other one knows we'll be coming by to meet them.

In case you have some extra time and want to take a look and give your thoughts, the three options are:
1. Bill Dooling Photography - http://www.billdooling.com/
2. Kiss the Camera - http://www.kissthecamera.net/
3. Iris Creative - http://www.iriscreativephotography.net/

I know which one is favorite, then #2 and #3, but I'll keep that to myself for now. We've gotten the suggestion (which makes a lot of sense) to make sure that they click with our personalities and the personalities of the wedding party. Meeting them should answer a lot of our questions, and hopefully my frontrunner will impress in our meeting!

-Lisa

MAY 26th, 2012 - IT'S OFFICIAL!

Both of our families really liked the pictures and information online about Aldea. I know I said it before, but I'm just blown away at how supportive both sides have been about making this our day and how they're on board with our ideas but are wanting to help with suggestions when possible...!

There really weren't any BAD reviews of Aldea online. We found one site that had 19 reviews, and their total score was 4.8/5.0. The reviews that were lower than 5.0 wished they would have known more of the details before they signed the contract; they didn't know what to ask, and therefore hadn't asked enough questions. Fortunately, we don't have that problem; since we're both in sales, we ask tons of questions ;). We took suggestions from the reviews though and made a list of follow-up questions to ask.

Patrick and I sat down and started looking through the emailed wedding packages. Most were much more expensive (and didn't include nearly as much), but there were a couple that were comparable. After a few of them, I looked at Patrick and said, "I really don't want to look at these." He smiled and replied, "Well, let's not look at others, then. Let's just do this."

We knew what dates we were interested in, and the main two on our list (May 19th and May 26th) were available. After making calls to our families and close friends to make sure there aren't any conflicts with graduations, other weddings, etc, we decided on MAY 26, 2012; it's the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The only negative that we thought of was that the flights and hotels might be a little more expensive since it's a holiday weekend, but with Monday being the holiday, our guests from out of town could potentially stay an extra day without having to take a day off work. If we work out the honeymoon timing right, we could have a get-together of some kind on Sunday with everyone we only get to see every once in a while. Those benefits outweighed the negative.

Yesterday morning, I emailed the list of follow-up questions and said I was potentially interested in putting down a deposit later in the day. They have later office hours on Friday (b/c of the evening & weekend events coming up), but I was nervous we'd lose our ideal date. I called a few hours later and reached their voicemail. Patrick reassured me it was ok, so I stopped by and found the owner setting up for the wedding reception that night. She was fantastic and said her son was actually on the way into the office now to respond to me (he walked in during the time I was there). She answered all of my questions to my satisfaction, and we're going to get a free photo booth b/c that's going to be their bridal show special next weekend - points for using our sales skills!

I wouldn't say that I freaked out when I was signing the deposit contract, but I got hit with a definite realization that this is actually happening! I'm so happy and am amazed at how easy it was to find the ideal wedding venue for us. They make everything as easy as possible, and almost everything is included with the wedding package (decorations, photographer, florist, baker, dj...). They set the package, and we get to customize it from there. For example, there are three photographers that we can choose from in the package. If we don't like any of those, we'll get a certain amount of credit back, and we're then able to bring in our own photographer. We looked at the websites/albums/blogs of many of the vendors, and we have some great ones to choose from. The thing I'm most excited about is that we have so many choices of floor-length linens/napkins and centerpieces/decorations. When I asked him what he's most excited about, his first answer was that he's most excited about getting a vacation for our honeymoon. As far as the wedding day, he's most excited about the fact that I said I'm completely ok with having cornhole game(s) set up during the cocktail hour and maybe reception. Haha, that's my fiance! ;)

This is going to be us (!):

So excited!
-Lisa

Venue Option #2: Aldea at Tlaquepaque

Remember the feeling I said I was hoping to have when we visited the Secret Garden? I now have that feeling!

After sending out all the information requests to other venues, both of us went to sleep knowing there were other great options out there and we would find it.

One of the places I wanted to look at was a place called Aldea in northwest Phoenix. It originally caught my eye when I was doing research for the event/wedding venue I worked for. The pictures were gorgeous, and I remembered the pricing being pretty reasonable.

We saw that they give open tours Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 to 5. I work in that area, and I told Patrick I'd stop by during lunch to check it out.

VENUE OPTION #2: Aldea at Tlaquepaque - www.aldeaweddings.com

As soon as I finished the tour, I texted him, "I REALLY like this place...!" He responded immediately asking if he could meet me there after work. When he found out it closed at 5, he talked to his boss and was able to leave work a little before 4. I can't stress how much it means to me that he has tried so hard to make us a priority - this is just another example.

