Adrian & Jenny’s Wedding

I’m having it made.

I want to give you so many more details because I am so so so so so so excited to be having my gown custom made, but alas, Husband-in-Training would come across it and know all too much.

So what helped me make this decision? During all my tryings-on of bridal gown after bridal gown, I found myself thinking “this is not ME. This gown was made for ‘a bride’, but not for ME.” and there were things I would want changed with each gown. This includes the amazing Pronovias gown I almost went with from Bridal & Formal.

Upon coming across an amazingly talented dressmaker based in San Francisco, CA, I knew I found the young woman who would make MY gown. And it felt SO right, especially after exchanging a few e-mails, sending along a photo of what I was looking for and even more so after receiving the fabric in the mail. It was all coming together and it would be MINE!

This decision feels so RIGHT, so GOOD, and I am THRILLED! Anyone who is interested in seeing the photos of the design and fabrics, shoot me an e-mail (jlnowak [at] gmail [dot] com)!

Any other brides out there having their wedding gown custom-made? Please share!

Jenny the Bride

Yesterday I received an answer to the question of whether we were allowed to have our wedding ceremony at the greenspace outside of Simon Hall on IU’s campus.

NO.

So while at first both Adrian and I were disappointed, we realized there was nothing we were going to be able to do to change the committee’s mind and decided on another (already pre-approved!) site:

The Rose Well House:

(The Rose Well House set up for a wedding.  Image courtesy of Cathy Teeters Beautiful Weddings)

(A wedding going on–in the middle of a torrential downpour–at the Rose Well House!  Image courtesy of Jessica R. Strickland)

From Bloomingpedia:  “The Rose Well House is a small structure built in 1908 from stone door gates that were originally part of the old College Building. The well house is located over what was the first cistern used on the new Indiana University campus, on the north-eastern edge of Dunn’s Woods. It is situated close to Wylie Hall, Owen Hall and Maxwell Hall.”

As a matter of fact, it all works out for the better.  Even though here we can’t have an in-the-round ceremony based on the shape, Adrian and I went to the Rose Well House on our first date (along with fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies from the Bloomington Bagel Company!), so it’s a spot that means something personal to us. And because of this, we are looking forward to vowing to be together forever in this spot where we, back in the fall of 2004, sat with our chocolate chip cookies and talked for over an hour, learning about one another as we began our relationship.

Jenny the Bride

Remember when I said we’d been approved for that beautiful circular grassy space on IU’s campus?  Ah, those were the days!  Turns out, I was mistaken.  I’ve since been contacted by the Student Activities committee and filled out a form stating how many guests we would have (75 or less), if we would have a tent (NO), and how long we would need the space for (not very).  Adrian and I are now awaiting approval from the Board of Trustees at IU and whomever else needs to go through our form and decide if we should be the lucky ones to have the first and likely only wedding in this area.   Currently, there are only THREE (!) approved outdoor ceremony spaces on campus, and this is NOT one of them.  Their decision could go either way, though, and that’s the problem.  We’re waiting….waiting….waiting….. and on THE MOST important detail of the wedding day (besides each other)–where we’re having our ceremony!

I will update further once a decision has been made.  Keep your fingers crossed that it’s SOONER rather than LATER!

As for THE DRESS update……..

My mom came to visit this past Saturday through Tuesday.  We had a GREAT time just hanging out and celebrating my birthday on Sunday (it was seriously one of the best ever!)  And on MONDAY she and I traveled 2 hours to Cincinnati, OH to visit the largest bridal salon in the country: Bridal & Formal!  I’ve been wanting to come here ever since I first heard of the shop years ago and it truly was an amazing experience.

Upon arrival, I was given a form to fill out with my name, wedding date, and contact info.  Then I was shown the (over 3,000) gowns!  Thankfully, they were organized by designer & price to make the search a little easier :)  I chose 8 Pronovias gowns rather easily, as this designer is heavy on my style of vintage lace & European design.  They had every single one of their styles I’ve been wanting to try on for FOREVER!  I was thrilled and SO EXCITED to start trying them all on!  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long, because my consultant Tracie was ready to take me back to the LARGE communal dressing room minutes after I chose the dresses.  She was hilarious.  She said I had a beautiful “olive skin tone”!  Pff!  yeah right!  Not with these freckles!

