Our Wedding Bio

 
About Us

Emily & Matt
July 6, 2008
Pleasanton, CA

Matt & I met through church an an Ultimate Frisbee class at a local community college. It was a summer of throwing Frisbees and learning new things, only to head back to school and spend the next 2 and a half years in a long distance relationship! It was hard,  but in retrospect it really helped us focus on getting to know each other and building a strong foundation. After being only 10 miles  apart for about a year, he proposed to me on Mother's Day, May 13, 2007. We're planning a Livermore Valley Wine Country wedding and can't be more thrilled to start our new life together! 

Some shots from our engagement shoot, by Joel Flory (www.joelflory.com):

About Us
Planning Photos
Vendor Info
Wedding Photos
Honeymoon Photos
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Planning Photos
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Our Venue: Palm Event Center at the Vineyard

(Picture from Penelope's Loom on Flickr.) 

Images from Palm Event Center. Check out their website for more pictures!

The Bling,Baby!

It must take someone pretty perfect to pick out the perfect engagement ring. Matt read my wonky sign language to come up with a ring better than the ones I'd occasionally search for. Not that I searched...often.

Its sparkle is really quite mesmerizing. It distracts me from work. With each key of the keyboard poked, it glimmers and makes me stop to admire. Even more distracting is thinking about Matt searching for it and all that it represents. When it first was revealed before me, the idea of getting married was a huge shock–a “someday in the future” fast forwarding to that instant. After only a couple days of wearing the ring, I’d grown accustomed to it. Well, that is, my pointer and middle finger grew accustomed to it.

The only problem with the ring was that it only came in a size 7 and I’m a size 5. Normally in this instance someone would just run down to a jeweler to get it resized. Since this band had diamonds set, even if only halfway down, three jewelers were wary of the extreme modification. The fear is that in taking out a large chunk of the ring, maintaining the curve would mean compromising the settings in the band. And no jeweler wants that looming over their head. Instead they suggest making the manufacturer change it, but with buying from Costco (the most bling for your buck!) that’s not an option.

The woman at Costco’s jewelry counter then led me to JewelSmiths. They specialize in unique ring design and taking on the challenges that has other jewelers shaking in their boots. The staff were very friendly and had vast knowledge of the industry. We dropped the ring off Saturday and were told it would be ready by Wednesday morning, if not Tuesday night. I was nervous about how much this was all going to cost, but it was significantly lower than what other jewelers’ quotes. And I had much more confidence in the staff at JewelSmiths.

My Dress & Veil!

Click here for my dress

 Maggie Sottero, Vienna. I LOVE my dress! FI accidentally saw my dress here, so I had tot ake down the photo! I am thinking of altering it a bit tighter so it will be more mermaid style.

 From eBay also! Veilsbylana was a great seller with very nice (and affordable!) merchandise.

Hair & Makeup Ideas

Bridesmaids' Dresses

This picture is from Mrs. Caramel on WeddingBee.com. They came back in stock on Nordstrom.com, so I made the ladies order them with a quickness! They're Maggy London, aquamarine. 

Save the Dates

We made business card size magnets through VistaPrint.com. We had a good experience with them and were able to find a coupon online to make them even cheaper. Handwriting all the cards, on the other hand, was ab big pain! I knew I should have spent more time figuring out our printer!

Centerpiece Ideas

Flower Ideas

Garter

From Etsy.com, seller GarterLady

Guestbook

 Our guestbook, from Blurb.com.

Stationary

Wow, it's hard to take pictures of the invites! All paper from Paper Source (love them!) and the ribbon from Michaels. We made them ourselves and I think they are awesome! The stamps were embossed, so it really adds a little something extra. If you plan to make your own, please steal my RSVP plan, it helps get rid of those pesky plus ones:

 
We look forward to celebrating with you!
We have reserved two seats in your honor.
Please reply by THIS DATE.

Name and meal choice (tri-tip, salmon or vegetarian)

M________ Attending?_____ Meal:_____ 

M________ Attending?_____ Meal:_____

Vendor Information
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Ceremony & Reception Location - Palm Event Center, Pleasanton CA

Comments/Reviews: So far so good. Check it out at www.PalmEventCenter.com .

Comments/Reviews:   Florist - Lynn
Comments/Reviews: She's a family friend who has retired from her florist shop. She is so creative and attentive to our budget -- which is very helpful!
  Photographer - Joel Flory Comments/Reviews: He and his wife Cara have been very personable and professional. They are also very adamant that our photos be a reflection of us and have offered some creative ways to help our personalities shine through. Our engagement photos came out great and we can't wait to have them help us on our special day!
  Disc Jockey - TBD
Comments/Reviews: Since our friend can't do it, we're scrambling for a DJ now. Eek!
  Transportation - Santa Cruz Woodies Comments/Reviews: My dad and his friends will be carting us around in old school style! Woodies are classic cars with wood paneling down the sides. They have become a symbol of California living!
  Invitations - TBD/DIYComments/Reviews:   Rental Company - Pleasanton Rentals? Comments/Reviews: 
  Jeweler - Costco & JewelSmiths Comments/Reviews: At Costco, you get the most bling for your buck! They have a great selection in a wide price range. JewelSmiths is a small shop bursting with friendly and knowledgeable employees. Many jewelers were afraid to resize my diamond-lined band and they did a great job for a great price!
  Tuxedos - Men's Wearhouse

Comments/Reviews:

  My Dress - Maggie Sottero/eBay
Comments/Reviews: I found my dress on eBay! I was so excited because I was about to give up and fork out the big bucks! I couldn't be happier with the dress and the awesome seller!
  Bridesmaid Dresses - Nordstrom
Comments/Reviews: We were able to get the dresses for $128 with free shipping! They came quickly and the girls are actually excited to wear them! (Every bride's dream, right?) Most alterations are free with Nordy's, so that's a huge plus!
  Hair Stylist - Jen! Comments/Reviews: Girl's got skills when it comes to getting my hair exactly how I want it.  And I'm pretty dang picky!
  Makeup Artist - Megan & Sandy! Comments/Reviews: Friends since kindergarten, the Denver-loving and newly Mrs. twins will make us ladies G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S!
  Wedding Coordinator - Provided by Palm.
Comments/Reviews:   Honeymoon Destination - HAWAII! Comments/Reviews: Planning to buy packages through Costco. I'm letting the fiance handle this, because it started to stress me out a bit! I'm sure our visit to Kauai and Maui will be FAB!

 
 
Wedding Photos
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Took these during venue shopping! Not real...

 
 
Honeymoon Photos
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Hopefully something like this...

 
 

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Posted on 03/15/2008 at 11:55 am | 1 comment