The Atlanta Bees Revisit Cafe Intermezzo

This past weekend, I had the privilege of grabbing some fancy hot chocolate with Hive Hostess Bellenga, and Hive members kisthatbees, Lo, and mrsorchid.  We met at Cafe Intermezzo, now a favorite after the last ATL Bees Meetup, and chatted about our wedding plans as we took a break from an unusual cold front.  In my usual geeky fashion, I brought party favors:

Candy made from local honey!

It was really great to match faces to names that I've read so much from on the local boards!  We had a really great mix of girls too...a couple of newlyweds and some 2011 brides-to-be.  Newlyweds mrsorchid and Bellenga brought some FABULOUS pictures from their recent weddings, which we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over, of course!

From my personal perspective, it was wonderful to hear from ladies who have recently crossed over to the other side.  What an excellent source of advice!  It was also really fun to hear from brides in the same situation I'm in...with a wedding drawing closer and closer!  We were able to bounce ideas off of each other and share recent Etsy finds.

Weddingbee really does attract a certain type of bride.  We already had so much in common before even meeting each other!  It was really lovely to get to connect with people in the same boat.

Aren't they fabulous?

Oh!  And funny story.  We found this on the menu:

{all personal photos}

A flight of different local honeys!  We were totally going to get it, but our waitress talked us out of it.  Apparently it's more oil than honey and it's not all that great.  Still.  I thought this post needed a picture of the Georgian Honeys to go with our Georgian Bees!

Til next time, ladies!

Sweet Customer Service

One thing I've noticed about choosing vendors is that I'm very consistent with my priorities.  Obviously quality is important.  I'm also really big on value for our dollar, since these newly-employed Lions have lots of student loans to pay off.  But customer service trumps all.  I would give up the highest quality if it meant I could deal with a competent and empathic human being.  I would even sacrifice other parts of the budget to pay a little more for good service.

I can't help it...it's just the way I grew up.  You see, Papa Lioness works for a large hotel chain and "teaches customer service for a living."  Just imagine the horror on a 14-year-old Lioness' face as Papa Lioness scolded the Abercrombie employee, "When you say 'have a nice day,' you should at least TRY to sound like you mean it!"  It has been ingrained in my mind to avoid poor customer service as much as possible, no matter how enticing the quality or value may be.  In the long run, what's a little sacrifice for a little less stress?  So far, we've chosen all of our vendors based on this motto.  Everyone has been easy to communicate with and easy to get along with.  Our cake tasting was no different.

In true Southern tradition, we decided on a groom's cake.  Mr. Lion knew early on that he wanted some kind of chocolatey raspberry goodness in the shape of Knightro, UCF's mascot.  But what to do about the actual wedding cake?  As you may recall from our engagement party, I love cupcakes.  The more I thought about it, the more appropriate they seemed for our wedding.  The portions were perfect for daytime, and the cuteness factor helped them to fit in perfectly with our whimsical theme.

Before I could even start researching local bakers, Mr. Lion came home from work one day with half a dozen cupcakes.  Oh it's just this little bakery right next to his law firm and he just happened to walk by and it looked like the kind of thing I would like.  (Seriously, be more awesome.)  They were beautiful, and absolutely delicious.  I then sent Mr. Lion on his next mission: to make an appointment for a tasting.

We walked into the cupcakery on a Thursday afternoon.  We were greeted by Jack Johnson on the baker's iPod speakers, as well as a Cinderella snowglobe on the front counter.  Sure, it's nothing but coincidence, but I had a good feeling about this place.  Long tables stood to my left, each with a different tablecloth and vintage milkglass vases.  Colorful bunting lined the walls.  It looked like something out of...well...a wedding inspiration board!

One table was set with mismatched china and silverware, as well as a fresh French press of coffee.

That same table had a beautiful cake stand topped with several flawless-looking cupcakes.  Hmmm perhaps this table was set for us?

Mr. Lion could hardly contain his excitement.

We sat down with a lovely consultant who shared a cup of coffee with us and told us about their baking process and what goes into all of these delicious flavors.  She told us about each type of cupcake, from the margarita cupcake filled with lime zest to the Coca Cola cupcake (be still, my Atlantan heart).  It was very laid back; it just felt like having a snack with a friend.  I really appreciated the fact that there was no pressure to sign anything or to pay anything.  And you know what?  Because of that, I couldn't reach for the contract fast enough!

