Wednesday

Reception- Back in Katy Texas














































So I have been a little stressed out lately with wedding planning, work and trying to finish my classes for my MBA that I really have had little free time to add things to the blog. So I thought I would make a short blog about all the details for our lovely reception that will be back home in Katy, Texas on July 25, 2010 at five pm.
Since we decided to get married in Hawaii, we knew it wouldn't be possible for all of our families and friends to come and celebrate with us. So Nate & I both agreed that we wanted to have a reception when we got home that all our families & friends could come and enjoy also. Nate's style reception would have been a backyard BBQ and pool party at our house.. but really I don't think we can fit 150-175 of our closet friends and family members in our backyard/house.. and I am not sure I want to clean up afterwards. :) So my mom and I set out to find a reception hall that was in our budget (since we will already be married we didn't want to blow the budget on the afterparty) but that also did everything for us from the linens to the Dj to the cake. We ended up deciding to have it at Adorable Banquet Hall in Katy Texas. Adorable Banquet Hall is perfect because it is close to where I grew up. On top of that they are doing the linens, the cake, the DJ, and catering. To cut cost, they also allowed us to bring in our beverages- so we will have wine, champange and beer available all night!!
As you know I wanted a tropical theme to match our beach wedding so I chose my two favorite colors- PINK & TURQOUISE as our color theme and of course starfish and seashells as the accent. When you walk into the hall we are going to have a table set up with a photo album used as our guest book and one ardonock chair for people to sign. We are going to use the chairs in our backyard and it will be a great way to remember the day everytime we are enjoying the pool in the summer. Then next to that will be a basket of leis and the starfish that will be tied with the name cards leading you to your table. Each table will be labeled after an Hawaiian Beach and be covered in a simple white linen with a turqouise overlay on each table. The chairs will also have a turqouise sash on each chair. I posted a picture similar to our table linens and examples of the starfish place cards. On half the tables there will high centerpieces which will be curly willow- it reminds me of drift wood on the beach with beautiful pink and white orchids cascading down from the branches.. I posted my inspiration picture up top (they used orange and red orchids- mine will be pink of course). Also in the bottom of all the vases will be a miz of seashells and starfish to carry on the theme. On the other half of the tables will be two short vases in varying heights with seashells and starfish on the bottom- filled with water and orchids floating at the top. I posted my inspiration for this too.. submerged flowers seem to be the trend right now and I just love the modern and simplicity of the look. I also posted a picture of my cake inspiration, I love the cascading orchids down the cake, and the square shape but I think I want mine aqua colored rather then the traditional white wedding cake. I also fell in love with the kissing hula girl & boy so I had to search long and hard on the internet to find them!! Of course due to the fact that we are in the south we have to have a Groom's cake so I loved the golf one- which nate adores golf.. but I want to incorporate the cardinals in it also somehow. So it might be a titlist ball and a cardinals baseball.
I also posted my inspiration for the bridal tag inside the dress, which I think makes your dress a heirloom. I know that I won't expect anyone else to wear my dress later but it kinda seals the memory and is there forever. So I ordered one with mine and Nate's Name with our wedding date to put in my wedding dress and reception dress.
The DJ was included in our package at the reception hall which is fabulous! But Nate, My mom, Shay, and I were all out at dinner one evening where there was this great guitarist. He sings and plays every instrument himself thru this electronic thing he can use his feet to make the noises while he plays the guitar and sings too.. It is amazing to watch. So I asked him for his buisness card and he will be playing during our cocktail hour and dinner. Then we will get the party started with dance music!!
Lastly I have the pineapple starfish accent on the toast champanges and our chocolate favors. Which I am going to attempt to make myself and package in cellophane bags. I thought we could add a touch of brown sugar to each bag to look like beach sand but still be edible! I have already purchased the molds and need to start practicing baking them! I had a really hard time debating favors because I felt with the leis and starfish place cards, people would keep them but they have no value. So I keep looking online for favors and so many are so chessy and you would never use. Chocolate seashell favors on the other hand.. who wouldnt want to eat them and they are adorable!!
Well I hope I provided a great jump off point for people to imagine our reception.. but I think you will just have to be there to really enjoy it!
Adorable Banquet
Katy Texas
July 25, 2010
5pm- to when the party stops

