Arlington Wedding
The Ultimate Arlington Wedding Planning Resource
Metropolis BallroomI had my wedding at the Metropolis in August of this year. I can't say enough good things about the Metropolis. We had an afternoon reception on a Saturday, and the venue was beautiful with so much natural light. Our pictures all turned out incredible. We had 200 guests, and there was enough space to fit everyone comfortably without feeling like there was too much extra space. The food was delicious, and I received so many compliments about the courtesy of the waitstaff and the quality of food.
I didn't give the venue 5 stars across the board for two reasons. First, when I saw the venue for the first time, the chairs were dark blue, and I noticed holes in the fabric of the chairs from overuse. This caused a debate between my mother and I as to whether we should rent chair covers or the fancier chivari chairs for an additional price. I decided that the money could be spent on something more important and decided not to rent special chairs. On the day of the wedding, however, half of the chairs were new and black and the other half were the old dark blue. In truth, I'm sure I was the only person who noticed the black versus blue chairs, but I would have been much happier to have had all of the chairs be new and black.
My second reason was that email communication was a bit slow. With planning my wedding from St. Louis, I had to rely on email for my communication with all my vendors. Emails from the Metropolis were always a bit slower than from my other vendors. However, phone calls were always promptly returned and always made me feel like the wedding was going to be a huge success. My suggestion--correspond by phone or in person.
When it comes to Michael Raymond, the wedding coordinator, I believe every bride needs a Michael. At the beginning, he just listened to me and showed me how to make all my wishes a reality. I never felt pushed, and he worked really hard to put together a menu that fit my budget. He also has a great deal of knowledge about etiquette. His tips and pointers helped us be socially graceful at our reception. He organized who would be speaking at the wedding in what order so that no one would be offended, and he even gave my fiancee and I a dance lesson. The wedding reception was like clockwork; I just got to sit back and enjoy the ride. The Metropolis was beautiful, but I think that Michael really made the reception everything we had imagined.
Overall, I would highly recommend this venue to other brides; I would choose this venue again without hesitation.
more »
Sylvia's FlowersRich, the floral designer, is extremely friendly, outgoing, passionate, and knowledgeable. He seems to love weddings and has an eye for knowing what will work without being a pushy sales person. He was considerate about our allergies to scents and to our budget. For example, he made us the perfect affordable throw bouquet and the shop went above and beyond when they prepared vases we provided when they received them a few weeks before the wedding, even going the extra mile by taking off the price stickers and filling them with marbles. We weren’t too picky about the specific flowers; we allowed Rich to choose flowers that had no scent, were reasonably priced, and matched our color scheme. They bouquets were beautiful! My bouquet was huge and required my husband’s help holding it during all of the photos. I did think that of all of the bouquets, my bouquet was the only one that had brown edges on some of the roses, but it didn’t show in pictures. I was probably the only one to notice. Our center pieces, three hydrangea each in their own vase, were as simple as can be and it worked out just perfectly. The hydrangea lasted for days as long as they were kept in water. At Rich’s suggestion because I didn’t want the men to wear pink or purple, the men received blue hyacinth boutonnieres. By the end of the night, none of their hyacinth were intact because the little blossoms fell off after hugging family and friends all night. Overall, Sylvia’s was a good choice because Rich is an artist and he’s willing to work with his customers to make them happy.
more »
Table 6 ProductionsThe worst wedding planning decision we made was to hire Mary of Table 6 Productions. Luckily, almost halfway through the planning of our wedding we parted ways with her and it’s been smooth sailing since then. We e-mailed the Table 6 corporate office and got no response to our concerns. We tried to go to formal mediation with Mary—as required by her contract for any disputes. She ignored that request, leaving us no other option but to take her to small claims court. We lost the case due to the wording of the contract—which we should not have signed as is.
Hopefully, our review and tips will help you avoid the same pitfalls we faced with Mary and Table 6 Productions.
1. Consider requiring changes to the contract before you sign with Table 6. You will want to pay based on performance (completion of planning tasks) vs. paying per a calendar schedule. If you pay one of your installments and either party terminates the relationship just days later, you may not get a dime of that money back---even though the planner hasn’t earned it.
