2) Our church and reception venue are on opposite sides of town.
3) We'll be having a band at our reception.
4) I work in a cubicle, which is supposed to create a "collaborative work environment."
Well, it all adds up to the perfect cocktail hour music!
What?
Well, since we're having a cocktail reception, I guess there technically isn't a "cocktail hour," but just roll with me here. Before the bridal party arrives and opens up the dance floor, I hope that our guests are grabbing some drinks, some of our delicious food, admiring the decor, using the photo booth and mingling with each other. Pretty awkward if there isn't any sound at all though, so of course we need some light background music during that time.
I've been in all of these locations./Photo from Dilbert.com
So what's with the cubes? Well, that office collaboration isn't always quiet, so long ago I (along with a million others) started wearing headphones and listening to music during the day . Pandora wasn't really doing it for me, because I felt like I had to change the song too often or I'd just get distracted and start singing along. I discovered YouTube videos of Disney parks musical loops to cancel out the ringing phones and conversations going on around me. Music plays a big part at Disney parks, adding to the theme and story of an area or ride, so there's a ton to choose from. Some of my favorites are the Main Street Area Loop and the EPCOT Innoventions Plaza Loop. They're long and just instrumental, so I am able to turn it on and get into a working zone.
And through building my at-work playlist, I found the perfect song to use for our cocktail hour!
The "Music of Carthay Circle" is a compilation of jazz versions of some classic Disney songs, from the Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney Land. I love that it's jazzy, which fits in at our New Orleans wedding, but in our own way. Sure, people might recognize them, but they won't feel like they're listening to children's songs. And at 37 minutes long, this is a good length of time for our cocktail hour (with maybe just a bit needing to be repeated).
Fact #5: my very favorite song has always been "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" by Elton John/The Lion King (either version), but I figured that would be way to sappy to use as a first dance song, so I'm glad it's one of the songs included here.
Sure, we might not get to hear it, but I'll know that a little bit of my personality and interest was included in a wedding detail like that.
Anybody else get annoyed in a cubicle? What do you listen to? Did you try and pick out something special for your cocktail hour music?
Way, way too long ago I spoke about our bridesmaids dress inspiration - and then Christmas happened, other posts happened and I got sidetracked from sharing what we actually picked. Well here's that much anticipated part deaux, y'all, with some introductions of my bridesmaids!
We were looking for a short dress, in an eggplant purple, a full skirt, and maybe some kind of straps. And it was a challenge. Online searches left us underwhelmed - I'd definitely recommend going into the store and looking at dresses in person if you're struggling.
Pretty close to the look we were going for./Photo found on JLM Couture/Photo by Melissa Jill
One day, Momma P and I were running errands near the salon I bought my dress at, and we decided to stop in and see what they had for the bridesmaids. And I couldn't believe it - we found a dress that I loved! The sample was in grey, but we scoured the racks for purple dresses by the same brand. I actually nearly passed on the dress since the only purple we saw was a bit too bright and bluish for what I wanted, but they had swatches available of the other purple by the brand that was just perfect.
I have to say I didn't of really know what to expect going into our menu tasting with the caterers, Pigeon Catering. It wasn't one of those events where a lot couples attend and try everything - it was a lunchtime meeting with just me and Sphinx. We had provided some of our favorites off of their extensive menu, but weren't sure how it would be presented or how many things we would get to try.
Really, all I kept picturing was some kind of scenario like this:
You might remember that New Orleans weddings are normally cocktail style. So all of the food will be displayed at stations and tables, and it will be available throughout the entire reception. You aren't usually getting the equivalent of a full meal at cocktail receptions, but I have left enough weddings with too much alcohol and too little food to set up our guests to that fate.
We've got lots to talk about here, so let's just cut right to the point: I love cake. I can't understand when brides say that they're skipping cake at the wedding because they just don't like it. I mean I get the point, if you don't like it, then go ahead with pies or rice krispies or chocolate fountains, because those are delicious too. But I just cannot wrap my head around the dislike of cake.
