Checklist Progress- Vendors Galore!

I’ve been a terrible wedding blogger lately, but it’s partly because I’ve been being a good bride. The first 9 months of what is destined to be an epic 20 month engagement was all about day dreaming and wedding porn and crunching numbers to determine our options. Now comes the actual work- and checking off boxes on The List.

In the last couple months we chose our venue and booked the church. Now, it’s all about the vendors. Progress to date:

- Confirmed our photographer, my friend and former tennis coach David Kenas. Dave does sports photography as well as art and, as luck would have it, weddings. He’s a fantastic photographer, and I’m so excited to be working with a friend. Check out some of his work at dkshots.com.

- Chose our DJ, another easy decision- Sounds to Go DJs is owned by old family friends. The current owner, having taken over when his father retired, is my old neighbor and MRHS ’98 classmate Mike, whom I used to ride bikes with in a huge pack of kids in the

Cloverdale Circle

neighborhood we grew up in. My brother worked as a DJ for them for years in his twenties, they're a Best of Weddings vendor by The Knot, and they have a fantastic reputation. Score!

Congrats!

- Contacted a hotel for a block of rooms for the wedding night. It’s none other than The Berkeley Hotel, the place we’d looked into previously for our wedding. We won’t be getting married there, but I’m quite happy that we’ll be staying there on our wedding night, and hope our guests enjoy it too! It's an oceanfront hotel on a summer weekend, so it's not cheap. I’ll probably investigate a back up, but this is where I and much of the bridal party will be staying, so it's good to nail one down. We'll be signing a contract in January. Check!

The pool at The Berkeley

The view from the rooms

And aside from vendors, there’s been some other progress:

- Dress shopping. Gah. I should’ve known this would be my Everest of wedding planning. I am really indecisive, picky about fashion, not a huge fan of wedding gowns, still feeling a little weird about this whole ‘bride’ business, and in the middle of a fitness journey- which all adds up to blerg. I’ve been sort of shopping, but not fully. I made the mistake of falling in love with a dress, dreaming about it for 4 months, then trying it on and discovering it looked totally different from the pictures online. (Duh.) But, alas, I have given in and booked an appointment at Kleinfeld’s in November- they have a huge selection, and I love Say Yes to the Dress, so I figure it’s a good plan. (Today’s Friday and I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I’m really looking forward to coming home from my Strength from the Core class tonight to a SYTTD marathon. Living the fast life here in NYC.) The appointment is next week- fingers crossed!

My consultant, if I'm lucky ;)

- Centerpieces- the other bane of my bridal existence. I have made some progress there, though, and am currently getting quotes.

- Oh, and next week we get to pay another deposit to the venue. making it even harder to back out now. (JK, JK)

When I got engaged I signed up for The Knot to use their all encompassing checklist, and promptly became intimidated by the vast amount of work putting together a wedding can require. It feels really good to check things off now and have them disapear from view. To quote my Obama t-shirt, PROGRESS! Yes!

We have a Church!

For the past 10 months I’ve spoken almost exclusively about the reception, and neglected the part where we actually, you know, get married. So not long after we finally chose our reception venue, I called up my church and booked the date.

Michael and I don’t think this blog is an appropriate place to talk about our religious views, but one of the few things I had always envisioned about my wedding as a girl was getting married at First Presbyterian Church- Tower Hill, in Red Bank, NJ. Known to many in the area as ‘the church on the hill’, Tower Hill is a beautiful church- my mother always called it a Christmas card church. I wish I could find more pictures of the sanctuary- as far as churches go, it’s very pretty!

The grounds are lovely too and should make a beautiful back drop for family photos after the ceremony. Speaking of the ceremony, that’s probably the most nerve-wracking part- it’s a pretty long aisle I’ll be walking down! The sanctuary was renovated a few years ago and also has air conditioning- good news for my summer weddding! Also, the church in Red Bank is less than half an hour away from the reception at the Supper Club in Asbury Park.

My father and brother left the church years ago, but my mother, sister and I stayed members. My mother worked there for about 20 years, cooking the dinners for all the church’s weekly youth groups. I still think of that kitchen as hers. I practically grew up there- I was in choir, youth groups, handbells, attended and then taught Vacation Bible School and Summer Music camp 4 weeks out of the summer, and even taught Sunday school as a teenager. Even though I know longer attend, when I tried to envision our ceremony on the beach or in a garden or a room at a venue, it just didn’t feel like my ‘real’ wedding.

