Ring purchased

We bought the ring setting from Mei, and it turned out so beautifully, and very reasonably priced. I highly recommend this store for anyone looking for a ring or set mount; it is in the jewelry exchange at S. Hill Street, Los Angeles. Here is a picture of what they made for us:

Yes, that is 14 extra diamonds (8 rounds, 6 baguettes) with 18k white gold, for about $200. Go to Mei's and check it out!

$150 wedding dress, not ugly

On the recommending of "Bridal Bargains" by Denise Fields (the best wedding guide ever!), I went to Priceless Bridals in Van Nuys, a discount bridal salon that buys samples from other bridal salons that go out of business and sells them at a huge discount. I found an elegant St. Patrick gown there with a tie halter neckline, a graceful a-line silhouette, and a chapel train with bustle, for $150.

No one can believe that it is classy at that price, and not dirty or worn out at all, but it is. Both Dagmar and Lissette (bridesmaids) approved. Covered in beautiful floral bead patterns and made of a high quality satin, the dress is a steal. According to Denise Fields, this dress would be about $500 retail. The price tag says it cost $865! The sales lady is also a seamstress, so I can get the dress altered by her (it is slightly too large).

I cannot recommend Priceless Bridals enough, especially if you live in the San Fernando Valley, or happen to be visiting, or are willing to order over the internet. Did I mention the dress was $150?!?!

I also bought some strappy dress sandals on clearance at DSW for $26 that I think are perfect. They have a medium heel and are very comfortable and easy to wear. They are white with a pearlized finish and very pretty.

So even though the reception is looking very expensive, my formal wear has been very inexpensive. If you PROMISE that you are NOT Geoff, you can click here to see photos.

Reception Sites, arg

I can't wait until this reception selection thing is over. Everything else will be a cakewalk. Gonna write down every single place I've looked at, to give you an idea of the difficulty we're facing.

Under consideration:
Andover Country Club - Great place, but so many little problems. I want to strangle them most of the time for all the ways they nickel and dime you into making a $25/pp place cost $10,000.
Angelicas - An Italian restaurant in Middleton. Have to call them. Their package sounds excessive but their place itself is appealing.
Bayside of Nahant - This is both cool and less accessible because it's on an island. Her package is straightforward and the prices are reasonable. Minimal service charge, for example, and the minimum is only 125 people (no cash minimum).
Country Club of Billerica - Another excessive package, but for everything they offer, the price might be OK.
Crestview - in Woburn. This package is the only one I've seen that doesn't have a bunch of stuff I don't need. The Pearl package plus open bar might even be a steal.
Holiday Inn - of Peabody, Nashua, Andover, or Somerville - for some reason, Holiday Inns offer very competitive pricing. Waiting for more information from them, they do not respond quickly to email.
Indian Ridge Country Club - this place was passed over at first because Lisa said it was not as nice as the Andover Country Club, but I'm giving them a second look. I like their website.
Jimmy's Allenhurst - This place looked great online, until their website disappeared, and Dad says it is next to a trucking company and looked dingy, but their prices are very good.
Rowley Country Club - It breaks my heart that this room for this place was not up to snuff, because I liked everything else. Mom said it was cramped and not very formal; but the menu was appealing, and the only hold one wedding a day. Also affordable.
Spinelli's - in Lynnfield. This place is not expensive and not cheap, the rooms and the grounds are beautiful. I just hate the menu. Possibly they could change it, but I just can't get excited about this place.
Thomson Country Club - this place has a nice package, but I don't know much else about it.
Vittori Rossi Post - This is in Beverly, so its pretty convenient, but the exterior looks like a post office, and there is no rug, and no website. Mom did not like this place.
Wyndham - of Andover or Billerica - these would be great if I were inviting more people (over 160), they have a great package.

Locations that require catering:
The Harbor Room - $1500 for the whole day on the harbor doesn't sound so bad.
Gloucester Elks at Bass Rocks - I wish they would pick up the phone, just once.
Andover Town House - $750, kind of an appealing location, but a little municipal.

Considered and Nixed:
Too Expensive:
Nahant Country Club - Sheraton Resorts - the Marriott - Steeple Hall - Tupper Hall - Glen Magna Farms - Hellenic Center - Ocean View Inn & Resort - Hamilton Hall - Scituate Country Club - Radisson - Andover Inn
Fully Booked:
Danversport Yacht Club - Castleton - Casa di Fior

Damn. This. Sucks.

Engagement rings

As I have posted before, Geoff proposed to me with his mother's ring, with the auspice that we would pillage the oval diamond from that ring and put it in a new setting that was ours. Also, this ring is much too big for me because I told him the wrong size. It has taken quite a while to get around to fixing that, however. We went down to the jewelry district today and finally got down to looking.

This was an interesting experience. There are dozens of jewelry designers downtown, so you can really walk around and get a sense of different designs and also different sales styles. Three rings that appealed to me:

Shiny: This ring was designed by Mei Jewelry & Gem so we started calling it the Mei ring. It was definitely the nicest quality ring and it was also the most expensive, but only by a little bit. it was 18k white gold, and on each side of the center stone, there were three small diamonds, two baguettes, and a delicate triangle of pave. The feel of the ring was so comfortable, but I worry that it was maybe too much 'bling' -- still, it was tasteful, and will probably be the one I get.

