It’s Well Worth the Splurge!

Wedding Wednesday:

Remember last week’s post when I said, in my opinion the top two things that deserve a splurge on your wedding day are an excellent DJ and a talented wedding photographer?  Well, that post must have brought Tyler and I good luck because later that day we booked our wedding photographer!  We decided to go with am adorable and bubbly woman named Brittni who lives between Appleton and Fond Du Lac, WI.  She’s an art teacher by day and a brilliant photographer by night, which appealed to us because then she only devotes herself to about 10 weddings per year (making ours extra special haha).  Her business is called Photography by Brittni and her engagement, wedding, and baby photos are phenomenal 🙂  Check her out!

The best part is that she has EVERYTHING that we’re looking for in a photographer with a price that’s nearly half our budget.  That’s right – HALF!  We were originally planning to spend between $2,500-$3,000 on a photographer but she came in with a steal and we couldn’t be happier.  Some of our criteria was that we needed to have the rights to the photos (because let’s be honest…printing on Walgreens.com is so much easier and cheaper), we preferred to be offered a free engagement photo session, as well as a pretty decent sized photo credit.

So, now that we’re happy with the selection of our wedding photographer and we have our wedding date set in stone, it’s time to think about engagement photos.  I can say that Pinterest has been my best friend for a long time, but our friendship grew even stronger once I started planning our wedding because the engagement photo ideas are endless!

The first thing Tyler and I need to decide is what time of year we would like to have the photos taken.  Since Tyler and I will be hosting a fall wedding, we would like to do them during either the spring or summer.  I’m going back and forth because although spring will be beautiful with all of the budding trees and bright green grass, it can also be rainy and unpredictable.  On the other hand, by the time summer rolls around the flowers will be in full bloom and the days will be sunny and dry, but it will sure be hot!  What do you think – Would you rather get your engagement photos done in spring or summer?

My next thought is – OMG what should we wear?!  In my opinion it’s soooo cheesy when couples match for their engagement photos so we’re not going to go there.  I’ve decided that shorts are out of the question, so I’m leaning towards wearing a flattering pair of jeans or an adorable dress.  Man-oh-man there are so many details to think about before the session!  If you’re married, what did you wear for your engagement photo session?  What colors, patterns, and styles of clothes would you recommend?  I need your help!

I found this great blog for ideas on what to wear for an engagement photo session!  I think it’s super helpful – Check it out!

Last question, what are your thoughts regarding using props in engagement photos?  In some cases I think they’re absolutely adorable, but I’ve also seen some photos where they just aren’t working the way the couple intended.  I can tell that using props for Save the Date invitations have gotten super popular, but I’m worried that this will go out of style.  There would be nothing worse than looking at our photos 10 years from now and thinking, “wow, what were we thinking?”  So, in your opinion are props a do or don’t?

If you like any of the picture ideas seen above check out my Pinterest board BLOGGIN’ for site details and more ideas!

Well, Apparently DJ Stands for Disc Jockey

Wedding Wednesday:

Ever since Tyler and I jumped into the pool of “newly engaged” couples I’ve been asking myself:

What aspect of the wedding do I believe is most important?

AKA What’s worth the splurge.  A couple elements came to mind, and unlike everyone’s assumption, my wedding dress is not the on the list 😉  Tyler and I both agreed that having an excellent photographer and a skilled DJ top the list for services that we’re willing to throw a few extra dollars towards.  Why the DJ?  Well, I’ve only been to a few weddings in my day, but from what I’ve experienced, the DJ is what keeps everyone on their feet and having a good time.

Have you ever been to a wedding where the DJ played one too many cliche 80s dance songs, polkas, or unrecognizable rap montages?  Yeah – We don’t want that, so we went with Audio Excitement in Appleton, WI.

We know Audio Excitement because they’re known for keeping the party rolling until the wee hours of the morning at Plan B in Kaukauna.  They’ve also played in a few of our friend’s weddings, so the recommendations were endless.  Not only are they a fantastic group of disc jockeys, they also take pictures and immediately add them to a continuous slideshow after the photographer has left for the night!  An added plus is that Tyler and I will get to keep the hundreds of photos that Audio Excitement snapped and make a reception album of our own.  Ohhhh the memories will be FANTASTIC 🙂

When planning a wedding, what service do you believe is worth the splurge?

It’s By Your Side I Make My Home: The Wedding Venue

Wedding Wednesday:

Welcome to my very first Wedding Wednesday blog post!  Now – when debating which alliterative word to use for this particular day of the week I considered classics such as ‘Workout Wednesday’ but then thought, “Hey, I’m getting married in a year and a half, what a perfect excuse to blog about my wedding!”  I’m going to use my Wedding Wednesday posts as an outlet to update you on our definitive wedding plans, what we’ve found in terms of vendors, and some of our dream purchases, gifts, crafts, and dresses are!

Since Tyler and I just got engaged a month and a half ago, we’re not too deep into the wedding planning process but we do have a couple important aspects sorted out, such as our venue, location, date, and wedding cake.  Yes, you read that correctly, the cake.  The beautiful, tasty, sweet, memorable cake.  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.  Anyway!  Today I’m going to introduce you to our venue: High Cliff State Park!

High Cliff is a very special place for Tyler and I because it’s where we officially had our very first date!  Let me give you some background 🙂 Although Tyler and I had known each other for years before we started dating, we decided to hold off on officially becoming a couple until I got back from my vacation in Europe the summer of 2012.  The week I returned to the US we went on a romantic camping trip at High Cliff State Park.  There’s something about sleeping outside in a tent, hiking through the trees, and cooking marshmallows over a fire that just drives us crazy.  Needless to say…we’re a perfect match ❤

We also share a favorite season: Fall.  If you’ve never experienced fall in Wisconsin I can say with certainty that you’re missing out.  There’s nothing quite like the smell of sweet grass, the beauty of the orange and red leaves on the trees, apple picking, hayrides, pumpkin carving, and lots & lots & lots of candy corn!  Mmm 🙂  High Cliff State Park is notorious for its fall backdrop from the escarpment and magnificent cliffs.  The combination of us agreeing on a fall wedding and High Cliff being the venue of our first date was a perfect sign that this was going to be the ideal place to host our happiest day.

High Cliff also has a fantastic history!  The land was originally owned by a company called Western Lime and Cement Company where limestone was quarried & crushed to make buildings and roads for the town.

Apparently High Cliff was a bustling village back in the day with a hearty 250 residents, taverns, churches, schools, and shops.  There was even an amusement park and dance hall on top of the cliff!

Unfortunately the quarry closed n 1956 due to the production of faulty limestone and when Wisconsin took ownership of the land it was considered “the beginning of the end” for this new age town.  Today, the park provides camping, hiking, picnicking, wildlife watching and lakeside fun for the citizens of Wisconsin as well as a marina, General Store museum, Lookout Tower & Pavilion, and fantastic restaurant (which will play host for our post ceremony reception)!

Although I have not explored the park in it’s entirety, I love the lookout tower, roomy campsites, beach area, and hiking trails.  This summer Tyler and I are hoping to spend a few of our weekends camping and hiking though the State Park to get a feeling of where we would like to take our wedding pictures and have our ceremony.  I’ll keep you posted on our adventures this summer, but until then I’m so relieved that we found the venue of our dreams!

Tyler and I are thinking about having our ceremony outside in the State Park.  Did you get married outside or inside?  Why?  I would love to hear your stories!