2. Consider a wedding planning company that has multiple planners in your geographical market. That way, if things don’t work out with your planner, you can be re-assigned to someone else without forfeiting the money you’ve paid
3. Request that your planner shows you examples of weddings that she personally planned and are within your budget. Prior to signing a contract, we asked Mary to show us examples of weddings in our price range (which she said was typical for weddings she planned). After we were under contract, we learned that none of those examples she gave were weddings she’d personally planned.
4. Inquire about your planner’s official wedding planning certifications.
5. Hire a planner who takes notes at all meetings she has on your behalf and follows through on commitments without constant reminders.
6. Hold her accountable to the tasks she commits to by the completion date she provides. This became a tireless chore for us.
7. Request that your budget is listed in your contract—that you are hiring Company X to plan your wedding and provide vendor referrals with respect to the budget they break out for you by category, based on your overall wedding budget of Y. The planner should not refer you to vendors whose starting prices exceed your budget for that category.
8. A skilled wedding planner should be able to refer you to a variety of vendors who fall within your budget. Mary often presented us with vendors outside of the budget she designed for us (bridal gown boutiques, florist, caterer and cake bakers). She directed us to one florist whose quote was 3X higher than our floral budget!!! We spent excessive amounts of time renegotiating and removing items from quotes to get them within our budget.
9. People don’t typically enter into a contract expecting the relationship to sour. A planner may verbally agree to do a variety of planning-related tasks, but unless they are listed in writing in the contract or in an amendment, you cannot hold them to it. It’s just your word against theirs.
Hopefully, after our experience, other couples will hold Mary accountable for her performance and she will modify her style (and contract) to consistently offer a higher caliber of service that Table 6 touts and her clients deserve.
more »
Elvision VideoElvis and his company did an extremely wonderful job on not only our wedding but my cousins as well. I just knew that I had to have him capture our wedding once I saw her final footage! You must go to the site and see the work that he does! It's amazing!! www.elvision.net What I love about him is that unless you know who they are, you would NEVER know that he's recording. They are so James Bond. They don't stand up and interrupt at all! It's soo cool! I can't wait to see the final product. We also had two photgraphers there and they all worked together beautifully! You MUST choose this company to capture your wedding!!! Make sure that yo tell him that LeAnn sent you and that I said 'Hi' :).
UPDATE: We just got our teaser and it is beyond amazing!! We feel like Beyonce and Jay-Z. I can't help but to watch it over and over again and think...is that us? If you want your wedding captured in a most memorable way....you have to use Elvision!!! Trust me, you will not be disappointed. He is truly a filmaker, not a videographer! www.elvision.net
more »
Mediterranean VillaTurnover is High. I got a new wedding planner 30 days before my wedding. They didnt call to tell me, I found out when I showed up there! Owner just wants your money and if anything goes wrong, she doesnt care! Beautiful place, but not worth it to take a chance on the most important day of your life. They cared more about a time line than they did me! They also forgot to send my ring bearer and flower girl down. I was devastated and cried for days! Owner truly didnt care and blamed it on us. Said we requested too many things from the new planner. We requested a toothpick, a safety pin, and some reserved signs! My thoughts are stay away! Too many options in DFW to take a chance!
more »
For those of you interested in this place, it is now closed. No information is known. It's completely cleared out, the website shows nothing but zeros, and there is a For Lease sign on the windows.
I am sad, because this is where I got my dress and my first anniversary is next month. Boo hoo!
more »
Hi everyone,
Does anyone know of any fun locations to shoot bridal portraits in DFW, specifically Grapevine, Arlington, HEB or FT Worth??
I'll be taking them on August 14th and have no clue where to start. I found an awesome photographer who is just starting out and will be doing them for free! Yay!
I have ideas, but I'm just not sure of locations.
Help :)
Thanks in advance!