Colored: I am apparently the only one, but I really like colored gem stones. Since oval diamonds are popular in multi-stone rings, I looked at one designer who had a simple ring with two small diamonds on the side of the centerstone, who was willing to swap those diamonds for blue diamonds. It was a really neat look, but everyone else seems to think that colored stones look "costumy" or whatever, and on second look, the ring itself was a little cheap -- it was not solid metal, it was hollowed out on the inside, like a ring you get at Target.

Asymmetrical: The ring right now has an asymmetrical design which is kind of neat, so I looked at some that were like this. One that I liked had a wrapped design, with a white gold band and then a string of small diamonds wrapping around it on each side, like an elongated S. There were things about this ring that looked cheap also, however, so while I liked the concept, I don't think I liked the result as well.

The jewelry market itself was a really interesting experience, and it made me wish you could buy wedding dresses that way (or reception halls). Just walk around some booths, like a street fair, and ask questions about the ones you like.

There's always something

A big problem with planning a wedding from this far away is that it is really hard to get the whole picture. Every time I think I've picked a place, I find out some detail that is a deal breaker. Case in point - the Andover CC. I loved this place. Good menu, great location, pretty grounds, pretty ballroom. Great entree prices, reasonable room rate. Recommended by a family member. Then, all of a sudden, I get hit in the face with their liquor prices. $24/pp, which does not include wine at the table or champagne toast. Ouch! Still might go there, because they're meal price is low enough to make up for it, but I feel used.

I am back to looking at hotels; I got some promising information from the Wyndham in Andover. Their deal breaker took me several days to find... turns out that, despite their low per-person cost, they have a minimum food/bev requirement of $9000. This is not mentioned ANYWHERE in their email brochure, and only one employee could tell me this. I'm not really sure what they expect me to be paying for. If I got one of their middle food choices, and their standard alcohol package, that only brings me to about $7300. Howzat? I guess they just want me to find more guests.

I started looking at churches. The Unitarian church in Andover has a website; they look beautiful, and charge about $1000 for the room, the minister, and the organist. And we don't need an organist. Scheduling on Sunday might be hard, though. And I still have to sell Geoff on the Unitarian idea.
http://www.northparish.org

Country Clubs

I have just discovered country clubs. Yes, the places that posh people go to golf. Turns out that most of them have their own catering outfits with ballrooms, and offer competitive prices. Three places I have checked into : Thomson Country Club, Haverhill Country Club, and my favorite so far, Rowley Country Club. I like Rowley mostly because the coordinator was really friendly over the phone, although somewhat absent minded. Their menu was also really appealing and decently priced, and it looks like they don't overcharge too royally for alcohol. I haven't seen it yet, or tasted anything, so that's just an initial reaction. I also like the location because it seems like it would be really easy to get to from New Hampshire as well as Boston.

My father has been great about going to check these places out for me. I think he's more excited about the whole thing than my mother, which is against stereotype but not unexpected, given the subdued nature of my mother. I can count on her to get excited about my dress, though, and to stress out for me when the time comes.

Dad seems to like Spinelli's in Lynnfield, partly because of location. It was recommended to me by my great aunt, who has excellent taste and has probably been to more weddings in the Boston area than anyone else alive. My problem with Spinelli's is that their menu is blah, the only fish they suggest is haddock which I hate, and it seems like they produce hassle free but colorless weddings. I'm drawn to the country clubs because they only do one wedding at a time; Spinelli's is a huge wedding hall and probably does several every weekend. Very pretty, but not so special!

My budget goals have changed dramatically. I think I'll be happy now if this whole thing stays under $10,000. Not including honeymoon. Yes, how quickly plans change.

Quickly... plans change

I suppose I should have expected this... but my parents have gotten their hands into the guest list and made it much larger. I cannot blame them, as they are paying. My mother now expects 100 people; my father expects 150. Not sure which one it will be, but neither seems to be possible at $6,000, especially since they don't want to have it in New Hampshire. Massachussetts is a bit more expensive, especially near Boston.

While searching the internet, I found a reference to a place called "John Archer's House." As I love the historical type places, places with character, I tried to find out more information. I found something called "Archer House" which was unbelievably cheap and lovely. Like, $175 for the room, and $20/pp. I couldn't believe it! Then I realized I had the wrong place; Archer House is in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, in Massachussetts, the most affordable thing I've found is at the Somerville Holiday Inn: an extensive package for $44/pp. And at the Nashua Holiday Inn, a more complete package for as little as $30/pp. Holiday Inn's, it seems, are afforable but also look not unlike highway rest stops. All of the places I have found attractive have been at least $60/pp; the lovely Ocean View and Resort was $80/pp, and Hawthorne Hotel in Salem was up to $100/pp. Maybe I should move to Minnesota.