Wedding Wednesday: 2 Months To Go!!!!!

Time is FLYING, people!  I can't believe we are at the two month mark already!  This year is not wasting any time!

We had a meeting with our venue coordinator last Friday and it went really well.  I feel much more at ease about the details and the way the day will play out and firmed up some things that had been lingering questions.  We also saved a bit more money in the process. 

Soooooo, this is where the ceremony will take place

The arbor down at the front will not be there.  I am not really sure if we will have anything there yet because we are basically surrounded by roses, but the coordinator did give us an idea that another couple used that I might steal.  The rose garden has been used for many ceremonies, but the covering is brand new as of last August.  It has ceiling fans and a shaded material over the top to block out the direct sunlight and heat that will be going on at 4:30pm.  The shade you see in the bottom left corner is coming from the ballroom where we will be having the reception immediately following the ceremony.  It looks like this:

If only I could afford uplighting like that.  Sigh.  It will definitely be decked out in black and fuchsia though, don't worry.  Initially we only needed half of the ballroom since we only have 70 people, so they charged us half of the facility fee.  During our meeting and setting up the floor plan, she ended up just opening up the whole room for us an no extra charge!!

Also, we were pushing the limits (okay, and a little more) on the budget for the DJ, but they were a preferred vendor of the venue and came highly recommended by friends who had used them and attended weddings they were at, so we went for it.  We paid for a 5 hour block of time,  but since the ceremony starts at 4:30, they need to be on the clock at 4pm, which means we only have the DJ until 9pm.  This is fine with us since it's a Sunday wedding and we will be continuing the party down the street at the casino hotel/resort.  When we told this to the coordinator on Friday, she said, "Well if you aren't going to need that extra hour, that will save you $100!" 

Holler!

It also means that we don't need security for that extra hour so that saved us some money too.  She then informed us that we didn't have to pay for the plates to feed the vendors.  They make enough extra so the vendors don't have to eat on our dime.  This was a relief because we have 2 photogs, two videographers, and the DJ to feed.  Five plates along with associated tax and service is a good chunk of money.

It was a great meeting (did I mention we got free drinks during the meeting?  That was JB's favorite part!) and it's such a relief to have the majority of my questions answered.  Next month we have our meeting with the DJ to go over schedule and timing of the reception and song choices and whatnot, so that should bring even more clarity.

What is your must-play song at a wedding reception?  The song you most look forward to hearing/dancing to at a wedding or event?