Friday

Wedding Stationary

















































Well I am sure most of you have seen our save the dates- which are above as the last picture posted on the right! I loved them and they were custom created by Blush Paperie. I would have loved for her to have also created our Hawaii Invitations and the Reception Invitations, but it was just too costly for 75 invites to Hawaii and 175 to the reception. We have a strict budget..so I searched long and hard for an invite that incorportated our theme- starfish & shells with pink and turqouise that was affordable. After all it is just paper and as much as I am in love with them I am sure no one is going to frame them.
Finally after asking help from my fellow Knotties (http://www.theknot.com), there is a special page dedicated to destination brides and hawaii. My Knotties referred me to Jennifer Crawford of Crawford Invitations. I told her what I was looking for, what my budget was and how fast I needed them. She then custom created three desings just for our wedding. Which is so awesome that no one else will have our invitations!! Narrowing down what option I wanted from there was extremely hard- so I enlisted some help! I asked Nate's sister Julie which one was her favorite, a mutual friend of Nate & I Delynn Faulkner, and my mom and Nate.. after much heing and hawing.. we all agreed Option Three..which is pictured above on the Left by our Save the date. Once I had chosen the invite design Jennifer went and made me coordinating RSVP & Direction Enclosures. I also asked that she make Table cards which are pictured at the top and we named each table after a different island or beach in Hawaii. She also made coordinating place cards which will be tied to starfish . Which I placed a picture of an example in a previous post. We are then going to put them in sand to stand up on a table when you first walk in. I think it will incorportate our theme very well into the reception back home.
The very first picture at the top is of our invitation for Hawaii. It is just simple in the colors we picked for the wedding and we are tying it with raffia string like pictured except in pink and turqouise. I have 100 of them to tie and send out.. taking volunteers!
Well that is all the stationary for the wedding so far.. Hope everyone loves it as much as I do- and don't worry I won't be offended if you don't frame them. :)

Hawaiian Ceremony & Luau- July 11, 2010






















































































So I posted every picture I could that would help you imagine what the wedding would be like. Where do I start....


Well we booked a wedding planner in Hawaii who was able to make a package for us, they will take care of everything involving our wedding from the location to the minister to the photography. Nate and I felt like we wanted a wedding that would be low key and FUN. A couple years back his sister got married and they did everything for her wedding and she was soo stressed out. So my ultimate goal was to make this wedding stress free. By hiring the planner it was the easiest thing ever! We show up at Wai'alae Beach Park with our marriage certificate and everything else will be takin care of.


I included the pics at the top of the actual wedding location which is Wai'alae Beach Park. It is a private beach that is located close to the Kahala Hotel & Resort and near the Waialae Country Club on the island's south shore. Behind us you will be able to see Diamond Head and a small little Island. I think it will be a beautiful location and perfect for pictures that will last a lifetime. We are having a chair company set up beautiful chavari chairs (the first picture) which will be in a light bamboo color. They are setting the chairs up like the example pic below with conch shells lining the isle. I haven't decided if I am going to rose petals down the isle yet.. Also pictured are the palm fans. We just ordered them and I can't wait for them to arrive. We are going to tie turqouise & pink ribbons to them and place them on all the chairs.
Further down, I posted pictures of the leis, the purple ones are what the groomsmen and bridesmaids will wear. I will also being wearing a orchid lei, most likely in a white color. The leafy looking lei is what the groom wears and also a nut lei. Further below that are the pictures of my favorite bouquets. I love the mixes of pinks. I want all pink and a tropical feel to them. I love orchids so I hope they put some in there and then any flower that is pink and native in Hawaii. My bridesmaids bouquets will be similar to mine, they will be pink and of a smaller scale. I love flowers so I can't wait to see them! I am sure they will be superb!
At the top you will see two little pics of a luau! The wedding will start at 2pm. Following the ceremony the photographer asked for at least an hour of photographs for the wedding party, guests and bride and groom. Then around 4pm we will all go back to our hotel and a bus will pick us up and take all the guests to a luau celebration. It will have live entertainment with fire throwers, hula dancers and even a pig roasting. We will be picked up for the luau at 4:30 and be at the luau late into the night.
We are having a traditional reception back in Katy, Texas a week after our honeymoon ends. So Nate & I felt we are in Hawaii, why not entertain our guests with something that is fun, interesting and not traditional. So we found the luau! I think all our guests will enjoy it and have a great memorable night.





