Please Don't Stop...

THE MUSIC!!!

A big shout out to Rihanna, a fellow (beautiful) Caribbean woman, who is currently battling her own personal issues. I hope things work out...

Anyway, speaking of music, I've been putting this aspect of the wedding (particularly the reception) off because it's so dang daunting. I'm going to keep doing it some more too because there's so much to think about. We've got so many different tastes, ages and personalities of people coming to our wedding that it's going to be a whopper of a task to make sure to include all the types of music that will appeal to as many people as possible. Right now off the top of my head I can think of the following musical styles being played during the reception alone:

soca - a very fast Caribbean music that's fun to dance (and jump up) to primarily for me, my Caribbean friends and family

(the picture above is of Machel Montano a huge soca star. This man sold out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row..a rare feat, but island folks love their soca)

 Motown- for the older crowd

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Who doesn't love the Four Tops and other Motown artists? With songs like "Reach Out/I'll Be There" and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honeybunch)"  you're bound to want to at least hum some of these songs.

 

 What I like to call old school Italian wedding hits  for the New England Italian portion of Mr. Swan's family

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Maybe some Dean Martin singing "Volare" or "Luna Mezzo Mare?" 

  80's hits - for our friends to reminisce

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You have not lived until you've screamed "Living on a Prayer" at the top of your lungs...seriously....

Hip Hop and R&B - For me to get down on the dance floor!!

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Ms. "I'm Sasha Fierce" aka Beyonce Knowles. Mr. Swan likes the "Single Ladies" song, but don't tell him I told you or he'll be a bit embarassed.

All I can say is that our DJ will have a lot on his hands trying to do all of this, but he has assured us that they can mix a good set of music to keep everyone on the dancefloor even with our daytime wedding. I've warned some people already that I will be shaking my groove thing, but I hope they will too. I hope that they'll hear something new from a different genre of music or realize that they liked something they least expected. Our wedding is about mixing experiences, personalities and cultures (and that's just Mr. Swan and me!). I foresee this happening with the music too. 

Will you be playing various styles of music at your wedding, or are you more lucky than me and have guests with similar tastes? How are you planning on handling various musical preferences? Has anyone been to a wedding where the DJ did not play a variety of music? Was it more or less fun for you? 

Where Would I Find This?

I love this:

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This lovely cupcake tower. Did the couple in Martha Stewart Weddings make this? It's so modern, simple, streamlined and perfectly uncutesy. The thought of a DIY makes me cry after another long day of work, but perhaps I should get over myself and do it anyway? Sigh...props and kudos to anyone who can: 1) tell me how to make this, or 2) tell me where I can buy something just like it. I will be forever grateful. 

Daytime?

One of the first major decisions we made that really changed the course of planning our wedding was our decision to have a daytime wedding. Back in the day, I guess it was pretty common to have a morning wedding and proceed to a simple lunch or other type of reception. Of course everything about weddings seemed simpler then, didn't it?

The daytime option became pretty clear after Mr. Swan and I ran some numbers on one of his very nifty spreadsheets. At the same time, I thought "A DAYTIME WEDDING!" It's not the lovely (and common) Saturday night chic event that I originally envisioned. Yet it seemed to be a really economical way to keep our wedding reception costs in check. Mr. Swan and I made the decision, but I am still sweating it a bit.

My fears for having a daytime wedding were/are:

1. How the heck am I going to get ready in the morning particularly when dealing with my hair? - I am still working this one out in my head. At least with an evening wedding you have the luxury of having a full day to lounge and leisurely get ready. I think I see a 5am wake up call in my future.

2. It will be boring. - I know me and many of my friends will find a way to have fun on the dance floor, but I have to admit that apparently some people don't like to dance when it's light out. I'm just going to put this out of my mind and make sure that at least Mr. Swan and I have fun. I used to dance when I was younger, so even if it is just me on the dance floor at least I'll give everyone a good show. I've heard some people have daytime weddings simply to avoid dancing. I love dancing too much to do that.

3. What are people going to do later? - Since our wedding will be over by 4pm at the very latest, folks will have time to explore NY for the rest of the day. Many of Mr. Swan's family and friends are from out of town and do not have family and friends in NY, so we're in the process of figuring out a place for people to hang out that evening.

While having a daytime wedding definitely has it cons, I think our foresight to be budget conscious for the wedding from the beginning is allowing us to go to sleep peacefully each night.

Any other daytime brides worried about having a daytime wedding? Has anyone planned or been to a wedding that was not the usual night affair ? How was it?

Reception Search - Little House..... in Greenwich Village

I realized that I have yet to finish chronicling my venue search, so here it goes...

I was at the tail end of wanting to see reception venues. I had seen places small, fancy, big, plain and everything in between, but I wanted to see 632 on Hudson for myself in person. It's a townhouse originally built in the 1840's in the West Village. It has amazing architecture and is a beautiful, intimate space. 

I was originally attracted to 632 on Hudson because of the artwork and beautiful decor. Plus it would be different from the traditional catering/banquet/restaurant private room options that we had been looking at in general. 

When you see these photos, can you blame me for wanting to see it live? 