Well, the first one I tried on back there was IT.  It just was.  It was amazing.  It was unique.  It was ME in every way.  This was the dress.  Although I’d tried on about 4 or 5 more dresses afterward, I knew I’d found my dress.  Tracie took me back to another lady who is in charge of accessorizing.  This was a part of the shopping experience that made Bridal & Formal stand out among other bridal salons.  They took me in this gorgeous gown I’d chosen and sat me down on a plush stool in front of a vanity set with mirrors surrounded by veils & jewelry of all kinds.  Here I was adorned with a chapel-length veil, gorgeous earrings & a bracelet to go with my gown.  And here is where I couldn’t keep the tears from coming as I was led to the bridal platform area to see it all put together.  Of course, my mother was in tears herself :)  It was definitely one of those moments everybody’s been telling me I’d have but I never believed would happen.  Well, it did.  You all were right. 

After all of that, even though super-sweet and helpful Tracie kept trying to get the price of this amazing gown down, it still was more than we were wanting to spend (I just cannot see spending four figures on a dress that will only get worn once) and we left the store.  Of course, I have resources upon resources and am certain I won’t have a hard time finding this exact gown elsewhere for a friendlier price.  So the search is on!

The great thing is, if I don’t find it for a better price, I have another just-as-exciting option:  I have found an amazingly talented dressmaker on Etsy who is more than willing and more than capable of creating a very similar and just as beautiful gown out of a material I’ve always LOVED and yet a material that is very very hard to find in wedding gowns.  This seller has sent me sketches, I’ve seen her work, and I would be just as thrilled to work with her to create a one-of-a-kind gown for our wedding day as I would to find that Pronovias gown in a more reasonable price range.

So now I’m down to two.  Two beautiful, exciting options.  Of course, I will not post any further information and certainly no photos of these gown options here, as Husband-in-Training could and would stumble upon them, but if anyone is interested in seeing what I’m talking about, please feel free to contact me: jlnowak [at] gmail [dot] com.

Jenny the Bride

As non-traditional as Adrian and i may be, we wanted our beloved brothers (”The Jons”) to stand beside us on the wedding day as wedding party members. For a while we didn’t think we’d even have a wedding party, that it would just be the two of us and Kai (Adrian’s son). However, the more I got to thinking about it, I wanted my little brother to stand beside me as my “man of honor”. When I brought this up to Adrian, he thought it was a great idea and decided to ask his brother to stand beside him as a groomsman, thus creating a wedding party.

I called my brother last week to ask him and he was thrilled! It made me so happy to hear the smile in his voice and know that this was something that he would look forward to and enjoy so much

Adrian called and asked his brother last week as well and he accepted, but not without some ribbing from what I hear. I think that’s more common between two brothers than it is between a sister and a brother

So now our wedding party is complete: Us, “The Jons”, Kai (best man) and Vienna (flowergirl). We are both honored to have these much loved people by our side when we say our vows!

Jenny the Bride

We are SO EXCITED to have finally decided on a ceremony site!

Let me back up a bit. Last week we met with Timothy Womock to look at the Grand Hall at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center for our reception. I already knew I loved it, as I’d photoed two wedding receptions there. Adrian wanted to have a look to be sure it was what he was envisioning, and sure enough, it was! Timothy was absolutely terrific; laid-back with a sense of humor. Isn’t that what Adrian and I are all about? Perfect match. We had a great time and he was super helpful.

BUT!! Important piece of info for our female guests–because of the gorgeous blond hardwood floors in the hall (and hey, also because of our outdoor ceremony site), stiletto pumps are not recommended if you will be dancing (and you are expected to dance it up)! If you receive an invitation to our wedding, please keep this in mind! Plus, we’re keeping things pretty casual, so nice sandals or going barefoot (or slippered, or flip-flopped) at the reception is totally encouraged!