Connie
more »
Arlington Wedding Bios
GRANTS RECEIVED:
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Visual Arts Fellowship
Eastman Kodak Company, Materials Grant
WORK IS INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING COLLECTIONS:
National Museum of American History (Smithsonian),
Washington, DCHarry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona at Tucson
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Philadelphia
Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Lehigh University Museum, Bethlehem, PA
Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, NY
Center for Photography
at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France
Musée de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium
Collection Hartkamp, Amerongen, The Netherlands
Centre Régional de la Photographie, Nord Pas-de-Calais, France
Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland
WORK HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY AND/OR FEATURED IN:
The Washington Post ; New York Newsday ; The Philadelphia Inquirer ; Photo Metro
San Francisco Camerawork ; Philadelphia City Paper ; Camera Arts Magazine ; Art
Matters ; The Photo Review ; Photographer’s Forum Magazine ; Focus (Holland) ; Camera Austria ;
Foto (Holland) ; Revista Extra Camera (Venezuela)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
Canon Image Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ~ Galerie Vitamin,
Arles, France
The Harbourfront Center, Toronto, Ontario ~ International Fototage, Herten, Germany
Galerie Image, Arhus, Denmark ~ Centro Colombo Americano, Medellin, Colombia
Focal Point Gallery, City Island, NY ~ San Francisco
Camerawork, San Francisco, CA
Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR ~ Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, Pa
Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA ~ ONE9ZERO6 Gallery, Austin, TX
Walnut Street Gallery, Perkasie, PA ~
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Harrisburg Community College, Harrisburg, PA ~ Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
The Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia, PA ~ The Booktrader Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
GROUP
EXHIBITIONS:
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL ~ The Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Kerns Art Center, Eugene, OR ~ Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY
The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT
~ Vision Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Larson Gallery Guild, Yakima, WA ~ Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Portland State University, Portland, OR ~ Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TX
Lubbock Fine Arts Center, Lubbbock,
TX ~ Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven, CT
Westport Arts Center, Westport, CT ~ School of Art, University of Akron, Akron, OH
Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD ~ The Long Island Arts Council, Freeport, NY
Millersville
University, Millersville, PA ~ Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Spectrum Gallery, Rochester, NY ~ The Pennsylvania State Museum, Harrisburg, PA
Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA ~ Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
James
A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA ~ Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA
Silver Eye Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA ~ Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA
Westinghouse Corporate Headquarters, Pittsburgh, PA ~ The Print Center,
Philadelphia, PA
more »
Trisha is entering her last year of college at Marymount University in Arlington, VA, where she is studying to be a nurse. When she's not rushing between classes,
clinicals, and the library, she is a part-time nanny for a wonderful family. Upon graduation, she wants to continue her work with children and become a pediatric nurse of some kind.
more »
We will be getting married on SEPTEMBER 5, 2009.
Ceremony: St. Ferdinand Church, Chicago, IL @ 1pm
Reception: European Crystal Banquets, Arlington Heights, IL @7pm
We have 6 Bridesmaids and 6 Groomsman, 1 Flower Girl and 1 Ring Bearer.
Colors: Coffee/Latte/Gold/Chocolate
more »
How We Met
March 17th, 2007 ~ St Patricks Day
I was heavy into preparing for my first season coaching the dancers of a local minor league basketball team. Our practices were being held at a gym owned by Jake's friend Mike. I had seen Jake at the gym a few times but hadn't officially been introduced to him.
Jake and his friend Mike were in downtown Seattle celebrating St Patricks Day. On a whim I decided to head downtown with some girlfriends. Shortly after arriving my cell phone rang and it was Mike suggesting I stop by where they were for "just one cocktail". When I arrived I was introduced to Jake. He was funny and sweet, tall and charming. As the night went on I found out that Jake was a Scorpio like me, loved to dance, was a big fan of Heineken, had a 4 year old daughter named Josie, and . . . was in the process of a divorce.
We ended the evening and went our seperate ways. Jake worked the front desk at Mike's gym on the nights that I held practice. So I decided he would be a cute acquaintance that I could flirt with at the gym but that he was "off limits".
The Courtship Begins
Then one day as I was working I got a text message from an unfamiliar number on my phone. I had forgotten that Mike used Jake's phone to call me the night we met. I don't remember the exact wording but it was a cute "hello" from Jake that made me smile from ear to ear. We sent messages back and forth for the rest of the day as I vented to him about my stringent diet to get ready for the basketball season and how I would kill for a double-stuffed Oreo.
For a few weeks the flirtation and chatting continued. I still had hesitations about going on a date with Jake but got some great advice from friends. My friends told me that as far as they could see Jake was a solid guy, he was sweet and supportive, gentlemanly, and pretty non-threatening . . . although at the time I was convinced that he had to be on the rebound and it wasn't safe to get involved with someone going through a divorce.