A week or so later, Mr. Lion came home with (you guessed it) more cupcakes.  Apparently, they had some other flavors that day and they wanted us to be able to try a few more.  So they just dropped them off at his firm!  The whole thing just seemed so kind and neighborly.  Those little extras make all the difference.

our surprise to-go box

{all personal photos}

We haven't decided on exact flavors yet, but we're thinking of including three different light and fruity flavors, since Mr. Lion's cake will be so rich.  If I may offer some advice to brides out there with upcoming tastings, watch your sugar intake that day!  We seriously ate all of them.  I was immediately five years old, bouncing off of the walls for a few hours, and then I crashed.  Sugar hangovers are no fun!  And if I may offer some advice to anyone out there in the wedding biz, your brides notice details!  Remember that the little things can make all the difference.

How has customer service shaped your wedding vendor decisions?

Personalizing the OOT Bags

In addition to our groceries, a map, and a list of our favorite local places, I wanted to include a personal note in our OOT bags.  Sticking with our local theme, I found these lovely letterpress notecards:

Source

Yes, they're beautiful, but I had my reservations.  First of all, they were a little too expensive for me.  My main concern, however, was the wording.  "Greetings from Atlanta?"  It may sound trivial, but I really wanted "welcome to Atlanta."  I know, I know, cue Luda soundtrack.  But seriously.  We're welcoming them into our home, not greeting them from afar!

Well, if you can't find the right notecard, you just have to create it yourself!  There's a sign on Ponce (a major road here) that I knew would be a perfect setting for a photo shoot.  We grabbed a prop, called up our photographer friend, and brought along Lion Corgi for a little doggie cameo.

{photos courtesy of Weddings by Evan Hampton}

I love Lion Corgi's face in that first one...she's like "Do you see my dad in the background?  Is he for real right now?"

How are you personalizing your OOT bags?

OOT Scoot Boogie

Every time I see "OOT," I start singing "Boot Scoot Boogie."  Maybe that's not normal.  But that's just what happens.

Of course, I'm talking about OOT bags, or out-of-town bags!  Approximately 84% of our guest list will be coming into Atlanta from elsewhere.   Most are from Florida, we have several from Massachusetts, and even a few from overseas!  Many of these loved ones have already expressed that they plan to attend our wedding.  Mr. Lion and I are just so humbled by the fact that these people would inconvenience themselves just for us; the least we can do is give them a little somethin' extra to make their stay more comfortable.

Though I've never actually received an OOT bag as a wedding guest, I've run into quite a few in the wedding blogosphere.  My personal favorites are the ones with a theme:

A Baseball Basket by Kate Parker Weddings

I like the idea of building a basket around the couples' interests (like the baseball one above), but what better theme for an OOT bag than a local theme?  As an OOT guest, I would appreciate some exposure to local fare and flair; I'm sure some others would feel the same way.  Most city-specific OOT bags that I encountered included a map, a list of fun local places, and some local delicacies, not unlike this Miami bag:

Source

I found all kinds of inspiration for cities across the Northeast and the West Coast, but it was slim pickins for little old Atlanta.  Then, I found some inspiration where I least expected it:

Source

A light bulb went off over my head during one of my cherished weekly trips to TJ's.  What if we bought groceries for our OOT guests?!  And not just groceries...Georgia-themed groceries!  So naturally, I bought as many of these babies as I could get my paws on (Get it?  Lioness?)

{personal photo}

Trader Joe's makes these reusable grocery bags for every major city (Sister Lioness has a really cute NYC one with a fun spin on Lady Liberty's "Give Me Your Tired").  They're only $1 and they're fabulous.  We decided to fill our Atlanta bags with:

• A glass bottle of Coca Cola
• Peaches
• Pecans
• Peanuts

Aaaand that's about all I've got so far.  "Cotton" balls?  Maybe some vidalia onion jelly?  Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Treasure Hunting

I.  Love.  Antique stores.  I could spend hours and hours in thrift shops rummaging through random crap that no one would want.  Why?  Because I love that rush you get when you stumble upon something amazing.  Recently, I spent an afternoon in Inman Park's At the Collective and Poncey Highland's Highland Row Antiques (both local favorites of mine).  Sometimes these places are a swing and a miss, but I totally lucked out this trip.

