The first time we looked at our photographer's website and blog I fell in L-O-V-E with her photography style. We found this photographer from our ceremony/reception locations (Lake Natoma Inn) preferred vendor list. When we met with her, I just knew she would capture the special moments of our wedding day perfectly! Jon and I wasted no time making a decision, booking, and signing the contract ... we didn't want to risk having someone else book her for our date before we got the chance! We are very excited that she will be our wedding photographer and we are looking forward to working with her :)
Please check out her website: www.debbiebrownphoto.com
And her blog: www.debbiebrownphoto.blogspot.com
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Finally ... some updates!
It's been a while since I've had the time to post about the progress of our wedding plans.
Where should I start ...
~My wedding dress came in and I picked it up in early May - it's currently hanging in my closet, awaiting it's debut on 03.21.09!!!
~Our Engagement Party was perfect! The weather was amazing, the food was amazing ... it was wonderful to spend time with all our family and friends! If you were to ask me to use one word to explain how I felt on that day, it would be ... LOVED!!! Thank you, Craig, for everything you did to make that day so perfect for us! Jon and I are currently working on our Thank You cards for our guests that attended out party - we plan to send those out by the 14th of June!
~We are currently in the process of putting our Save the Dates together to get them ready to be mailed. We need to address the envelopes, attach the magnet to the postcard, and stuff the envelopes and mail them! We plan to have those in the mail by June 30th!
~We have an OFFICIANT to perform our ceremony! My amazing Best Coast, West Coast cousin, Judy, was ordained by the Universal Life Church! And, she can now officially (and legally) perform marriage ceremonies in California! Jon and I feel so blessed that Judy offered to do this for us! It's just, perfect. It will make our ceremony unique and special ... and that is just what we were looking for. Jon and I can not express our gratitude enough times, or ways, to Judy for this wonderful gift she has given us! Thank you, Judy, you are amazing and a true blessing to us.
~Now that Judy has been ordained to perform our ceremony - Jon and I have been putting the finishing touches on our ceremony ideas and our vows. We have completed a first draft ... and after a few more edits, we will be sharing it with Judy for her input and reflections. Jon and I were very excited when we Judy told us she would be honored to become ordained and perform our ceremony, not only because it meand that our wedding day would be that more special, but also because it means we would be able to write the ceremony ourselves and make it our own. And, I tell you what ... it was more exciting sitting down with Jon and going over ideas and samples of vows and ceremonies that it was creating our wedding registries! I just loved creating something that was unique and personal for us! We can't wait to exchange our vows on our wedding day! We will be keeping our ceremony and vows a secret and only sharing them with Judy, we want them to be surprise to our guests on our wedding day!
~We completed our wedding gift registries ... it was a lot of fun to "pretend" shop! We have a registry at Macy's (you can view our wedding registry at this website: Macy's Wedding Channel). We also have a registry at Crate and Barrel (you can view our registry at this website: Crate and Barrel). To view our registries at either website, search for us by using our full names (Jessica Karkoski or Jonathan Strack) and our wedding date (March 21, 2009).
~We have also completed a mock up of what we will want our actual wedding invitation to look like and we ordered samples of the paper we want to use. We also purchased a new ink jet printer to complete DIY projects for the wedding at home (envelope and invitation printing, etc).
~We've got a lot left to do and a little over 9 months to complete it all. It's definitely an exciting process ... often a little stressful, but I try not to let it get too overwhelming (yet) because I know as the BIG day gets closer, the stress will get worse ... right now I'm just taking it one day, and one project/task, at a time!
Check back often for more updates! I hope to write more often on the progress of our wedding plans!
Where should I start ...
~My wedding dress came in and I picked it up in early May - it's currently hanging in my closet, awaiting it's debut on 03.21.09!!!
~Our Engagement Party was perfect! The weather was amazing, the food was amazing ... it was wonderful to spend time with all our family and friends! If you were to ask me to use one word to explain how I felt on that day, it would be ... LOVED!!! Thank you, Craig, for everything you did to make that day so perfect for us! Jon and I are currently working on our Thank You cards for our guests that attended out party - we plan to send those out by the 14th of June!
~We are currently in the process of putting our Save the Dates together to get them ready to be mailed. We need to address the envelopes, attach the magnet to the postcard, and stuff the envelopes and mail them! We plan to have those in the mail by June 30th!
~We have an OFFICIANT to perform our ceremony! My amazing Best Coast, West Coast cousin, Judy, was ordained by the Universal Life Church! And, she can now officially (and legally) perform marriage ceremonies in California! Jon and I feel so blessed that Judy offered to do this for us! It's just, perfect. It will make our ceremony unique and special ... and that is just what we were looking for. Jon and I can not express our gratitude enough times, or ways, to Judy for this wonderful gift she has given us! Thank you, Judy, you are amazing and a true blessing to us.