I live out of state now, but I still feel the sense of community I had there. When my mother passed away last year, her service was held at Tower Hill and I was astounded by the number of church members who came, people I hadn’t seen in a decade. My mom was a fixture in that church, and it’s the main reason we’re getting married there. I remember her telling me when I was young that couples usually got married in the bride’s church, and so the vision has stuck with me this whole time, walking down that long, red-carpeted aisle with the sun streaming through the huge windows. I can picture my mom in the front row.

So we’ve got a ceremony site, we’ve got a reception venue, I’ve already made inroads with our DJ and photographer- it looks like we’re really getting married! Let’s do this thing! Is it June 29^th yet??

We Have A Date and Venue!

It's official! We're getting married on June 29th, 2012, at the Supper Club in Asbury Park. (I will be officially nailing down the ceremony venue next week and I'll announce it then.)

I've already posted about the place, so I'll just link to that and reiterate a few of our favorite things- the lovely 1930s/1940s Manhattan supper club decor, the gorgeous ocean front views, the awesome location right on the boardwalk in the heart of Asbury, the fact that it's a place that means something to our families- Mike's parents LOVE the place, and my mom always loved going to shows there.

The only drawback is the size, but we'll be careful with the guest list and creative with the layout. I have a million decor ideas that I'm beginning to narrow down and fitting to our location, which I'll be sharing later.  For now I'll just share a few of my favorite pictures- and raise a glass to Friday, June 29th, 2012, the night I get to marry Michael. I can't wait!

My Waterfront Clambake Summertime Super Beach-y Wedding

Michael and I have decided that if we get married in New Jersey, we’d like it to be in Asbury Park. We have several options we’re considering. I wrote recently about letting wedding stress get to me. At one point a couple weeks ago, I came across this idea, and spent the day putting together a great, laidback, casual-but-fun back up wedding plan. May I present…

The Beach Bar in Asbury Park

A couple years ago during Asbury Park’s revitalization, The Beach Bar opened on the deck of Convention Hall. This previously under utilized space was just begging for a bar like this- you absolutely cannot beat this location. You enter through Convention Hall or you can walk up the steps directly from the sand. The bar itself is indoors and has a row of seating there, but the draw, of course, is sitting directly above the sand and soaking in the million dollar ocean views.

And, the Beach Bar does weddings! You rent out the wings and choose a liquor package, then bring in a caterer. Rather than formal seating, you can utilize their fun lounge furniture for a great waterfront cocktail party vibe.

Really relaxed

Once you eliminate the standard ‘chicken or fish?’ seated dinner, you can get pretty creative with the food. With the lounge setting, a never-ending cocktail party would be a great option- a couple stations and passed hors d’oeuvres all night, with lots of great seafood options. My favorite idea was a clambake- I found a number of local caterers, including some very helpful people at Shore Catering and Lawrence Caterers, who do great lobster clambakes that can also be combined with BBQ packages for the ultimate beach party menu- think steamed clams, shrimp cocktail shooters and crab claws, burgers and barbeque chicken and whole steamed lobsters with drawn butter. Relaxed, fun and delicious.

And how easy would it be to decorate? This wedding demands a beach theme, and there are a lot of reasons beach themes are so popular- they’re fun, pretty and easy. Since the tables would vary in size and style, you wouldn’t need to coordinate large matching centerpieces. Just spread some shells and tea lights on the tables, and let the natural beauty of the ocean take center stage. The lights strung across the ceiling provide a romantic minimalism as well as light.

A cute sandcastle cake would fit perfectly.

Downsides- well, the inconsistency of weather. Temperatures at the beach are notoriously fickle- I would need to remind everyone to check the forecast for the shore and dress accordingly. Also, it’s an open air venue- if a storm rolled in, as my future mother-in-law quickly pointed out, rain + wind = wet guests. We saw this first hand last month!

 

Last, I’m still struggling with how ‘formal’ I want my wedding to be. I loooove the thought of this relaxed vibe; wearing a cute tea length dress, running down the steps barefoot directly onto the sand, slow dancing with my new husband while the waves crashed right in front of us. But there’s still a part of me that feels this is my only chance to ‘own’ a big old ballroom for the night and have a huge dance floor for getting down to Lady Gaga in a multi-thousand dollar dress. See, this is a side of me I’ve always struggled with- never wanting to miss an opportunity or my ‘only chance’. And I have to admit, I am getting a little caught up in the wedding world undertow- lately I feel the pull of BRIDE so strongly!

The Crystal Ballroom at the Berkeley Hotel

I always look for meaning or a connection in my venues- well, if you know me, you know I love the beach, and if you knew my mom, you know she really loved the beach. Our families love Asbury, and Michael and I both love the summertime.