First Date
Easter 2007
So that night after dinner with my family I gave in to Jake's request to spend some time with me and drove from Puyallup to Arlington, 85 miles to be exact, on a Sunday night to get to know Jake . . . that and he had a hottub . . . which sounded pretty relaxing for my overworked body.
I Feel Loved
May 5th, 2007
The more I got to know Jake, the more similarities I saw to myself and how I viewed life. We had the same political views, religious ideals (or lack there of), the same taste in music (well . . . except for Dave Matthews), and honestly just a general appreciation for each other. Even a trip to the grocery store with Jake was fun. We could do anything together and make it a good time.
Falling in love with Jake was easy, the part that was difficult was trying to keep myself from telling him every second of every moment once I realized it. I remember the look in his eyes and the smile on his lips when I finally said it aloud. We couldn't deny the feeling, yes it had only been a few months and we still had a lot to learn about each other but deep down something just felt right and we both knew it.
A Natural Progression
Co-Habitation
Jake and I started slow with combining our cell phone plans : ) and buying groceries together. I got to try my hand at being "step-mommy". I have to say its definitly not what I expected. Trying to parent someone else's child is a task I had never planned to take on before I met Jake. Sure babysitting helps and your natural maternal instinct is pretty strong but feeling comfortable while your boyfriend's 5 year old tells you all about how wonderful her mommy is can tug at your heart strings some days.
We started carpooling to work to save money which gave us 2 full hours each weekday uninteruppted in the car to talk to each other. To really talk to each other. Even with the stress of traffic and making ends meet financially it made us a stronger couple.
Here comes the fiance?
The fact that all of our friends and families approved of our relationship only served to fuel the fire we felt for each other. Our next natural stage seemed pretty apparent . . . to Jake at least because I truly believe he got a great deal of enjoyment out of watching me squirm.
He launched an all out "let's drive Leslie crazy" attack on my psyche. When he would hold my hand he would slyly trace little circles around my ring finger and say things like "just getting it warmed up". Don't get me wrong, I loved the insinuation that someday we'd be married but he would say something daily, while all of my friends are getting engaged and having babies . . . thought I would kill him if he made one more comment about how beautiful I’d look someday in a white dress. Daily comments . . . no ring . . . started to wear on me.
Early in Sept Jake had done his annual trip to The Gorge for the Dave Matthews concert with Brandon. Upon arriving home he presented me with a Sterling Silver heart bracelet. It was too large to fit my wrist so a few days later we took Josie with us to the jewelry store to see about getting it sized. Of course the clerk was in on the whole thing and it was a big 'ol trap but I didn't know that then. Armando said he didn't think they could size it but he'd check with the shop and be right back. He took the bracelet into the back room and Jake led me towards the ring cases and suggested "maybe you should show me the styles you like . . just in case". Every girls dream, ring shopping.
45 minutes of sliding things on and off my finger . . . what a surreal feeling . . . and I finally found something I loved! Armando chose a radiant cut princess shaped diamond to set in the middle this beautiful setting. It made the diamond look like it was floating and I lit up. Love, love, loved it!!
Jake says "you like that one? Really? Thats the one huh, well why don't you go hang out with Josie in the toy room for a bit while Armando and I chat." Surprised he didn't burst into flames from the death stare I was giving him! There was no way that I even could have fathomed the plotting Jake had gotten into with the clerk.
I later found out that Jake had visited the store several days in a row on his lunch hour that week and picked out numerous settings he thought I'd like. He had arranged for Armando to make sure I looked at his choices. Funny thing . . . Armando had suggested the setting I picked out and Jake promptly passed saying "its awesome but she'll never like that one." Thank you Armando for your persistance!
So we eventually left the store ringless as Jake mumbled something about it being too expensive but maybe someday he'll buy me a nice ring like that one.
