Shhh...be vewy vewy quiet...(part 2)

Alright so when we last left off Fishboy, and I along with his parents for one session had traipsed around the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area looking for the "perfect" venue for our kick ass reception. What we found was bad 1980's flowers on the wall, crowded basement banquets, and deer asses on the walls.

Need some visual reminders?

 Make note of the flowers hanging from the lights-yeah, bad 1980's flowers on the wall.

 It's not encouraging when they can stack the chairs almost all the way up to the ceiling-crowded basement banquet.

This one is pretty self-explanitory-deer ass on the wall, and from the looks of it I think it needs to go to the bathroom.



What do bad flowers, crowded basements, and deer asses mean for our kick-ass reception? Well, Fishboy and I had to go back to the drawing board and do some more internet searching. I don't have many pictures from the other sites because well, Fishboy's camera needed to be used for work and always wound up with a dead battery.

We looked at 2 other golf courses, a historic ballroom, and finally gave up on the Eau Claire/Chippewa area and decided to look closer to home. 

Where we found a diamond in the rough-the Off-Broadway Banquet Center which is attached to The Stout Ale House here in Menomonie. The Stout Ale House is home of some of the BEST burgers I've ever tasted and even better they serve Macaroni and Cheese with 3 different kinds of cheeses...mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Our families will tell you, the Ale House has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants. There was one week that we ate there at least 3 or 4 times. How did we eat there 3 or 4 times in a week? Well, the first time was because it was Monday and they have 2 for 1 burgers on Monday, then we ate there for fishboy's birthday, and the next day we ate there with Fishboy's parent's for his birthday and finally we ate there with MY family to celebrate my little bro starting college. Can you tell we LOVE the Ale House? When I found out they have a banquet center I figured it would be PERFECT for us.

Fishboy's mad photoskillz strike again, panoramic shot of the site. The green walls aren't really doing it for me but I can deal with a paint color.

 
 Way in the back you can see me talking to the site manager Jay, who's been incredibly awesome by the way. But, more importantly we're standing by the bar-in the room! No having to leave to get drinks but since it's attached to the restaurant the guests can still go out and grab a special drink if they want.




 



I love love love, the light fixtures. I think the tulle was taken down after we toured which is fine with me.






 

 The dance floor is on the opposite side of the room from the bar, which I like just because then I don't have to worry about drunken guests trying to boogie down and spilling their drinks everywhere.

Another example of Fishboy's photoskillz, panoramic shot from the back.




Well, let's hear you're opinion of our venue. Granted the pictures don't really do the place justice. No one really liked it in pictures but once the families got to see it in person they were loving it. 


Pros

• Very self-contained. Bar, buffet, dancing, everything happens in this one large room
• There's our own private bathrooms
• They'll serve their fabulous burgers on a build your own burger buffet

Cons

• Ceremony is in Chippewa Falls, 40 minutes away from the reception
• Sorry, but I can't think of any other cons for this place!

Yes, we're serving burgers and fries at the reception. I've already cleared it with the reception site! What's your opinions of this place? Is a 40 minute drive too much or just enough?

Dressing the Princesses

 Remember when I told you here that Groomswoman Mulan made for a verry interesting dress shopping experience? Well, since Groomswoman Jasmine was home from college this past week I gathered the 3 bridal party princesses that I could and we made a trip out to the Bridal Shoppe in Eau Claire where I bought my dress. Shannon, the same woman who's helped me pick out my dress, the tuxes, and even our flowers (she owns Chippewa Valley Floral too, if there are any Chippewa Valley brides looking for their gowns I HIGHLY recommend Shannon and the Bridal Shoppe)  was kind enough to help these princesses find their dresses.



Groomswoman Jasmine trying on a black one shoulder. The only requirements I gave the girls was that the dress had to be black. I told them I preferred tea length but if they weren't comfortable with it being that short I understood. Was I too lenient with the girls? Probably but like I kept telling them-I wanted them comfortable and wearing something that made them feel fabulous.









 Groomswoman Jasmine trying on the strapless version of the one shoulder dress. 









Groomswoman Mulan, in the one blurry photo I was able to capture of her wearing a dress. Poor girl, none of the sample dresses were quite in her size so she wasn't really able to find anything that she was comfortable in. Plus, what she likes style-isticly wasn't quite fitting her figure. Since she NEVER wears dresses, she wasn't quite sure what she wanted. I helped her figure it out though so by the end of the day she had a little better idea of what she should be wearing.




