@kelsmom we can whine together! Maybe wine??
Just did the block of rooms. I called three places that are closeby. The hotel right across the street from the wedding venue was the least expensive, and can accommodate everyone. Includes a nice continental breakfast. They can also possibly do a welcome event…pizza, salad, beer, wine, soda. It would sure be easy to have one stop shopping for the guests!
Bridal suite reserved for night of wedding for bride and groom.
Whew!
It is quite unusual to have 7 yr old boys throwing flower petals. Just my personal opinion. Young boys could wear black pants, shoes, white shirt and bow tie. http://www.foreverwed.com/articles/children/0015281d.html
When my older D got married, the ring bearer (8 years) wore Nantucket reds, white shirt, Vineyard Vines (bow tie) and a navy vest. Groomsmen had blue blazers, khakis, and Vineyard Vines ties.
Do an image search on ring bearer outfit on google or pinterest and you’ll see plenty of ideas for brainstorming.
Personally, I’m a sucker for seersucker for an outdoor wedding.
Hey – DD is May 2018 too!
Church and venue have been reserved. Photographer and florist are set. No hotel block yet but the wedding is in a major metropolitan area with lots of options, so we’re not too worried.
I’m flying out to go dress shopping with D next weekend and I can’t wait! She wants to have the dress stuff done by mid-May. Have I mentioned lately that we’re also going dress shopping in Chicago so we can see Hamilton at the same time???
Right now I’m as excited about Hamilton as I am about the wedding planning…
Hey does anyone know about a bride dress/veil in a bag being able to be ‘carry on’ as military uniforms in their garment bag are allowed? DD and FSIL are going to Italy for a Papal Blessing in Aug after the wedding, and are flying Delta. I told her to check with Delta Airlines, but maybe people on this thread know about this. She has points for one ticket, and maybe also has some ‘extras’ with Delta/Delta credit card.
SOS, I did it, all those decades ago. (The flight attendants were excited. It was hung in the back, where they could accommodate longer dress bags.) But so much has changed. She does need to call them. The dress can also be stored in a right-size box (I’d ask a dry cleaner who specializes in packing just-so, after cleaning.) With enough stuffing, wrinkles are minimized. Then you ask the airline about a box of that dimension being carry on, for a closet, not overhead. Good luck. Her dress ought to get its own flyer miles. 
DIL flew with her dress, but I don’t know exactly how she did it. I can check with her and let you know.
Thank you all for your suggestions! DD says she knows what she wants and I will let you all know when I do. @ECmotherx2 , I guess I don’t think it is that unusual. I think weddings these days can be very individualist. We have 2 young boys in the family and no girls. And what can be more fun than tossing petals?
I love the idea of using little boys to throw flower petals. Heck- just about anything is acceptable at weddings anymore and this is probably one of the least weird things I have heard of. I think it is great that you are including the boys in the wedding in whatever capacity works for your family!
I would probably try to coordinate their clothing with the wedding colors. Pants to match the groomsmen, a white shirt and a bow tie to coordinate with it all. Suspenders might be a cute addition.
FDIL showed me the flower girls’ dresses last night - very pretty and traditional white dresses with a navy satin bow. The bride has asked the women in the wedding party (including MOB and MOG) to wear navy, and the men will be in navy suits. The couple recently disseminated their wedding website via the platform they used for their emailed save the dates. Within a couple of days, gifts started arriving at my house. Since I live in a house, in the suburbs, I am their gift repository! All other relevant participants in the wedding (couple and MOB) live in NYC apartments without doormen. His childhood bedroom will be where all will be stored until they move into the co-op they are in the process of buying. The time is beginning to fly by. MOB has sent invitations for a cocktail party in LA so they can include all their west coast friends (bride grew up in LA), and I will be hosting a summer party for all the more local family and friends, especially those who won’t be able to come to the wedding. Getting busy!