So I have filed this under Plan B. Today, on this rainy, gray day, I’m going to comfort myself with visions of Michael and I, with rings on our fingers and our toes in the sand.

Bridesmaid’s Luncheon- Girls Gone WINDY in Asbury Park

A Bridesmaid’s Luncheon is, in fact, a real thing. Originally, the bridesmaid’s luncheon was a tea that all the bridesmaids and often the women in the family attended, sort of a proper version of a bachelorette party. Now, I’m not proper, and I do intend to have a real bachelorette party. But part of me longed for a nice tea. I recently inherited some of my mother’s lovely heirloom china and imagined a genteel luncheon with wine and cucumber sandwiches, and perhaps a crafting party afterwards. It's kind of weird, how wedding planning makes me crave things I never thought I'd be interested in.

Alas, as I’ve mentioned, my bridesmaids are scattered across the U.S. and my proper tea wasn’t meant to be. But, I did finally get everyone together last month and what the hell, I’m going to call it a bridesmaid’s luncheon anyway!

The three of us met at McLoone’s Supper Club in Asbury Park, which you may remember is one of the venues we’re considering. Michael spent the afternoon at his parents’ house but he offered to buy us a champagne toast in honor of the occasion. We were only too happy to accept.

My maid of honor (and sister) Stephanie gave a lovely, well-prepared toast. I don’t remember the exact wording but I think it went something along the lines of “Suzanne is wonderful and a great sister and will be The Best Bride Ever”. (Uh, whatever that even means.)

We picked the perfect day to go to the beach. We took a nice stroll in the drizzle and fought near-hurricane level winds to stop inside Convention Hall and then visit the Beach Bar. The Beach Bar is open air but the actual bar is indoors. We had an impromptu photo shoot amongst the storm scattered patio furniture and then decided to get a drink to weigh ourselves down. It was only prudent.

Not exaggerated!

(Psst- more on the Beach Bar to come… )

We swung by the Carousel House on our way out (more on THAT to come as well!) and saw a bride and groom pull up and hop out of a car for pictures!

We ended up staying out for several hours. So it wasn’t exactly high tea but it was a lovely day with drinks and friends and the beach!

My Boardwalk Oceanfront Round Yummy Asbury Park Wedding

This right here is a front runner. It has the best of both worlds- a lot of character, cool history, awesome amenities, and it's not a wedding warehouse. Yet, they're a full service venue that does do amazing weddings (just not every weekend): McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park.

It's the old Howard Johnson's! Iconic building in Asbury Park, and it has a bonus of it's own- it is directly on the boardwalk, with the best views of the ocean, plus Convention Hall, the lawn, the lake and the Wonder Bar. All the great Asbury Park photo opps are as close as possible.

Cocktail hour is on the famous wraparound deck.

The reception room is dramatic and looks stunning in the dark. Windows surround so you're looking out and seeing Asbury and the beach all night.

The room is lined with booths, and then you can customize your additional table configurations and sizes, which I love.

What's great about the awesome architecture and abundant views is that traditional large centerpieces would overwhelm the room, so it's in your best interest to go small and simple- which helps out the budget too. They will even provide glass vases, which you can simply fill with your own flowers.

The food and drink packages are reasonable, and the cool thing about using this restaurant is that the food is actually good. No wedding rubber chicken here! There are price minimums to be met according to the night and season, but our wedding will be large enough that we can choose May or even June and not pay more. And, there's a 10% discount for Friday nights- I was already open to a Friday, and now I like it even more!

Mike's parents love this restaurant. My mom used to go to shows here all the time. I used to go to art opening parties here in the between time of the HoJo and the Supper Club. We have decided that if we get married in New Jersey, we really want it to be in Asbury. And you absolutely cannot beat this place in terms of location and views. We can pop across the street and stay at the Berkeley on our wedding night, have an after party at the Wonder Bar or Beach Bar, and hang out on the beach the day after if we want.

The cons would be that if it rains, the cocktail hour moves into the main reception room, and I am a little hung up on a separate cocktail space. (It's amazing, the 'traditional' wedding practices I thought I didn't care about that have now dug there little Wedding Industrial Complex claws into me!) I didn't want to hold any part of the wedding outdoors because I don;t want to be obsessively checking the weather up to the day of my wedding. But, I think this is worth the risk. The cocktail hour is just that, a single hour, after all. And I have to admit, after falling for the grandeur and size of the Berkeley, it's hard to 'downsize', even if this place has even more character.

But all in all, when we add in budgetary considerations, location, and emotional connections, this really is our front runner. Check out timmcloonessupperclub.shutterfly.com for more pics- plus these!