Bridesmaid Ariel tried on a gorgeous purple halter that would be ordered in black. This was my favorite for her but I could tell it wasn't her favorite and that's what really mattered












Ironically, Bridesmaid Ariel and Groomswoman Mulan both liked this brown dress. They decided it looked better on Ariel.











This was Groomswoman Jasmine's favorite dress. I wasn't too keen on it but I couldn't get past the salmon color even though I knew it'd be ordered in black.





 
 
 Bridesmaid Ariel gave me her best "fierce" model pose. All three girls tried on at least one version of this black dress, it came strapless, halter, and one shoulder.












After we left the Bridal Shoppe, I treated the princesses to some lunch at Panera Bread. Once we were properly fed and refueled we headed over to Oakwood Mall and hit up Macys, JC Penny, Deb, Yonkers, and couldn't find ANY black dresses that looked even remotely appropriate. Since it was the day after New Year's weekend they had short skimpy New Year's Eve dresses and Old Lady Matronly dresses. Not appropriate for a group of 20-ish sassy women. Then we went to David's Bridal and although the girls could all find dresses they were all kind of chintzy quality and not flattering at all. 


All in all we had fun and it was a good bonding experience. What do you think? Was I too lenient with the girls, should I just pick a dress for them?

Our Princess Army

Fishboy and I have been blessed to have been surrounded by some wonderful women in our lives who've been there for us through thick and thin and whom we cannot imagine getting married with out them standing up there with us. And since every little girl dreams of being a princess on their wedding day, and to protect their fragile anonymity, I've decided to give our ladies the names of some of the most famous princesses I know- the Disney Princesses. So...without further ado I present, our very own army of princesses!

We'll start with his side of the aisle and yes, he's having women on his side cause we're non-conformists like that. 


First up...Groomswoman Mulan, aka: Fishboy's best friend and the only other woman other then me that he hangs out with on a regular basis. why Mulan? Well, I'm pretty sure that if you cross her she could kick your butt plus, Mulan spends most of the movie dressed like a man and GW Mulan hasn't worn a dress since she was a youngster. Which made for a verrrry interesting dress shopping experience (another story for another post).

Next, Goomswoman Jasmine, aka: Fishboy's younger sister. Why Jasmine? Well, cuz Jasmine didn't need Aladdin to save her, she saved herself from Jafar and was able to stand up for herself to the Sultan. Making her a very strong and confident woman just like GW Jasmine...but not afraid to put on her sassy pants and let you know exactly what she thinks.









And on my side...well, I have three very sassy women of my own. Bridesmaids Belle, Ariel, and Snow White.



 First, Maid of Honor Belle, aka: my older sister. Why Belle? Well, other then the fact that her FAVORITE movie of all time is Beauty and The Beast-she can tackle any beast that comes her way, especially when that beast is a certain sister with an upcoming wedding. She can calm me down and reminds me that at the end of the day it's my wedding and I'm the one who has to be happy.

Next in line, we have Bridesmaid Snow White. Snow and I have been best friends since she moved into my Grandmother's old house and we used to play hide and seek (my favorite spot was in the shower, unfortunately I managed to injure myself in a particularly competitive game) Why Snow White? As you can see, she has a knack with wild furry critters. Including a wild and crazy bride to be.

Last but by no means least, we have Bridesmaid Ariel. Ariel is my cousin but we're as close as sisters. Her parents are my godparents and my parents are hers so we've always joked that we're "godsisters". Why Ariel? Because she's always dreaming of being part of someone else's world. She's very empathetic and caring, which is a good thing since she's going to school for psychology.








There you have it! We've assembled an army of strong, confident, sassy women. Even if it's non-traditional to have women on both sides of the aisle we're comfortable with the women we've chosen and can't imagine having it any other way.
Is it a bad thing to be non-traditional and have men and women on both sides of the aisle? Yup, we're having men on both sides too-but that's another story for another post.

Inspiration

I just had a brief moment of clarity and realized that I forgot to share with you guys the vision for this wedding.

 

Going clockwise from the top left; our bridal party men's tuxes, an idea of the boutineres that I want for them, inspiration for asile decorations for the church (christmas lights wrapped in tulle), our current color scheme, my bouquet's inspiration, and an idea of what I want the bridal party girls to look like (black dresses with different colored sashes)

So there you have it-I really don't have much more then that. Except I'm toying with the idea of throwing some polka dots in there somewhere but other people around aren't digging the idea.