We took a drive this weekend to meet S’s future inlaws and check out the area so we will not be blind-leading-blind when it comes to the wedding (in two months). We stayed in the hotel, ate at the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner will be held, went to mass at the church, looked at the reception venue. All went well… EXCEPT I didn’t like the hotel. (Bride’s mother, who lives in the area, picked it out. She did ask for my input, but since I was limited to online info. and she was there, I completely deferred to her selection. Now I wish I had done more research and had stated my preferences…but, too late for that.) The hotel is very nice, recently updated decor, etc. But it is a very large hotel/conference center. Just huge. Unusual design/layout inside, and I could not figure it out, kept getting lost in the building! Also, because of the design, there are a lot of stairways/balconies/railings that look “dangerous for kids.” But the major problem for me is that there is no breakfast included, and no minifridge/microwave in the rooms, either. It is mostly my (and H’s) relatives who are in need of hotel rooms (since many of brides’ side are local/driving distance). Many have large families, modest incomes. If they have to pay an extra $10+ per person for breakfast in this somewhat fancy hotel, in addition to the long drive, room charge-- it is a significant additional expense. And if they have to run out to McDonalds or whatever for a $2-4 breakfast, that is an inconvenience, though a smaller added expense. Whenever we have traveled together, we always stay in “less fancy” motels with breakfast included, and gathering for breakfast is a big part of the fun/additional visiting time. I’m sure our relatives will be disappointed with this setup because it is just not what they’re used to. Not sure if I should forget about it and let everyone fend for themselves (which they are perfectly capable of doing–like H and I had the McDonalds breakfast this weekend. . .TBH, it is probably easier for everyone to find the McDonalds a block away than to FIND the various restaurants inside this hotel!), or if we should try to provide something for our people at the hotel. Just venting, but I did not feel comfortable at this place.
Atom on, I’ve been to hotels that reserve a block of rooms for an event. They throw in a common room. The parents brought in breakfast foods and another meal. The hotel guests gathered in this room. Maybe there is the same at this hotel?
I will call them about it–see if we can set up something.
@atomom, I was going to suggest something along the lines of what bookworm suggested. I’ve known a number of POG who have had some sort of reception room at the hotel where family/friends can drop in for breakfast/brunch, a snack/dessert buffet (especially if the rehearsal dinner didn’t include out of town guests), and so forth. It gives people a place to gather and chat. Sometimes people have food and drink provided by the hotel, sometimes they bring it in, sometimes a combination. Always sounded like a nice idea to me, and could be perfect in your situation, if you can afford it.
ETA: this reminds me of a funny story, When I was travelling on business in my 20s, I was booked into a room at a Hyatt or Hilton or the like in Pittsburg that catered to businesses. I arrived on the late side, and the bell man took me up to my room, turned on the lights, I tipped him, and he left. They had given me an unusually large room at the end of a corridor, with fancier furnishings and trappings, such as a shell-shaped sink. The problem was, I realized, that there didn’t seem to be a bed! I called down to the desk and they sent someone up who demonstrated that one of the couches folded out to be the bed. (And it was perfectly comfortable, I might add.) That was the kind of room that businesses rented when they wanted to have a reception room, which is what made me think of it.
We blocked our rooms! Luckily the hotel rightnacross the street from our venue could accommodate everyone. Of course, some may look elsewhere because they have hotel points or,whatever…but we are happy with our block.
This place includes a continental breakfast.
They have a nice room off of their restaurant which we have tentatively reserved for a meet and greet the night before. That can be determined later.
D and FSIL called tonight as they are now engaged. We are thrilled!
D’s residency schedule leaves them with two weeks in Sept. and two weeks in March.
I know March is a super cheap and easy time to get a late planned wedding going in Portland.
Sept. is gorgeous here while March is dismal.
There will be mainly guests traveling so the weather matters.
No question yet. Except-- my H has never been through a sibs or even a friends wedding. Ours
was so not typical, traveling to New Zealand (not a happy wedding overall).
He refuses to think about the “hidden” expenses and so on.
Congrats to you and your family, @oregon101!
Congratulations @oregon101! I assume you mean March/September 2018? If you mean this coming September, it might be tight, but certainly doable…you’ll want to firm up guest lists sooner than usual so people can make travel plans. Back in the day I was engaged in July and married in November. My S and FDIL got engaged in November 2016 and are to be married in September 2017. It can be done, though venue options might be more limited. What a special few weeks this has been for your family with a match near home followed by the engagement!
D and I are having a discussion about day-of coordinators – I think she should use one, she thinks it’s unnecessary and wants to save that money.
My argument: You really need someone to orchestrate and trouble-shoot all the bridal party/photographer/vendor mayhem on the day of the wedding. I don’t want to do it myself (although I do have a sister who is perfect for the job!)
Her argument: Is it really necessary? It’s a small wedding party and a not-too-elaborate reception. The reception venue has its own coordinator who coordinates and manages all the vendor stuff; DD thinks (but isn’t sure) that there is a similar person at the church who will oversee the rehearsal and the ceremony.
I suggested she talk with the church to see what they provide, and we can go from there. I just envision some last minute screw-up that I or my sister will have to fix – and I’d rather pay someone else to take care of it. My daughter, bless her heart, is more frugal and more skeptical. What do y’all think?