And I have no willpower to boot, which means that sometimes when reading Wedding Bee cake posts I get cravings really bad. A long time ago, I was reading someone's delicious cake post (I think it was Mrs. Panda's), on what was a really cruddy day in my world for some forgotten reason. I needed cake like woah. When I got off of work, I headed over to the nearest grocery store and bought a bakery mini cake. I live about an hour from my work, so no way I was waiting to get home to eat it. But I had no utensils, so I ate it with my fingers...in my parked car...in the pouring rain. I'm not ridiculous at all, obviously.
Kind of like this, but with more frosting./Gif from Glee Wiki
Happy Valentine's Day, Hive! We don't really do anything special to celebrate the holiday, since we're usually just getting over the madness that is the anniversary-birthday-Christmas marathon in December, but it's still a chance for a little something sweet. I'll be celebrating by getting my wedding dress fitted during the day (squee!) and then cooking a nice dinner with Sphinx at home.
In honor of the day, I figured I'd share something very lovey-dovey: our first dance song.
Lots of couples seem to struggle and search for the perfect song, but this was the one wedding detail that I had figured out years ago. I shared my idea with Sphinx years before we were engaged and he agreed it was perfect (without freaking out at all, so he's perfect).
His family is pretty big into The Beatles, and Sphinx introduced me to this song sometime early in our relationship. I had never heard this one, and I loved it. When we would text, email, or write letters or cards, we would usually include a "P.S. I love you," naturally, without consciously copying the song. When I'd ask him what was making him smile like that he would say "you, you, you." And the song is about a long-distance relationship, waiting to see each other again, and that's how we spent the first five years of our relationship. It's also a nice upbeat song, it's classic, and best of all...
It's TWO MINUTES long.
So, pretty much perfect.
We wouldn't have to spend a very long, awkward time in the center of the room doing the middle-school shuffle. I've been a dancer my whole life, but that doesn't mean that I'm any good at ballroom type stuff, and dancing isn't Sphinx's favorite activity. I swear we keep meaning to practice a little bit, but we just keep putting it aside, so hopefully our cute and short song will distract from that.
Pyramids showing off our skills at Best Man J's wedding. All the best dancing happens with beer bottles in hand./Photo personal
So the only issue is - that band I talked about. Not a problem, but I just didn't want them playing our first dance song. Part of the charm is that it's a Beatles song, but it's not a very well known one, so if it is played by another band, people won't realize it. So we'll be playing a recording for our first dance, and jumping into the band after. Parent dances are still undetermined, so we'll just have to see if those will be performed or played.
Did you use "your" song for a first dance or did you have to search one out? Do you have any special Valentine's Day plans?
I've never been to a wedding with a photo booth. True Story. So I know some people are all "Photo booths are old news!" but to me they're still new and exciting. BM Dino and I had some fun in one at an open house that our venue, the Board of Trade, put on.
Props and fun with BM Dino./Photo from Boogie Booth
With no shortage of photo booth companies popping up, I figured that the best thing to do would wait for a deal on Groupon or Living Social. But when you purchase from sites like that, your purchase is usually only good for six months. So in January, I started scouting out photo booth companies with deals posted to fit within the deadline.
Since I always need some clarification on wedding bands the rings or wedding bands the musicians.
Were you ever just certain, 100% about something when you got started with wedding planning? Like you knew you were going to do a first look or have your bridesmaids all in mismatched dresses?
Well, the Pyramids were no room for discussion, it's definitely happening, dead-set on having a DJ.
When you're staring down the big, long list of everything to pay for at the start of wedding planning, you have to establish some priorities. Venues and photography - definitely at the top of the list. What can be cut? Favors and live entertainment, in my book. In fact, I was even considering giving Sphinx the task of creating an Ipod playlist of our favorite songs, since he's got a couple hard drives full of music.
Plus DJs usually come with cool light systems!/Photo from DJ Tyler T
And honestly, I just wouldn't say that we're "band" type people - we like them, sure, but not enough to have them be the center focus of our wedding day (uh hey, that's supposed to be us, right?). Plus with a DJ you can have literally any song ever, and it's no problem. I wouldn't say that we have super special or unique taste in music, but there are just some random songs that I want to incorporate that most bands might not normally cover. "Safety Dance" by Men without Hats and "Africa" by Toto are some of my groom's favorite jamz. And I kind of just like hearing the song in its natural state - recorded by the artist with or without gratuitous amounts of autotuning.