First, I found this hand mirror:

I decided that it would look perfect in the womens' bathroom at our venue.  This got me on a bathroom-shopping spree.

Next, I found this tray:

I decided I could use this tray to hold cotton balls, bobby pins, anything else that girls might need to touch up in the bathroom.

What?!  I'll use it for something!  I don't know what for, but you never know!  Besides, it was less that $1.

I thought this box would be useful to store more discreet bathroom items, like tampons.

Then, I decided that the mens' needed a box as well.  But for manly things...like...breath mints? Tweezers?  I'll figure out the details later :)

Of course, I couldn't let the mens' bathroom have just one item in it.  So, I found this to match:

And finally, I saved the best for last.  Corgi pictured to show actual size:

{all personal photos}

You'll have to wait and see what we use that mailbox for!

Maybe these details are trivial, but I think they're pretty likely to strike up a conversation or two!  What kinds of antique or thrift shop treasures have you discovered?

Our First Budget Readjustment

You know?  You plan and you plan and you think you cover everything.  But then something comes up and requires a budget makeover.  You see, I was convinced that we didn't need a videographer.  I'm more into still photos, and we had hired an amazing photographer (more on that later).  I changed my mind when I saw this:

Source: Disney Weddings

That's my cousin and her husband, and that's their wedding video montage.  I watched it, I cried a little, and I fell in love with the idea of having one of our very own.  Short, but sweet.  Intimate, but accessible.  It was perfect.  So really, it wasn't that I wanted a wedding video, just a video montage.  Unfortunately, you need to have a wedding video first in order to create a highlights reel from it.

I moved some things around (mostly our floral budget...that category keeps taking hit after hit!  Just not a priority to us, I suppose) to accommodate $2000 for videography.  If that sounds steep to you, you're in for a big surprise.  That's the low end of videography.  Videography is wicked expensive.

I researched potential vendors (via The Knot and Wedding Wire) and narrowed it down to two.  The biggest factor in narrowing it down was price.  The second, if we're being honest here, was the quality of their website.  So many videographers' sites didn't actually have video!  Some did, but either the video quality was mediocre, and/or the rest of the site wasn't really up to par.  Maybe I was being superficial, but the way I saw it, these vendors are artists.  The little bit of extra effort it took to construct their site in a way that complimented their work made such a difference.  Flash was a bonus.

I requested demos from the two vendors that made the cut.  When they arrived, I was a little disappointed with the first one.  When I watched the second one, I realized that I was tearing up at the love stories of complete strangers.  This videographer managed to capture every wonderful, unique aspect of the couple they documented.  It wasn't just about that day, it was about the couple's lives together.  Hive, allow me to introduce you to Three Ring Weddings.

Three Ring Weddings markets themselves as producers of "love stories."  They even interview the couple a few months before the wedding to get to know them.  This helps them come up with a story line so that the wedding video takes on a true storyline.  I ate this up.  Best of all, they actually listed their prices directly on their site.  I know!  Unheard of in the wedding world!  They offer a new "economy package" that was just under budget.  We immediately put down a deposit, friended them on Facebook, and bragged about how they made the Little Black Book on Style Me Pretty.

All in all, I was thrilled with our budget readjustment.  I can't wait to see the results!  Did a new wedding wish force some flexibility into your planning process?

Location, Location, Location

So we finally got back to Atlanta after living in Boston for three months and traveling to Florida for a couple of weeks.  Time to start planning right?  Wrong.  I went to Guatemala for ten days.  Hey, I'm a graduate student.  Clearly, I'm trying to save the world.

But then I got back to Atlanta and decided it was time for us to book a venue.  Yes, we still had 15 months until our chosen date, but I'm picky.  I'm sure laid back brides who are much more flexible than I am do not need to start planning that early.  I am incredibly opinionated and I knew that if I wanted my pick of the litter, I needed to get there before everyone else did.  I did a lot of research and selected 15 places to further examine.  I used these criteria to narrow down the list from there:

• Indoor/Outdoor: We really wanted a garden wedding, but I'm also a control freak so I wanted to make sure that we had a back-up plan in case the weather got the better of us.
• Ceremony & Reception: We're faithful and spiritual people, but we are not religious.  We didn't need a church/synagogue/straw hut, and we felt that we could save money on guest transportation by having the ceremony and the reception in the same location.
• Affordable: We budgeted $12K for the venue if it included catering, $6K if it did not.  We couldn't go a dime over.
• Nearby: Trying to find a place within 30 minutes of Atlanta made the affordable thing trickier, but I felt like convenience was more of a priority.