As a New Life Begins . . . so does our future
Finally one day I was helping Josie tie her shoes before we headed out the door to visit my parents. As Jake grabbed the bags and went out to the car I knelt down to her and she says, "umm Leslie . . . I really like the pretty ring my daddy bought you." Shocked and speechless I couldn't help but smile and laugh knowing that by the look on her face she just realized she wasn't supposed to say anything. Jake opened the front door at exactly that moment and I did everything I could to hold it in. For about 10 minutes in the car I smiled from ear to ear as Jake coaxed me to tell him what was going on. He then glanced into the back seat to see Josie almost in tears. She spilled the beans to daddy about her boo boo and it was all I could do to keep him from throwing it at me in frustration because he felt his surprise had been ruined. I told him I still had no idea when or how he would do it . . . or even if it would be soon, or even if it would be "the ring" so its not a big deal.
Around early September just after Lacey's birthday and close to her due date for her first child, Jake's comments started to increasingly annoy me because now I know there is a ring. What I didn’t know is that Jake had been talking to more people than just me about it. He had already asked permission from my parents long before we even visited the jewelry store. He had talked to my brother, and even my two best friends . . . who I found out are truly great at keeping secrets.
The day Lacey's son was born, Jake and I spent the whole day at the hospital with Lacey and her family eagerly awaiting his arrival. It was such an amazing feeling to have him by my side no matter how long, no complaining, no asking if he could go home and watch TV until the blessed event arrives. And finally in the early evening I got to see that adorable new baby resting in Jakes arms . . . was enough to bring me to tears. I remember sitting next to him as he cuddled the new baby and looked into my eyes with a big smile . . . "I'm ready now," he said. He wouldn't tell me for what but later the next night I found out.
Damn he's good
Several minutes later he returned and announced "we are going to dinner with your parent’s tomorrow night . . . and I think I’ll dress nice, you should too." He knealt down and kissed me on the cheek with a but smirky smile on his face. My pulse started to race and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Oh god I thought, he's going to do it tomorrow in front of my parents at dinner. What am I gonna wear? I spent the next 5 minutes in a numb state of shock as I raced through the scenarios trying to be prepared for what he'd say, how would I react, would be parents be supportive? So compelled with my own thoughts it didn't dawn on me how odd of a suggestion it was for us to take Bella for a walk. 10:30pm and chilly September winds and my dog was half asleep already. But I went anyway, I was too busy contemplating.
As we headed out of the driveway Jake stopped to "turn the dome light off in the truck". I was still so consumed in thought about tomorrow night that I didn't even notice him getting the ring out of his hiding place in the car, one of many places. We started down the street with Bella in tow. Clothed in an oversized sweatshirt, wearing my glasses, and his warm-up pants I kept walking till we got to the top of the street and he asked which way we should go. Then he looked down and smiled and tugging my hand towards a large sitting rock next to a tree with a heart carved in it . . . and then . . . I got it . . . he wasn't waiting until tomorrow, he is going to do it right now!!
The Proposal
"A good place for what?" I asked.
"To ask you to spend the rest of your life with me,".
He led me over to the rock and sat me down as I could feel his hands shaking. Sadly I can't remember much of what he said, I was so in shock that I just kept smiling and giggling and crying. And then he pulled out the most perfectly exquisite ring I've ever seen. I think my exact words were, "OH MY GOD!!" when he showed it to me. It was, the ring, perfect, shiny, and amazing. I remember the relieved look on his face under the street light. Not relief that I'd said yes, just relief to finally stop having to hide the ring from me. So he pulled the ring out of the box and proceeded to place it on my right hand . . . yep my right hand. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him and then started to scold him for the way I looked and how I'll always remember how scrubby I looked on the day he proposed to me.
So then he spilled the beans about all his plans and the sneaky way he'd kept things from me and had been planning for weeks for the perfect moment to ask me. And told me that he arranged for the members of both of our families and my closest friends to meet for dinner the following evening so we could all celebrate. He's a one in a million!
more »
My name is Karla and my honey's name is Edward but goes by Eddie. We met on October of 2005...his cousin introduced us and we have not been apart since then. On October of 2007 we bought a house and he proposed February 2008. We didn't really set a date then and by the time we realized it a whole year had gone by! We decided to set a date a couple of months ago...(lol...I know we're weird!), we decided to get married on July 3, 2009...a very small simple wedding, but I'm trying to make it beautiful and memorable. We will only have immediate family, grandparents and a couple of close friends. The ceremony and reception will be at Frontline Church of Arlington. Eddie's cousin is the minister at the church and he will be officiating the ceremony.
Pic of E-Ring:
more »