What do you think? Do I need to do some more googleing to find more inspiration pictures?
 

Rethinking Our Colors...

Remember back when I told you about our "theme" for this wedding? It boiled down to the fact that we have no theme just a mish mash of colors...these colors to be exact;  Neon Purple, Hot Fusha Pink, Glodenrod Yellow, Lime Green, and Electric Blue.  

Well, we've decided to change it up a little bit...

 

The biggest change is the removal of the yellow color and changing the green from a lime green to more of a hunter green and the blue went from a teal to a cobalt/navy blue. 

But, being the indecisive bride that I am I can't give up on my initial vision of bright colors in favor of the more muted jewel tones. So I'm asking my loyal readers for their help once again; what do you think? Should we stick with the original colors or should we embrace our newest idea for jewel tones?

Our Wedding Genie

I'd like to introduce you all to Melinda...otherwise known as my saving grace.

Friday versus Saturday

Lately I've heard from certain people that a Friday night wedding would be "inconvenient" for guests. Although I can understand this idea I've found compelling arguments for having a Friday night wedding, along with it being my personal preference.

Dress Love...

Alright well if you've been following the saga (here and here) that has been my dress hunting. You have probably realized that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing or what in the world I want. However that has all changed. I have found my dress...it's gorgeous, it's sleek and sophisticated, it's fitted but still allows me to move. In a word, it's PERFECT! I can hear the choir of angels singing the hallelujah chorus

The Wedding Dress Shopping that Almost Wasn't

This is the story of my latest adventure into wedding dress shopping or, as I like to call it..."Help Fishie Buy a Dress so she Doesn't Walk Down The Aisle Naked-extravaganza" the poor consultants at the dress shops never knew what they were in for when they agreed to take my appointment. Unfortunately, this fun adventure almost never happened. Between work schedules, school schedules, and health issues it was down to the wire and people started backing out left and right. As any good fishie would, I was understanding and told everyone it was fine that it was OK that they were backing out on me. Inside was a different story, I was starting to get frustrated and throwing a temper tantrum that would make a 3 year old jealous. It was enough to make even the most even tempered, laid back bride loose it. My party went from having over 8 people a week earlier to now it was down to me, MOH Fishie, and FMIL Fishie. Which, although fun, wasn't what I was expecting. So what's a frustrated, angry, fishie to do? Call in reinforcements of course!

Bridal University?

OK so I realize I'm being a hypocritical fishie here since the main tag line for why I want all the fabulous readers I get is that there's "no college course on the “Art of Wedding Planning”" so read about me bumbling my way through this without trying to loose my mind. And now, I'm writing a post called "Bridal University" y'all must think I've officially lost it-all those nummy fried foods have finally fried my brain. But I beg you, hear me out before you write me off as coo-coo for cocoa puffs.

Theme? I thought "Wedding" was a theme!

So I was catching up on some of my wedding blog reading and I started noticing something which had, up until this point, not even been on my radar-a theme. Stupid me I was under the impression that a wedding didn't need a theme since, well this isn't a high school prom. I have spent the last 22yrs of my life living under the assumption that "wedding" WAS a theme!

Shh...Be vewy vewy quiet...

Shh....be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits venues!

Source

When we were deciding on a venue we had a very distinct no idea of what we wanted…what we did know was:

• It had to be in the Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls metro area, FI Fishie had it set in his mind that he wanted a certain church and I didn't want to make our guests drive from the church to the reception and spend hours upon hours in the car.

• It had to accommodate a LARGE number of people, since “the blob” is only getting bigger and bigger

• In a perfect world, we wanted a venue where we'd be the only wedding there that day, I mean who wants to be walking down the hall and see one bridal party after another? I wanted my special day, not mine plus however many others the venue decided to book that day.

So without further ado (and some help from FI Fishie’s mad photography skillz) I present The Fishie's Venue Search!

First up...The Avalon Hotel


Nestled 2 miles away from our church The Avalon is Chippewa Fall's only full service hotel.

Fortunately MIL Fishie was willing to come along and provide some much needed guidance to the process

The banquet hall was already set up for a wedding taking place there that day

The dance floor for our reception would be a little bit bigger but you get the idea

I LOVE light fixtures, not entirely sure why but that’s what drew me into this place was the interesting light fixtures…mock me if you like.