Bridesmaids & Groomsmen















So I thought I would share with yall the pics of the groomsmen & bridesmaids attire. I also posted some pics of my sisters and I with our mom.
My baby sister- Brigitte is going to be my maid of honor. Nate is having his best friend Jon as his best man. Also my Grandpa, Jim Cates is walking me down the aisle- so he will be outfitted to match the groomsmen.
My sisters both live a good distance away from me- one living oceans away in Germany! Brigitte is attending the University of Texas in Austin and Michelle is attending college in Berlin Germany. Brigitte models in her spare time for names like Fendi, David's Bridal, Academy..etc. Where Michelle is currently working as a nanny- takes after her big sister ( I was a nanny for 4 years in college). Due to our distances apart alot of my wedding planning has been done online or with my mom's help. But thank goodness for the internet or we wouldnt be able to communicate. I was thankful that my sister Michelle was able to be there when I bought my dress and I cherish those moments! Nate's best man Jon lives about 5 miles from us currently, so that is awesome. But my grandpa lives in Oregon... So our wedding party is across the globe!!
As I said, above are pics of the exact dress my sister is going to wear. I found this photo of another bride and her bridesmaids and loved the dress. Believe me it is hard to find a turqouise dress that is casual and looks cute for a beach wedding. I searched long and hard to find those exact dresses. They were not available in any stores in Texas, so I ordered them online in a size too big for my sisters. They didn't have size 2 available..go figure.. I figured it is easier to take material out then to add material. I am glad that I did buy them, because they were only available for one season and now are nowhere to be found online or in stores. The dresses are turqouise blue with a slight sheen which I think will look beautiful in the sun. They have a sweetheart neckline similar to my wedding dress but it also has the braided halter detail. They are aline which I think will look great on my skinny tall model sister- but wouldn't look good on a model right? And she has to stand next to me when I am soo short next to them..
I also have purchased earrings with a small diamonded starfish with one pearl drop for them to wear and a pearl bracelet accent. Turqouise and Pink are the wedding colors and starfish/shells are the theme. We have tried to incorporate the colors and starfish in all the details, from stationary to the centerpieces. The bridesmaid bouquets will be hot pink to bring in some pink and they will be wearing leis also.
To continue with our color theme, the groomsmen will be wearing khaki pants or shorts..Nate and I haven't decided on pants of shorts- just Khaki. But then they will be wearing a linen short sleeve button down turqouise blue shirt. Like the girl's they will be wearing the traditional hawaiian lei also. The groom (nate) will be wearing khaki pants and a white linen shirt with his traditional grooms lei, which is traditionally leaves and nuts instead of flowers.
I have to say I think we are going to be one HOTT looking wedding party!!




Thursday

The Dress & Accessories



























So Let me start with I am so in love with shoes.. and well my favorite colors are PINK & TURQOUISE.. so when I found my bridal shoes it was the perfect mix of me- pink, turqouise and bling and the heels!! Since we are getting married on the beach I am not wearing heels then but with my reception dress which is the shorter dress and more modern and fun!! I figure since at the reception we are already married, I might as well get a short dress that I can dance the night away in.




My wedding dress is very vintage yet still modern, it is a trumpet shape (almost like a mermaid but more airy) with a slight train and an illusion halter top. I love that it has the sweetheart neckline still under the lace. It looks very heavy because of the lace but it is perfect for the beach. I am in love with my dress, when Nate is not home I will sneak out my dress and try it on again.. I can't wait to wear it on the beach. I loved picking out my dress too- it was a special experience for me not only because it was my wedding dress, but because my sister Michelle was there (she lives in GERMANY). We tried on my dress first and I loved it but I didnt want to jump to conclusions. So we tried on what felt like a hundred more and I kept going back to it, my sister Michelle said to me "Tricia, this is the dress I could see you getting married in".. it just made me feel so happy. My mom loved it but deep down she wanted me to get the big princess dress..sorry mom!


Lastly my wedding jewels!! Which were custom designed for my wedding atire... I love the bracelet because it reminds me of my grandmother's brooches and the earrings remind me of beautiful chandeliers. So I guess you all will just have to wait and see the finished product now!!

The Proposal!!











The story of our engagement is totally us..low key.. and funny!!








Nate and I started dating in 2004 and of course our relationship progressed like most. So in 2008 we decided to make a huge step and we purchased our first home. It was a foreclosure but in a great neighboorhood where we can raise children EVENTUALLY!! But because it was a foreclosure it needed alot of tender, love & care which equals $$$$. Then a couple months later we survived Hurricane Ike with $19,000 worth of damage. Before Ike we both had talked about Marriage and saw it in our near future- but then came the Hurricane and we were both so stressed it was put on the back burner.








Then at Christmas Time 2008, we are sitting in Nate's Mom's Living Room wrapping gifts before everyone got there. Out of no where Nate says to his Mom, "Tricia and I are going to get married next summer- I just wanted to let you know first." This was NEWS to me! So I got so excited, we told his whole family and called mine. But there was no ring and no real proposal.








That following summer Nate and I enjoyed one of the best vacations ever to the Flordia Keys and the Bahamas. On the last night of the cruise at sunset Nate asked me to marry him with a beautifl classico verragio ring. It was perfect!!








Next came the calls to our parents when we got to the main land and the whole way back to Texas I started planning.

Hey Yall!!







Welcome to the wedding blogspot. I am a new blogger.. so forgive me if I am totally terrible at this. But I thought it would be a great way for everyone to enjoy all the planning and the details of our upcoming nupitals.






So I will soon be posting as much as I can about the planning process. But let me catch yall up first. Nate and I are planning our wedding in Hawaii on July 11, 2010. We are getting married in Waikiki at Wai'lae Beach Park which over looks the ocean with Diamond Head and a small island in the background. I have attached some photos of the location.. I can't wait. We will be flying into Honolulu July 8th and staying till July 12th. Then we transfer islands to Maui where we will enjoy our honeymoon.