His take on Aldea was just like mine - he loved it! We had put together a list of things that were important to us, and it fit every single one. We felt completely comfortable walking through the "village" and could absolutely imagine our wedding there. The ceremony would be held in a gorgeous, outdoor courtyard, the cocktail hour would also be outside and the reception would be in a cozy, yet spacious room inside. Their description from a wedding website:

Aldea at Tlaquepaque is a stunning 7,600 square foot indoor/outdoor venue located in the northwest Valley.  A destination full of old world romance, Aldea is home to gated courtyards, brick walkways, and magnificent arched entryways. Our location offers the opportunity to create a unique event for you and your guests, by providing both picturesque exteriors and beautiful interior dining hall.

We didn't want to leave and sat down at one of the courtyard tables to call our parents and go over the available dates. I asked my mom to go over all the information with my dad, and we sent both sets of parents the link to their website.

 As we were leaving, a group showed up for a wedding rehearsal. Patrick suggested to talk to the bride-to-be, so we asked her about her thoughts on the whole process and if she was happy with her choice. She was incredibly enthusiastic and said she couldn't say enough good things & wouldn't change a thing. She also said the entire process was easy and they've been there to help her with whatever she has needed.

Even though we're really excited about the potential of Aldea, we want to go over some of the emailed wedding packages from other venues I've received today, and we also want to look at Aldea's reviews online.

I'm DEFINITELY crossing my fingers.
-Lisa

Venue Option #1 - 7 out of 10

We went to the Secret Garden's open house tonight with very high expectations. We loved the location and realized how easy it would be to have everything so close to Patrick's house.

It mostly lived up to the pictures. The house which held the groom's room and the bridal room would look great in pictures... Well, Patrick called it historic; I called it old, and it smelled old - I'm sure you can imagine the smell. It was very pretty though and the smell seemed to fade when we got used to it, but I think he liked the house more than I did.

The grass on the lawn (where the chairs sit for ceremonies) needed some help, but other than that, the outdoor ceremony site was very pretty. With all the trees and bushes, it was very green and didn't make me think of Arizona - not sure if that's a plus or a negative: just a fact. There were many places that would be gorgeous backgrounds/sites for pictures, and the stairs that I would walk down were fantastic.

The reception room was very nice with pretty doors, but it was simple and plain. I'm sure it could be really dressed up with lighting and decorations (it was staged with tables w/tablecloths & gold chivari chairs that Patrick said were horrendous), but they didn't have any of the tables set to give a good idea of what it could look like - negative points to the people planning their open houses.

They have a number of wedding package options: one that is all-inclusive and one that lets you choose any vendors you'd like to work with. I love the idea of the flexibility to create the night we're hoping for, and I also like that they let you bring in your own alcohol/drinks for a small set amount per person.

Going into this, I knew I would have an issue with the total pricing b/c I'm a girl who has never spent more than $100 to throw a party. I don't consider myself cheap b/c I'll buy my fair share of nice things, but I love bargain hunting, DIY projects and always try to know I got a good deal; it's like a contest with myself to see the best deal I can get. I'm not sure that the pricing for the Secret Garden would be worth it. It was definitely on the pricy side (more expensive than the upscale event venue I worked at for a while), and the price is definitely our main hesitation. I'm being realistic though, and I know that if the price was a little lower, the things I mentioned as negatives wouldn't be nearly as much of negatives. Maybe it works the other way though: if we were completely in love with the place, the price may not be as much of an issue... I'm not sure!

After talking through our thoughts over a sushi dinner, Patrick helped me realize that we don't have to choose a venue really close to his house because our guests will be traveling anyway. If they have a rental car (or even if they need a ride from the airport to a hotel near the wedding site), a 10 minute drive compared to a 30 minute drive isn't THAT big of an issue, and we've opened our search to include most of the Phoenix area.

We realized that we went into tonight with TOO high of expectations. I hoped to be blown away and to want to stop my search before I left the premises. The Secret Garden was very good and I have NO doubt they are an incredible location for a wedding, but it didn't blow me away as I had hoped. Our mindset going into other venues is to be open-minded, see what they have to offer and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

We haven't crossed Secret Garden off the list; in all actuality, there were a lot of things that we liked about the place & it fit the main goals we're hoping to find, but the score we're giving it at this point is a 7 out of 10.

After getting to Patrick's house, we sent inquiries to 13 wedding venues around the Phoenix area asking for information/pricing/availability in April-June of 2012, so I'm sure my phone is going to be blowing up over the next few days. I'm ready to be woo'ed by wedding coordinators. Bring it; let's see what you've got! ;)

-Lisa