~Now that Judy has been ordained to perform our ceremony - Jon and I have been putting the finishing touches on our ceremony ideas and our vows. We have completed a first draft ... and after a few more edits, we will be sharing it with Judy for her input and reflections. Jon and I were very excited when we Judy told us she would be honored to become ordained and perform our ceremony, not only because it meand that our wedding day would be that more special, but also because it means we would be able to write the ceremony ourselves and make it our own. And, I tell you what ... it was more exciting sitting down with Jon and going over ideas and samples of vows and ceremonies that it was creating our wedding registries! I just loved creating something that was unique and personal for us! We can't wait to exchange our vows on our wedding day! We will be keeping our ceremony and vows a secret and only sharing them with Judy, we want them to be surprise to our guests on our wedding day!
~We completed our wedding gift registries ... it was a lot of fun to "pretend" shop! We have a registry at Macy's (you can view our wedding registry at this website: Macy's Wedding Channel). We also have a registry at Crate and Barrel (you can view our registry at this website: Crate and Barrel). To view our registries at either website, search for us by using our full names (Jessica Karkoski or Jonathan Strack) and our wedding date (March 21, 2009).
~We have also completed a mock up of what we will want our actual wedding invitation to look like and we ordered samples of the paper we want to use. We also purchased a new ink jet printer to complete DIY projects for the wedding at home (envelope and invitation printing, etc).
~We've got a lot left to do and a little over 9 months to complete it all. It's definitely an exciting process ... often a little stressful, but I try not to let it get too overwhelming (yet) because I know as the BIG day gets closer, the stress will get worse ... right now I'm just taking it one day, and one project/task, at a time!
Check back often for more updates! I hope to write more often on the progress of our wedding plans!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Wedding planning ... hiatus!
I'm pretty much on a planning hiatus until after my best friend Kylie's wedding on May 3rd. This weekend is her bachlorette party, next weekend she has her second dress fitting and I'm going with her, then the following weekend is her wedding. Theres a lot to do the days leading up to her wedding, I am even taking two days off work right before her wedding to make sure I'm available for any and all help she needs! I'm so excited for her!
I did, however, finally finish collecting all but one address/contact info for our guest list AND we have half of the stuff for the Save the Dates. I just need to order the magnets now (we have the attachment cards, envelopes, and envelope seals made with one of our favorite monograms). I plan to send these out sometime near the end of May or maybe early June. Jon's dad, Craig, is throwing us an Engagement Party at the end of May - we have already sent out the invites (it will be close family and friends only - otherwise the guest list would of ended up looking like the wedding guest list). We are really excited to celebrate our engagement with those we love :) and for those that can't be there, we look forward to celebrating with next year!
Check back for more updates ... after Kylie's wedding my main focus will be finding an officant and a photographer AND getting ready for the Engagement Party!
I did, however, finally finish collecting all but one address/contact info for our guest list AND we have half of the stuff for the Save the Dates. I just need to order the magnets now (we have the attachment cards, envelopes, and envelope seals made with one of our favorite monograms). I plan to send these out sometime near the end of May or maybe early June. Jon's dad, Craig, is throwing us an Engagement Party at the end of May - we have already sent out the invites (it will be close family and friends only - otherwise the guest list would of ended up looking like the wedding guest list). We are really excited to celebrate our engagement with those we love :) and for those that can't be there, we look forward to celebrating with next year!
Check back for more updates ... after Kylie's wedding my main focus will be finding an officant and a photographer AND getting ready for the Engagement Party!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Dress shopping!!!
I went dress shopping yesterday at David's Bridal in Roseville with my mom, my maid of honor/cousin Farina and one of my bridesmaids, Linsey. David's Bridal was a crazy mad house. It was like the running of the bulls when they opened their doors at 12 noon. There were sooo many people there. After we checked in for our appointment, we started browsing through the dresses and after a while we started collecting dresses for me to try on. By the time we were assigned a consultant we had like 10 dresses collected for trying in. We carried all the dresses to the smallest dressing room ever. My consultant was not very attentive ... but, I knew not to expect excellent customer service from this particular bridal chain warehouse. I must have tried on a dozen dresses ... well, I don't know if it was really that many but it sure seemed like a lot. And, OMG, those dresses way a ton! The dress that I had fallen in love with online was not available in my size, or even a size I could of attempted to try on (it was only available in a size 0) ... so that was a little disappointing. I was able to try on a few other dresses that I had looked at online - including "THE" dress! It was the last dress I tried on AND even though it's nothing like what I thought I would want to try on or even like ... I absolutely L-O-V-E it!!! I'm not going to post any pictures because I haven't decided if I am going to show Jon a picture of the dress (the online photo from David's Bridal) yet or not ... but, if you want to see it you can email me and I'll send you a picture (one where I am wearing the dress)!!! I'm so excited! And, it was a great price - right in the range I was looking to spend! Woohoo!!! Now, I just need that tax rebate check to hurry up and arrive so I can pay the dress off :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Updates galore!
