Oh how I dislike greed.

So I have yet to decide on this whole hotel block dilemma. As I blogged about previously, the prices for hotels in March are astounding. Although, I believe that we have found a good hotel, with a nice location and value for the price, there has been one thing stopping me from signing a contract with them... they seem to be a tad greedy.

See they have a nice pool and courtyard and like an idiot, I asked them if we could have an informal pizza party there. Well, because the "W" word (as in wedding) had already been mentioned, they knew that really meant - rehearsal dinner. And, nope, they will not allow us to eat pizza by their pool. Instead, we can have a "really informal catered event" at their restaurant. Of course, this is at a cost of at least $30 a person. It is the same thing for the morning after the wedding - no bagels by the pool. Instead, they will serve us bagels for $20 a person. This is ridiculous considering that a continental breakfast is included as part of the hotel room cost.

An additional $50 a person for food is more than half our catering costs for the wedding as it is! We really wanted these get togethers before and after the wedding so we could mingle with our wonderful out of town guests. We wanted them to be super informal and the hotel seemed to be the best location for it. So if we decide to block a bunch of rooms at this hotel, what do we do? I am absolutely NOT paying them to serve us pizza and bagels. As an alternative , would a pizza reception dinner and day after brunch be ok to have on the beach right across the street? We could have blankets for everybody instead of chairs.

I've turned into a wedding planning monster

No, not a bridezilla, but I have become quite engulfed into this process. My friend, Lauren, who recently got married somehow managed to avoid this. It also could be due to her having a very hands on, fiance/now husband. I remember how Lauren and I laughed over the enivitable question "so what are your colors?", as in wedding colors. Oh how silly that seemed. But now I have changed my tune.

We (I) already picked our colors out. I have even gone as far as to pick our wedding theme. See, I told you I turned into a monster. Before I reveal our theme, I'll state the reason for having one. Really it is to keep a consistent style throughout the whole ceremony and reception. I actually think it has also been very helpful in restraining me from purchasing random stuff that is unneeded and does not fit our "theme" well enough.

Some themes from other brides-to-be visualized by things called "inspiration boards" (all submitted to Weddingbee.com):

Azalia's "Gothic Princess Wedding"

Kalnc's "Picnic Lunch"

As for Ralph and I, well, we are keeping it simple. Given our venue, we (I) decided that we are having a "Modern Tropical" wedding. What does that mean? Really, just that we aren't having a throwback tiki party (Emily would love that, huh), or a beach wedding, or a cheeztastic palm tree adorned everything wedding. Something simple and something that works with the venue, rather than against it. I am not sure how my dress fits this theme, but I don't care. I love it and it fits me at the very least. Oh, and maybe if I find some extra time, I'll make one of these inspirational boards like these talented ladies.

How to turn me into a ...

BRIDEZILLA!

(From organizeddoodles.blogspot.com)

No not really. But I did get really mad and in front of my soon to be Mother in Law recently due to some miscommunication at the cake bakery. It was kinda embarrassing. But I think I did pretty well considering I unleashed my wrath not at the poor lady that just came back from vacation, but outside on the streets of Coral Gables.

What happened? Well, with our venue, we have the option of getting our cake at Cake Designs by Edda, which is an institution in Miami. They even have 4 locations in South Florida. In March, I went to taste some cake in their Doral store. They were really busy and didn't treat me so great. So, I figured I would try the Coral Gables store while I was visited Miami in June. I called them up to make sure that they would have all the flavors and fillings I wanted to try. The lady strongly assured me that I needed no appointment and that they would have all those flavors and fillings. This is cool because it is actually posted on their website as a FAQ's:

3. When can I come in for a tasting? Anytime, but it is always best to call in advance to make sure we have specific flavor available for tasting.

	4. Do I need an appointment? Appointments are not necessary, though recommended for special occasions. Appointments can be made Monday through Friday at any of our store locations.

So me, my mom, Ralph, his mom and her partner all stroll in the store on a Monday to eat some cake. Cue to the poor lady who just came off of vacation, she tells me that they have no cake and that the cakes for tasting won't come in until the afternoon. WHAT? They have no cake? All the moms drove an hour for nothing? She finally offers us their signature flavor cake (Vanilla Rum), which I decline since I already know Ralph hates rum cakes. I ask Ralph to please "take care of this" so I won't bite this persons head off. He gets us a firm appointment for the following day, while I yell an obscenity outside.

The following day... all come again, except Ralph's mom's partner who has to work:-( The lady at the counter kindly tells us,' Oh no, we only do tastings on Wednesday.' WHAAAA? That isn't posted anywhere? What the hell? I just look at Ralph, who then asks for the poor vacation lady. Poor vacation lady comes out behind the counter and knows that I am pissed (I have a hard time hiding those sort of facial expressions). She then very kindly takes care of us and even gives us second helpings to bring home to those who actually work. The cake is good, damn good. It is a good thing too. I was at the point of 3 strikes and you are out. Although, I have to admit that I am quite concerned that they will screw it up. End the end, we are supposed to get a very simple 3-layer round buttercreme cake with strawberry jam filling (how hard is that to mess up?). Now I just I have to bribe someone into decorating it like this for me:

(theknot)

So will it work with all green orchids? Should we have sprung the extra $ for sugar orchids instead?