After we left the Grand Hall, Adrian, being the sweet, thoughtful man that he is, made me an offer I could not refuse: Why don’t we recreate our first date? It was a beautiful day, sun shining, not a cloud in the sky and 70. Really. Perfect. So we walked from the Grand Hall to Laughing Planet Cafe in downtown Bloomington and enjoyed the most wonderfully delicious burritos.

After, we walked over to the Bloomington Bagel Co to get two huge warm chocolate chip cookies!!

We walked around campus again while eating cookies trying to find the perfect outdoor site for an in-the-round ceremony when we came across it! There is a new, beautifully-landscaped area on campus nestled in the center of four gorgeous limestone buildings, one of which is the new Simon Hall (the newest scientific research facility on the Bloomington campus).

In the first picture below you will see an arrow pointing to the location of our ceremony in-the-round. You can easily see the wide-open circular shape of the area which really drew us to the site (photo from IU’s live webcam):

The rest of the photos are photos I took from ground level at various angles:

YAY!!!!!!! I love it SO MUCH! And after e-mailing my contact at IU (you get “contacts” when you’ve got a career in the wedding industry), the ball is rolling on getting it reserved! She herself said we were very lucky to be given the permission to marry here, though I’m not entirely sure why. I guess it’s mostly because there are huge restrictions with this space, as a large part of Simon Hall is underneath it (water lines and the like). But we got the go-ahead and now we’ve just got to get it in writing!

Now, of course, for those of us getting married outside, we understand the importance of a back-up plan in case of inclement weather. Adrian and I will be able to rent out the entire Neal-Marshall Center since it’s after school lets out and the plan is to get married there, on the stairs, as our back-up.

Photos of the back-up site (we would be on the stairs and guests would sit on chairs out on the floor there):

It’s so awesome, because we both LOVE each of the sites! Plus, the way we both feel, we don’t care if we have to get married in a sewer, we’re just so excited to marry one another. That’s really all that matters.

Well, to bed for me!

Jenny the bride

I was shopping on my new obsession today and came across the MOST ADORABLY PERFECT flowergirl dress ever! Adrian and I plan to ask his niece, Vienna (pictured below)

to be our sweet little flowergirl. Apparently, she has already offered, so we anticipate zero objections!

BUT ANYWAY, back to that DRESS! It’s so perfect because it’s our colors, it’s an adorable design, and it’s something Vienna could wear again (we want everything to be as reusable as humanly possible! Recycle, recycle, recycle…)

ALSO!! Yesterday, the fabric I purchased for our reception tables came in!!

The fabric is by Amy Butler and I LOVE THEM! They’re perfect! I Etsy-shopped again and got them from seller “fabricsupplies”. As you can see I got those 7 quarter-yard fabric pieces (+ more from the same seller) and plan to place them on the center of each table with my centerpieces on top (more on those later) and then AFTER the wedding, have the pieces made into a quilt! I got this idea from Shelterrific, as she did the same for her wedding. I thought it was such an awesome idea to recycle (see? again!) something from the wedding and have it be a part of your daily life! I am so excited to do this!

In other news, tomorrow, Wednesday May 21st, at 1pm Adrian and I have our very first wedding-related appointment! We’re going to go view the Grand Hall (remember–reception location) to be sure this is where we want to do it. I know this is where I want to do the reception, but Adrian needs to see it again to be absolutely sure. After that, we’re going to take a walk around campus to (hopefully!!) settle on a ceremony site. I AM SO EXCITED to get these things checked off our list!

I’m going to bring my camera tomorrow (of course. It’s permanently attached to my hand) and get some pics of all of these things for my blog readers (family? You are out there, right? Pleeease comment and let me know you’re keeping up! This blog is mainly for you! AND we LOOVE YOU!)

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Jenny the bride

I went to Indy on Thursday as I mentioned. I enjoyed the PUG meeting and learned a lot. THEN I went gown shopping.