So that's why we were 100% going to get a DJ or Ipod for our wedding reception!
Enter: every one else's opinions (are you sensing a theme here?).
Let's just cut to the chase and say that a lot of people thought that omg-a-band! was the better way to go because it'd be more fun and totally not lame like a DJ. I completely disagreed, I tried hard to fight my case (there were tears), but when dollar signs came out, I decided to just let it go. My nanny offered to pay for our band, and I relented, with the condition that we get to pick out the exact one that we wanted.
So that's how the Pyramids ended up with a reception band. Surprise!
I tried to make the best of the situation, so Sphinx and I spent a hilariously cheesy night visiting the website of every single band that Nanny had contacted and found available for our date. We scanned through the song lists, looked up reviews, and listened to their sample music. Some were awesome, some were good even though the audio quality was rough, and some were just bad. And can anybody explain to me why every band feels that "Brick House" is the best song to showcase their talents?
There were a few we were interested in hearing a bit more from, so we inquired as to if they would be playing anywhere publicly soon. A couple were playing at weddings that weekend and told us when and where to come by. That's right, we did the most awkward thing possible - we crashed three weddings in one day.
We made sure to show up well after the reception had started so that we weren't in the head count, and at another we were able to tell someone who worked there what we were doing (okay, so I freaked and started explaining myself at length to what I thought was someone who would charge the hosts for us walking in the door - turns out it was the coat check girl who DGAF). It ended up not being too bad, we found ways to stay out of sight, but at one reception we kept getting offered cake as the servers were passing it around to mingling guests and I kept having to say no - highly unusual for me!
One reception had a brass band that was really good, but we decided that wasn't our style. They could do a lot more songs than we thought, but all of them sounded sort of similar. Turns out, we didn't end up picking any of the bands from our wedding crashing experience.
Right around this time, the New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Track was putting on their Friday night events called "Starlight Racing." They feature VIP tents, cocktails, go-go dancing jockey girls, a live band, and of course some horse races. One Friday night, the featured band was Groovy 7, who I had heard great things about, but hadn't been able to see in person.
Well, in person they were great (even though the Fairgrounds doesn't offer the best setup for acoustics); they played mostly newer, Top 40's music, but that is typical for the event we were at. I actually ran into a classmate from college and his new wife there and they raved about Groovy 7's performance at their wedding reception a few months before. Groovy 7 did have one of the most impressive song lists, and they covered everything from oldies and New Orleans favorites to rap and pop. I loved that they have male and female vocalists, too. We've seen them a few times since, and it's always very high energy and really fun!
I figured if we were going to go with a band, we should go for the best, and these guys seemed like the best!
A snippet of our band performing "Moves Like Jagger" from Youtube.
And this year, they're opening for Carrie Underwood at one of the biggest Mardi Gras balls - the Endymion Extravaganza! That's a really big deal!
So in the end, did I get what I wanted? No, I'm still not convinced that it's our thing, but it is the best choice for our guests. And isn't that really what the reception is for - showing your guests how thankful you are that they are there and throwing them a great party? And I'm certainly hoping that I feel like sticking my foot in my mouth after the wedding because the band was amazing - I definitely wouldn't mind being wrong about (only) this!
And now to figure out how to ask this band if they'll learn to play some Toto...
What's you're stance on band vs dj? Was there anything in wedding planning that you just let go of or did you stand your ground?
You've heard a lot about how I enjoy makeup and it's fun for me, but when we're talking about being under a time crunch and stressing that everything is perfect on the wedding day, I'd rather just sit back, trust the professionals, and sip on a mimosa, thankyouverymuch.
For both hair and makeup inspiration, I tried to narrow down what I was drawn to so that I was providing some guidance, but letting each of the artists work to do what would look best on me.
For makeup, I wanted a smokey bronze and brown look on the eyes, with lots of lashes, defined brows, and natural contour and highlighting. Similar to my regular look, but just amplified!