Making the most of what I got.

I am a lucky girl! Being one of the last of my friends to get married has it perks. One of which is hand-me-downs. My wonderful friend Lauren gave me all the vases and leftovers of her wedding, many of which were also leftovers from her new sister-in-law's wedding.


I feel compelled to use these for our wedding decor and centerpieces. Vases aren't cheap, so we will save some extra money this way. Given what we have and the original cost of each of these vases (all from Michael's). I decided to go with this sort of centerpiece.

(from TC Event Design)

It is simple, and I already had 5 cylinder vases to fill. I even bought a few callas lilies from our local florist to show Ralph (sorry I didn't take a picture). He loved that it was so simple but had a lot of style. We still needed another 7 vases though. Well, on our last trip to Miami we hit the jackpot because they were all on sale for 50% off ($2.50/each). So, now 7 of them are in Miami, while the other 5 still reside here in Cali. As for the other various shaped vases, well, they will be used in all the places that need decoration... sign in table, various other tables, the bathrooms. I was thinking of putting a flower that really packs a lot of punch and that will fit in with the tropical vegetation, and won't kill the budget. Something like gladiolus...

(Photo credit)

What do you think? Does this work? And how do you like that for recycling? These vases will have gone through 3 weddings cross country and back, from Philly, CA, to FL. :-)

Knottie love

I have mentioned on many occasions that I have an online group of girls that I converse with. These lovely brides and wives I have all met on theknot, which is an amazing resource for wedding planning. I can't give these women enough credit for helping me through this process without a wedding planner.

Case in point, when it came time to interview a DJ in June, during our 1 week wedding extravaganza in Miami, we only had to interview one DJ. That was it. Talk about an efficient use of time. The interviewed DJ, along with one other company, just came so overwhelmingly well recommended we had to take the time to check him out. We were very happy to meet a professional business owner who takes pride in serving his clients needs to a T, all while creating a great ambiance. It couldn't have been a more wonderful interview (and it was Ralph's first). The plus... we can do everything online! We can pick our first dance song, our do-not-play-or-die songs ("Love Shack" for Ralph - who knew?), our cake cutting song, you name it, and all online. That was the clincher for Ralph. He is all about keeping me calm cool and collected for this big event and so this is just another make-our-life-easier-when-planning-afar choices (and the last recent check I was blogging about).

But anyway, this post is about theknot, and all those ladies that have given me recommendations and advice. Thanks! Oh and I am not the only one who feels this way, check out this article from the NY Times.

Long delay and still no resolution!!!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Traveling and the associated increase in work productivity after traveling can do that to you. But, given my last post, I thought I would mention that hotelplanner.com rocks the big one. We had about 20 hotels that bid to have our hotel block. Some were even ones that my mother and I visited. They gave quotes similar to what we were given in person. After some long discussions with Ralph over the high room costs and how cool and awesome our out of town guest are, we decided that the hotel should at least be on or near the beach and does not need to be more than a 3-star hotel, and that price is of primary concern. And so, I think we might have found our hotel. It is an older, recently renovated deco hotel, about a mile away from the South Beach action, and just a few miles away from the venue.

Standard Room (tripadvisor.com)

Small Deco Bathroom :-( (tripadvisor.com)

Lobby (photo credit)

The price is right at under $120/night (including a continental breakfast). They even have a pool and courtyard that would be great for hosting a rehearsal dinner.

Pool and Courtyard (tripadvisor.com)

I am not 100% sure, because my mom has to check out the rooms and suites on Saturday. Another reason we might have to go with this hotel is the due to the great room keys...

(tripadvisor.com)

Oh and I forgot to mention that the beach is right across the street. The two downsides is that this isn't located in the heart of all the action. Guests would have to take a taxi or bus to all the shops and restaurants. It also doesn't seem to have central air, which isn't the best with the FL heat. But, I think for the price and location this might be worth it.

March in Miami is mighty fine

So fine, in fact, everyone wants to visit then. Lots o' fun events are going on around the weekend of our wedding. That is great for them and bad for us. Given that Miami will be jam packed, the hotels can charge whatever they want. I am having an interesting time negotiating for a decent deal for our out of town guests. The prices that I am being quoted for group discounts are scaring the crap out of my budget minded, grad school paid self. At this point, for the region closest to our venue, the lowest quote I have received was for $189 for run of the mill standard room.

from tripadvisor

What do you get for this price - complimentary internet and use of the pool and gym (sure!), plus you have to pay at least $15 for parking a day. There are no frills here! The plus, though, is that our guests wouldn't NEED to rent a car. Taxis and great public transit are abundant in this area and the beach is so close. But, I have never paid so much for a hotel room that offers so little. So I am not pleased and am looking for a further away location that has much more reasonable prices.

Last night, though, I found a great site, hotelplanner.com, which puts together group event planners and hotels to find group hotel deals. I have actually hotels bidding on our group rate! It is a great tool, and I already have a few lower cost options that I am considering. The locations may not be as ideal, but they are much more friendly to the pocketbook and they offer more in amenities.