From there, we were left with four potential venues.  I then came up with new criteria:

• Charming: I'm pretty quirky (as you may have noticed?) and I wanted a place with a story.
• Big Enough: We were anticipating 125-150 guests, which is in no way a large wedding.  But given the charm factor that we were looking for, many venues on our list were more quaint than charming, and couldn't even hold that many.
• Flexible: We had a lot of time to plan, and a very small amount of money to spend.  I planned to take advantage of that by shopping around for different vendors and by doing a lot on my own.  Many venues are all-inclusive, which is super convenient for some people...but when you had as much time as we did, it was an unnecessary convenience.

Here's how our final four measured up to those criteria:

Piedmont Room

 Barristers Ball, 2010

Two of my favorite things in the world are the skylines and the color green.  Piedmont Room has plenty of both.  Piedmont Room is the special events facility at Park Tavern, one of my favorite bars in Atlanta.  It overlooks Piedmont Park and the midtown skyline.  Unfortunately, this one was vetoed because of the charm factor.  It's BEAUTIFUL, but we needed something a little more funky.

Rhodes Hall

Source

Now we're talking charm factor!  Rhodes Hall, locally known as The Castle on Peachtree, was built in 1904.  It's currently used as the headquarters for the Georgia Trust, who operate Rhodes Hall in addition to other historic sites throughout the state.  Rhodes Hall was more than able to accommodate our guests...outside only.  Their indoor facilities, though lovely, were a little small for us.  Basically, if it rained, we'd have to send some people home.  I was a little disappointed, but I moved on.

Flint Hil

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I love this place.  Flint Hill is an antebellum home, turned events facility.  It was perfect for a garden wedding and an indoor reception.  The price was right, and the woman I spoke to on the phone was fabulous!  They are an all-inclusive facility, though incredibly flexible compared to their competition.  Something still didn't feel right though...

Anthony's Fine Dining

Source

Funny story about Anthony's: I'm an alumna of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Kappa Atlanta Alumnae Association held a luncheon at Anthony's a few years ago.  Gringa Bridesmaid Emily (who is also a Kappa) decided to go and we absolutely fell in love with the place.  This was long before I got engaged, but Emily still insisted on planning my wedding there.  She went and found the head chef, got him to give us a tour, and we talked prices.  We were just being silly but to be honest, it's been in the back of my mind ever since.  Anthony's is an antebellum home, built in 1797, and it's now a restaurant in the middle of Buckhead.  The garden is perfect for the ceremony, the Ladybug Room is perfect for the reception, the wine celler is a really cool place to get ready...I loved everything about it.  It met all of the criteria, so we decided to go take a peek.

We made an appointment for a tour and ended up staying there for a few hours, just chatting with Mary and Amy, Anthony's wonderful coordinators.  We told them we'd go look around and let them know what we decided.  We decided on the five-minute drive home.

I was a little disappointed that I didn't go check out the other venues, but I don't like giving myself the opportunity to second-guess myself.  I never check over my exams before turning them into my professor and I wasn't about to second guess this gut feeling.  I was especially curious about what Flint Hill looked like in person, but fortunatley one of my best friends is getting married there in October!  I suppose we'll see it then!

In Fair Atlanta, Where We Lay Our Scene

I knew I wanted a spring wedding ever since I was a little girl.  I'm Irish, so those colors just look better with me.  Sr. Groom liked the idea of a spring wedding because it wouldn't conflict with baseball postseason or college football season.  So why Atlanta when the majority of our family members live in Florida?

I took this with my iPhone.  That's how beautiful it is outside right now.

I love the smell of magnolias.  I love the sight of fully bloomed dogwood trees.  I love leaving my windows open when I go to sleep at night and waking up to crisp air filling my bedroom.  I love taking Miss Corgi for a long walk.  I love driving through the Highlands and seeing families walking outside with their strollers.  I love sitting on a porch with a glass of sweet tea in my hand, enjoying the fact that it's warm enough to enjoy a refreshing beverage but not quite warm enough for the condensation to drip down the side of the glass.

Of course, I didn't mention the yellow powder that completely covers my car right now, but I like to think positively.