An overall a perfected look, but with more color to the lips./Makeup and Photo from Fady Kataya
When it comes to hair, I am so at a loss. I can pull something good enough together, but I have a hard time even figuring out what I want for a regular haircut! So I spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect hair inspiration, but then talked myself down: I didn't need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to updos - just keep it simple! Based on my (gosh dern) widow's peak + cowlick, I knew that I wanted a style where my hair was parted and swept to the side, and gathered in a lower curly bun. And a good bit of volume too, because I'm a southern girl and can't help it.
Anna Kendrick's hairdo for the premier of Up in the Air./From IMDB
Okay, maybe that's just a touch bit too much volume./Photo from A Low Country Wed
I knew I didn't want to venture too far into either messy curls or slicked back style, but stay somewhere in between. I didn't want any curls hanging in my face, and I didn't want anything that necessitated side-swept bangs, since I don't have side-swept bangs. Did anyone else notice that a lot of bridal hair inspiration pictures are taken from the back - which is great and all, but to me curls pinned up are all pretty much the same. I'd rather make sure it looks good from the front and is flattering to the face, so that's what I focused on.
And to whom did I entrust the execution of these looks on the big day? Two fabulous ladies, of course!
Amanda, a good friend of BM J's wife, M, is a part-time makeup artist. She actually did all of the bridesmaids' makeup for J and M's wedding, and they all looked gorgeous!
M's wedding with all of her bridesmaids done up by Amanda!/Photo by M's Mom
For the makeup trial, I was able to set it up on the day of my work Christmas party so I actually had somewhere to wear this look. Amanda came by my house along with M, and we had a girly afternoon of mimosa's and makeup (is there anything more perfect?). Being the makeup lover that I am, I had a blast talking over products and application techniques with Amanda - and this was my first time having airbrush makeup applied! She let me give a lot of input on how the look was turning out, and I was able to choose my blush, lipstick, and lashes from her kit.
Personal photos of my makeup look by Amanda.
In all, I felt fabulous and it lasted all night through my work party very well (the picture on the left is actually at the end of the night!). For the wedding day, I definitely would just like to step everything up a notch to give me more coverage and color. For this look, she used the Urban Decay Naked palette on the eyes, Chanel Soleil cream bronzer (the same one I love!), MAC Fleur Power blush on the cheeks, and MAC Angel lipstick with a nude Lorac gloss on top.
For my hair stylist, I went with the recommendation from one of Nanny's friends - Nicole. Nicole's definitely experienced with hair for weddings, and Nanny said that she works very quickly and is good about changing it up to get exactly what you want.
Unfortunately, I don't have enough parties in my social calendar to use my hair trial for a special event, but getting my trial done certainly made me feel better about being indecisive with my hair! I showed Nicole some pictures and she broke it down easily for me: Curls low in the back, hair parted and side swept, teased crown, and smooth on top. Yep, that all sounded good! I met Sphinx after my hair appointment and got some delightful pizza for lunch, so that counts as doing something, right?
Photos of my fancy 'do! Yes that's a bathroom, but it was by the sink so please don't be too creeped out.
I brought my veil to the trial, and the comb wasn't exactly right to fit into the bun (we were using a plastic one and probably need a metal one), but it looked nice overall. Of course, veils cover up all those pretty curls, but I won't be wearing both layers all day, so I'm fine with that.
Both Amanda and Nicole will be doing makeup and hair for me and my bridesmaids in our suite the morning of the wedding. For both, I think their pricing is very reasonable. And Amanda agreed to do my trials for free to build up her portfolio which I was really pleased with!
Which were you more excited about - hair or makeup? Did you get a chance to use a trial for a fun event?
Don't we all admire those wonderful detail recap posts that the married Bees share with us? As wedding guests we don't always get the chance to appreciate all of the little details, or all of the work that goes into them, but with the Bees, we love seeing how all of the details come together. Especially when they're wonderful DIY details like Mrs. Panda's - they look so beautiful, it makes a bride start to think they too can try their hand at DIY. But let's be honest, some of us never developed in the craft department.
Seriously, if it requires drawing or writing pretty letters, designing or painting, I can attempt it but it's usually a complete fail. So when it comes to wedding decor I'll just have to suck it up and pay the professionals to do everything for me, right? I didn't love the sound of that, and I really hate the idea of renting things (just feels like wasted money!), so I decided to take a different route.
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