I canceled my appt at 1:30 and instead went straight to Nancy’s Bridal and I’m sooo glad I did! I had heard lots of great reviews about Nancy’s from other brides, plus they carried the designer I was most interested in trying: Watters.

I was greeted by a beautiful store with LOTS of gowns and a friendly consultant (I forgot her name ) who showed me to the Watters gown section. They had, like, EVERY Watters gown in stock! I was in heaven! I tried on 7 dresses I think. Three I loved, one I super-duper-loved!

Then, last week, I ordered a gown from J. Crew to try on. As their wedding gowns are not available in stores, if you want to try them on, you’ve gotta order them. J. Crew has a GREAT return policy (within 60 days, unworn, with tags still attached) and at the time of my purchase, they had free shipping. Sooo…. I had nothing to lose by purchasing the dress, trying it on (and taking pictures) at home, then sending it back for a full refund the next day. It’s going back tomorrow, but I HAVE PHOTOS! And not only of this dress, but the dress I super-duper-loved at Nancy’s Bridal!

….but, if you want to see them, you’ve gotta ask permission! E-mail me at jlnowak@gmail.com!

One step closer!!

Jenny the Bride

Tomorrow I’m going to Indianapolis for a monthly PUG (Pictage User Group) meeting for photographers in Indianapolis & surrounding areas.

I had been thinking that I should check out some bridal salons in Indy while I’m there, so I made appointments with three:

Sophia’s Bridal & Tux at 1:30pm

Dreams of Indy at 3:00pm

Something Old, Something New in Pendleton at 5:30pm

And in between appointments, I’d like to visit Nancy’s Bridal in Indy

We’ll see what I have time for!  The PUG meeting starts at 11:00am and should only run 1-1.5 hours.

Then of course I need to be back home in Bloomington by 10:00pm for “LOST”.  But I’ll be sure of that.

Oh, and I heard from Timothy Womock about viewing the Grand Hall.  Next week would be better, he says.  No appts made yet.  Have to talk to Adrian, but he’s been in Indy himself all day for work.

More later!
Jenny the Bride

OK, so we’re getting VERY close to the one-year mark (as in one year until our wedding date!)!

The goal this week is to get our ceremony & reception sites booked. I have filled out the form for the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall (pictured below–photos by Grise Photography (me)) and have been in contact with Timothy Womock who is in charge of booking at Neal-Marshall for Adrian & I to come view it before paying for it. Hopefully we’ll be able to do so this week and get it booked!

I, personally, LOVE the space and have photographed two receptions here, one of which Adrian attended. He wants to go back, though, since the last time he saw it was 2 years ago. Can’t blame him.

As for a ceremony site, we’re firm on an outdoor campus (IU) location, just not sure WHICH outdoor campus location yet. We should be able to come to a final decision by Friday though (the dreaded One Year Mark).

I’ll update as it happens!

Jenny

I am so excited!

WE HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHER!

Adrian’s good friend from high school is a professional photographer (Jason Miller of Silvertree Photographics) and has agreed to photograph our wedding!  I am THRILLED for two reasons:

1) I know this has been something that has meant a lot to Adrian,

2) Jason is extreeeemely talented, personable, and fun (all the things I was looking for in a photographer!).  All that and he’s a personal friend, so we’ll feel comfortable around him and have a great time!

Now we’ve just gotta meet with him and discuss specifics (or really, Jason and I need to talk shop!).  We’re also thinking of doing an engagement session somewhere down the line at the IMA grounds where we spent the weekend we got engaged!  But I’m getting ahead of myself…

So what’s the ceremony site update?

All of the sudden we’re open to IUB’s campus for our outdoor ceremony.  What changed our minds?  The trouble we’re running into finding an alternative!  That and it really is a gorgeous campus, and by that time there will hardly be any students (our wedding falls after graduation on purpose), AND it’s CLOSER to our desired reception location (the Grand Hall at IU’s Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center).

Still have to talk about it and view possible locations, but I think we’re getting nearer making a decision!  We’ll, of course, keep you updated

Jenny

The Bride