(source: moi)

(source: moi aussi)

(source: me again)

(source: you guessed it)

There's even a roof deck! 

While I really like 632 on Hudson, I have to admit it looked a little smaller in person than on the website (isn't that always the case?). I was told that it could fit our group, but wasn't sure if people wouldn't feel a little cramped. I think it would be a wonderful space for up to 60 or 70 people. 

Also I wanted to have a dedicated space for people to be able to have a sit-down meal and to not be divided between the 632's multiple levels. Luckily, a new gallery/open space was being built on the lower level. I got to take a sneak peek on the tour (pic is below). The room could easily fit up to 100 people seated. If I remember correctly, they were still working out the pricing for renting both spaces. I think a fun wedding would be to have cocktails in the main area upstairs with dinner downstairs and then back upstairs for fun!

While 632 on Hudson seems like a fun space, it didn't necessarily seem like the right space for Mr. CPF and me. I hope someone I know has a wedding there soon just so I can experience it at night! I think this is a great option for the couple having a small wedding with an opulent house party feel. Please, friends, someone have a wedding here!

Venue Shopping #2 - Raw?

Raw space that is. One of the venue options we explored was using a raw loft space for our ceremony and reception. It's a popular option here in NY as there are many industrial buildings that have been turned into live-work residential loft and event spaces. Since Mr. CPF and I were looking to have our wedding in Brooklyn, we looked into Pochron Studios in DUMBO.

Pochron Studios's event space is wide open with white walls. For some people this is like a beautiful blank canvas; to me it's SCARY. I wish I was one of those people who could envision the amazing uses for a space like this. I'm pretty darn visual in that I need something to anchor my vision or idea. The great thing about a raw space is the ability to create any and everything that your imagination can conjure, but I need a bit more .

I will say that Pochron would be a little helpful in creating a great vibe than other loft spaces because of this:

This view is amazing! There is a lovely huge patio/terrace that is a great place to have a ceremony and cocktails. Here it is set up for a wedding (sans view):

At the same time I was still wondering if using a raw space was for me. I was jazzed by the view and thinking about the major challenge of a blank space, when I began to think about some of the drawbacks of this kind of space.

A minus for some people possible considering certain types of loft spaces is not having much space or equipment for a caterer to throw down and do his/her thang in the kitchen.

While Pochron gave us a list of caterers that were experienced in using this space, it was definitely something to think about for me.

In the end we decided not to go with Pochron because well...I think Mr. CPF and I are pretty lazy :) I knew that we really wanted to streamline the process of wedding planning as much as possible. The extra steps of thinking about decor, renting tables and chairs and finding a caterer were all a bit too much for us. While Pochron was definitely cool, we kept on truckin'.

Did you use or considering using a raw, simple or otherwise challenging space for your wedding? What were some of the benefits or drawbacks of these spaces?

Finding a Venue #1 or What's a Foodie to Do?

One of the things I knew would be important to me in planning this wedding was the food. As you can tell from my previous post, I am a bit of a foodie. I have a hard time spending tons of money on a pair of shoes, but if I can find a good meal somewhere, I am all over it. Yep yep! Needless to say, I know that I wanted to find a reception venue that had great food or at least a good culinary reputation.  Unfortunately, that does not always happen in wedding planning. There are just so many things going on in the decision-making process that something's gotta fall by the wayside. I've already learned a few months into this process that you will never really figure out how you got where you did until you get there....ya know what I'm sayin'? 

Case in point...our chosen venue...I NEVER EVEN TRIED THE FOOD!!! That's right.. NEVER! I'm going on complete blind faith here, which for someone like me who wants to know everything ahead of time (yep, I'm a planner) is pure hell. 

This leads me to our top choice at the beginning of the venue shopping process: the River Cafe in Brooklyn.  In addition to having amazing food, the Terrace Room, the River Cafe's private room, has beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline.  At the beginning of planning, I really wanted a venue that would highlight the beauty of NYC. I grew up here, love with all my heart, and I find something new and beautiful about it almost everyday. I really wanted the feel of NY in all its beauty to be a part of our day. 

When you walk into the Terrace Room you see this amazing view.

(photo credit to yours truly)

Honestly, this pictures does not do it justice. Sigh...

We would have tried to have our ceremony on the deck here:

(I took this one too)

Even the inside is pretty..I mean come one..they've got a stream running through it!

(ditto)

I was in venue love, BUT this place costs mad loot, yo! I'm not even buggin' with you. Mr. CPF and I contemplated this place for awhile. We thought about cutting our guest list; buying sardines to eat for the next year; and just plain sucking it up. In the end, we couldn't justify the price. I lost my perfect foodie venue in the blink of an eye...okay fine, in the blink of a perfectly rational adult decision. Oh well! What's a girl to do. I soon realized that the C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me. You know you recognized the Wu-Tang Clan reference) factor was going to be sooo much a part of this process. 

So Mr. CPF and I kept on movin' ...stay tuned for more on the venue saga. 

Was there anything that you may have felt strongly about in your venue search or in wedding planning in general? Were you able to get it in the end? Please let me know what it feels/felt 'cause I'd sure like to know.