Yesterday we placed the order for our save the date attachment cards AND our engagement party invitations! We used "FREE" products from Vista Print ... and we saved a bunch of money. I'm excited to see how they turn out. I was finally able to figure out how to use my PhotoShop program so I was able to design our save the date attachment cards and the engagement party invitations using downloaded templates from Vista Prints website (Vista Print Website). I think they turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. I love DIY projects, my only wish is that I was a little bit more creative. Maybe all this wedding planning and DIY projects will help getting the creative juices flowing :)
Other updates ...
Our monograms from Jenn Johnston are below. We decided we are definetly going to use the chalkboard/math monogram, we just haven't decided for what yet. At the same time that I had contacted Jenn about monograms, I also contaced BriannaNichole. She made some great designs for us too. Here they are:
We just love them! We are going to use this design/flourish (that she used in one the monograms) as our unifying theme/design for all our wedding related paper items. Its simple, unique, and elegant ... just what I was looking for!
BriannaNichole has a blog (BriannaNichole Wedding Monogram Tutorials) and a Knottie Bio with some examples of her work (BriannaNichole Monogram Bio). Check them out! Her Blog has a lot of great info and her Bio has examples of her monograms ... they are great!
I think that is it for updates for now. I'm going dress shopping this Sunday with my mom and my maid of honor (my cousin, Farina). We are going to David's Bridal. There are only a few dresses I want to try on ... but, I'm excited for the expereince. I hope I love the dress I found on their website just as much when I try it on!
Other updates ...
Our monograms from Jenn Johnston are below. We decided we are definetly going to use the chalkboard/math monogram, we just haven't decided for what yet. At the same time that I had contacted Jenn about monograms, I also contaced BriannaNichole. She made some great designs for us too. Here they are:
We just love them! We are going to use this design/flourish (that she used in one the monograms) as our unifying theme/design for all our wedding related paper items. Its simple, unique, and elegant ... just what I was looking for!
BriannaNichole has a blog (BriannaNichole Wedding Monogram Tutorials) and a Knottie Bio with some examples of her work (BriannaNichole Monogram Bio). Check them out! Her Blog has a lot of great info and her Bio has examples of her monograms ... they are great!
I think that is it for updates for now. I'm going dress shopping this Sunday with my mom and my maid of honor (my cousin, Farina). We are going to David's Bridal. There are only a few dresses I want to try on ... but, I'm excited for the expereince. I hope I love the dress I found on their website just as much when I try it on!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Location, location, location!
365 days. Yep, that's right, we are getting married one year from today! Today we are also signing the contract and paying the deposit on our ceremony and reception location (visit their website: Lake Natoma Inn). Here are a few pictures of the location for your viewing pleasure.
This is the gazebo area where our ceremony will be held:
And, this is the Pavilion, where our reception will be held:
We are very excited to have our wedding and reception at Lake Natoma Inn! The gazebo ceremony will be wonderful (unless it rains - and if it does then the ceremony will be held inside the Pavilion, table side). The Pavilion is gorgeous with the draped ceilings and crystal chandeliers AND they have new, beautiful carpet (that is not shown in the picture above) but it really adds to the rooms beauty.
The Lake Natoma Inn is in old town Folsom, CA. The Inn is a hotel ... which just adds to how perfect a location this is for a wedding ... it has everything!
This is the gazebo area where our ceremony will be held:
And, this is the Pavilion, where our reception will be held:
We are very excited to have our wedding and reception at Lake Natoma Inn! The gazebo ceremony will be wonderful (unless it rains - and if it does then the ceremony will be held inside the Pavilion, table side). The Pavilion is gorgeous with the draped ceilings and crystal chandeliers AND they have new, beautiful carpet (that is not shown in the picture above) but it really adds to the rooms beauty.
The Lake Natoma Inn is in old town Folsom, CA. The Inn is a hotel ... which just adds to how perfect a location this is for a wedding ... it has everything!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monograms!
For the past few weeks I've been obsessing with monograms for our wedding. I've searched through thousands of images and websites ... and I even experiemented with creating my own with PowerPoint. I discovered Jenn Johnston, a graphic artist/photographer/designer (you can see her work at: Jenn Johnston Photodesign). These are the monograms she made for us:
Here are a few that I designed in PowerPoint:
We haven't made any decisions as to which ones we are going to use, yet. We L-O-V-E the chalkboard design that Jenn Johnston made for us SO we will definitely plan on using that one.
Possible ways to use our monograms:
Envelope labels/stickers
Personalized stamps
Personalized aisle runner
Programs
Seating chart
Wedding invitations
Engagement invitations
Personalized napkins
Favor tags
Here are a few that I designed in PowerPoint:
We haven't made any decisions as to which ones we are going to use, yet. We L-O-V-E the chalkboard design that Jenn Johnston made for us SO we will definitely plan on using that one.
Possible ways to use our monograms:
Envelope labels/stickers
Personalized stamps
Personalized aisle runner
Programs
Seating chart
Wedding invitations
Engagement invitations
Personalized napkins
Favor tags
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