Like I said FI Fishie has mad photo taking skillz I would’ve never been able to figure out how to take a panoramic shot of the whole shebang

Pros

• Located in Chippewa Falls, 2 miles away from the church

• Only hosts 1 wedding per day, no guarantee that since it is the only hotel in town that there won’t be another bridal party “staying” at the hotel though

• When we were there it was set up for about 180 and looked like it could accommodate more (“The Blob” would be contained)


• Gotta love that light fixture!


• Bar on site so we don’t have to worry about paying for drinks…if you want a drink just walk across the hall to the bar and pay for it yourself

Cons

• Not loving the maroon banquet chairs but thankfully I have sewing fairies who could help me dress them up a little

• Buffet is served out in the hallway…not very appetizing

• China pattern isn’t the prettiest

For being the first place we looked at The Avalon was great! We didn’t know exactly what we were looking for so it was a little awkward to go into the tour and not know what questions to ask. Kirsten, the sales manager, is AWESOME! The woman typically emailed me back within an hour if not sooner even if it was after hours.






Next up? The Ramada Inn


In the heart of downtown Eau Claire, the Ramada Inn is the only full service hotel in the downtown area and located 20 miles away from the church…

Once again FI Fishie’s mad panoramic photography skillz at work, this is the upper ballroom at the Ramada that can hold up to 600 people

Did I mention my fascination with interesting light fixtures?

Can you just imagine how romantic and elegant this room would be when they turn down the lights? OMG!

Now for the lower ballroom that the sales manager suggested based on the size of “The Blob” we weren’t big enough for the upper ballroom and would feel more intimate in the lower one…for a lower price too!

Oh, and make note of the amazing light fixtures…

I can already picture us dancing the night away…ahhhh

Pros

• Located in Downtown EC convenient place for guests to stay to be near to everything the Chippewa Valley has to offer

• Buffet served in the ballroom itself

• Awesome light fixtures…mock me if you must but for some reason that’s what I notice

• Large enough to not feel crowded but small enough to still feel intimate

Cons

• With two ballrooms that means potentially two brides…me no likey seeing another bride

• It can be a little difficult to navigate downtown EC’s one-way streets

• Parking can be “interesting” to say the least…we had to pay $1 before we could even park but the sales manager assured me that parking would be free to our guests

• No bar across the hall from our lower ballroom

The Ramada is amazing but I'm worried that the distance from the church to the reception may be prohibitive...opinions?

The Next Contestant…Westgate Sportsman’s Club

Don’t let the name fool you, although we did see a sign that said no shooting on the premises except for members but I was assured that there wouldn’t be any gunslingers there the day of the wedding…

See what I was saying about the shooting by members only?

Seculuded in the woods overlooking EC the Westgate Sportsman’s Club is a hidden jewel in the crown of the Chippewa Valley...

This is a good case of never judge a book by its cover, non-descript building holds a gem of a banquet room

Well it’s a gem except for the dead animals on the wall…please ignore the goofy look I have on my face, I blame getting up at 5am and going to school for about 6 hours

see what I mean about it being a gem?

The bar itself would be closed to the public so no worries about people cashing my party

The hall is a little separated so we could just put the people we don’t want to look at back here maybe? Just kidding…sortof

Ok so maybe they aren’t the most interesting light fixtures but…

I’ll overlook it in favor of this view out the dining room windows

Gorgeous! I can forsee some interesting photo opportunities on the lawn

Remember I said there are dead animals on the wall? Yeah, that includes a deer butt…hmm I think I can work with this though maybe give it a face or something?

Pros:

• Secluded out in the middle of nowhere I’m not worried about seeing other brides on “My” day

• Hello gorgeous view of the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers

• Goodie closet of leftovers from past weddings we can cannibalize and use if we’d like

• The dead animals provide for an “interesting” decorating dilemma but I’m up to the challenge

Cons

• The seclusion could equal lost guests and tired drivers trying to navigate windy roads on the way home

• Metal folding chairs…need I say more?

• “Eh” looking overhead light fixtures, but gorgeous side lighting

• 3 separate rooms could make acoustics difficult

So there you have it…our first attempt at hunting venues, and like Elmer I don’t think we caught any just yet, so we’ll have to keep looking. Did you find your venue right away or are you like us and had to learn on a curve what you wanted? And am I really crazy for my “appreciation” of light fixtures?

Which Venue Do You Like?