Filed under: ceremony, planning | Tags: campus, ceremony site, IU, Neal-Marshall, outdoor wedding, outside wedding
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
Filed under: planning, reception | Tags: amy butler, dresses, fabric, flowergirl, quilting
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
Filed under: the dress | Tags: indianapolis, J. Crew, Nancy's Bridal, watters, wedding gowns
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
Filed under: ceremony, planning, reception | Tags: ceremony sites, Indiana University Bloomington, IU, neal-marshall black culture center, reception sites
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
Filed under: ceremony, photographer, planning, reception | Tags: bloomington, ceremony, Indiana University, silvertree photographics
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
Filed under: ceremony, planning | Tags: bloomington, bride, century suites, deer park, indiana, officiants, outdoor ceremony, wedding, weddings
So, remember how I said we were going to check out Deer Park Manor for a possible ceremony site? We didn’t actually go until Thursday because we had to reschedule, but anyway…. I’ve photographed two weddings there, and while the grounds are gorgeous and the mansion is beautiful, it is NOT worth the price they charge. No way, no how. We knew how much it was going into it, but we wanted to have a look anyway. It’s just not for us. So we went by another possible location today. There is a gazebo at Century Suites here in Bloomington, and they do weddings, so we checked it out. Ehhh…. I mean, it’s pretty and all, but not enough privacy. Two busy streets are just feet away. The price was MUCH better, but we just weren’t feeling like this was where we want to get married.
So we’re running out of ideas for outdoor locations.
There is another one to check out, but after that, we’re just going to have to drive around looking for a place. This can’t be that hard! Come on! It’s Bloomington! There are so many beautiful places here!
We just have to get ceremony & reception sites & officiant out of the way.
The one-year mark is coming up! Less than two weeks away! I’d like to get those things squared away by then so we can relax
If anyone anywhere has ANY ideas for outdoor ceremony locations in Bloomington, Indiana (besides campus) PLEEEEASE let me know!!!
Jenny
The Bride
