hi! i'm in tennessee, but my wedding will be in dfw. we want to book the arboretum but can't do so til the end of may, so right now we're twiddling our thumbs! :)
I was just there yesterday for Mother's Day. It is so beautiful, but definitely hard to book. Make sure to stay on top of them, as I've heard that they can sometimes be difficult to work with (although I have no one-on-one experience with them).
I've been emailing every couple of weeks just to keep myself on their radar. I've heard that they can be tough to work with, too, although I think they've got a new rentals coordinator as of several months ago, so hopefully that will help. So far we've had a good experience, but I guess we'll see!
So are the local boards new? I hadn't noticed them before...what a great idea (and a great knot alternative!).
Well, we're already married but I still wanted to chime in... Hydrangea I was so excited to see a bee from this area!
Amysue, have you looked at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens as an alternate site? That's where I had my bridals done and it was so lovely that I'm almost sad we didn't get married there as well.
Here's a few of my bridals to give you an idea of how gorgeous it is. We chose the Japanese Gardens ($3 entry fee) over the free parts because it was a huge contrast... imagine a koi pond, a little pagoda, and lots of flowers and other greenery.
Of course, it's blazing hot here all summer, so I would suggest no earlier than the end of September to do this - then the fall colors would be coming out and the weather wouldn't be so disagreeable to be out in.
howdy! im living dallas, we just set our date in may 09. we are having the ceremony at oak lawn united methodist and the reception at the old red courthouse. we looked at SO many places, really wanted to avoid a "hotel banquet room" reception and havent yet joined a church in the area. we loved the courthouse and its unique layout/history. although the ceremony will be a little more formal and religious, our goal is to have a laid back and unique reception to best portray our personalities. right now, the next thing on our plate is looking for caterers, which is tough, because we're huge foodies and want something that tastes GOOD. right now ive been distracted by making a wedding website... its taking up WAY too much of my time but its so much fun!
hydrangea, thanks for the most earlier about bridal portraits. i saved it for when i do mine! it was a lot of great tips. i am sure you're pictures will turn out fabulous!
agreed - thanks for the bridal portraits post, h. so helpful! and kandace, i haven't checked out FW yet - it's a little far away, but i'll keep it in mind as a back-up. i have a good feeling about the arboretum so far, so i'll keep my fingers crossed about it until have reason to do otherwise. i know it's going to be ridiculously hot, but between that and the barbeque, i intend to give all our Boston guests a real taste of Texas. ;)
for those of you who have booked photographers, can i ask who you're using? i love miss h's and he seems to get great reviews on theknot messageboards as well...
Hi ladies! I'm an NYC/PHX bride, but will be visiting the parents in Dallas over Memorial Day Weekend to shop for the dress (yay!). Can you ladies recommend any "Must Not Miss" bridal boutiques? Thanks!
I got my dress at Blush Couture (www.blushcouture.com). There's also Neimans downtown, Stanley Korshak, Patsy's Bridal, Stardust Celebrations, Warron Baron, Priscilla of Boston, Saks 5th Avenue @ the Galleria.
Those are what I can think of off the top of my head!
amysue - I must have contacted about 50 photographers for pricing, as I wanted someone who I thought did great work in the photojournalistic style, included digital negatives and unlimited time for a great price. I have all of them in a gi-normous spreadsheet if you're interested in seeing them! I ended up going with Leslie Spurlock (lesliespurlock.com) because she provided all of that, e-pics and bridal pics, and a photobooth for a lot less than some of my other favorties, and she's a member of the WPJA, which was a huge plus for me. Also check out wpja.com for a list of DFW photogs, which gives a general price range. I do really like Cesar Perez, Miss Hydrangea's photog, but he was out of my price range.
MrsScaliseToBe - In addition to what Miss Hydrangea posted, I'd recommend Lulu's Bridal Boutique in uptown Dallas. I didn't go anywhere too upscale, but I also visited Mockingbird Bridal (not that great of an experience), Lasting Impressions in Addison, and some other shops outside of the Dallas city limits. I ended up getting my gown at the sweetest place in Cedar Hill called Distinct Elegance (distinct-elegance.com), which allowed me to custom-order my gown (I matched the bodice of one with the silhouette of another's skirt) where other stores carrying the same designer said it was impossible!
t-blaz - I looked at the Old Red too during my venue search and really liked it but ended up going somewhere else in downtown. If I remember correctly, I think they have an approved caterer list, but if they don't, I'd totally recommend Chef Pete Catering & Ice Sculptures - they are so awesome! I originally went with them because I felt they were the only caterer who gave me a solid quote, pluse Chef Pete does great ice sculptures. I orginally thought this was a cheesy idea until I thought of a martini luge - a perfect way to pour our signature martini drinks!
Hello to everyone in the DFW area! I'd love to get to know you locals a little better share our wedding plans and ideas!
posted by Hydrangea 42 posts 6 months agohi! i'm in tennessee, but my wedding will be in dfw. we want to book the arboretum but can't do so til the end of may, so right now we're twiddling our thumbs! :)
posted by amysue 637 posts 6 months agoI was just there yesterday for Mother's Day. It is so beautiful, but definitely hard to book. Make sure to stay on top of them, as I've heard that they can sometimes be difficult to work with (although I have no one-on-one experience with them).
posted by Hydrangea 42 posts 6 months agoI've been emailing every couple of weeks just to keep myself on their radar. I've heard that they can be tough to work with, too, although I think they've got a new rentals coordinator as of several months ago, so hopefully that will help. So far we've had a good experience, but I guess we'll see!
So are the local boards new? I hadn't noticed them before...what a great idea (and a great knot alternative!).
posted by amysue 637 posts 6 months agoYup, it's a new feature they just introduced ... I'm excited about it!
posted by Hydrangea 42 posts 6 months agoWell, we're already married but I still wanted to chime in... Hydrangea I was so excited to see a bee from this area!
Amysue, have you looked at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens as an alternate site? That's where I had my bridals done and it was so lovely that I'm almost sad we didn't get married there as well.
Here's a few of my bridals to give you an idea of how gorgeous it is. We chose the Japanese Gardens ($3 entry fee) over the free parts because it was a huge contrast... imagine a koi pond, a little pagoda, and lots of flowers and other greenery.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/bunnwilliams/Bridal%20portraits/Kandace_051-1.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/bunnwilliams/Bridal%20portraits/Kandace_019.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/bunnwilliams/Bridal%20portraits/Kandace_132.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/bunnwilliams/Bridal%20portraits/Kandace_080.jpg
Of course, it's blazing hot here all summer, so I would suggest no earlier than the end of September to do this - then the fall colors would be coming out and the weather wouldn't be so disagreeable to be out in.
HTH!
posted by kandaceandjason 12 posts 6 months agohowdy! im living dallas, we just set our date in may 09. we are having the ceremony at oak lawn united methodist and the reception at the old red courthouse. we looked at SO many places, really wanted to avoid a "hotel banquet room" reception and havent yet joined a church in the area. we loved the courthouse and its unique layout/history. although the ceremony will be a little more formal and religious, our goal is to have a laid back and unique reception to best portray our personalities. right now, the next thing on our plate is looking for caterers, which is tough, because we're huge foodies and want something that tastes GOOD. right now ive been distracted by making a wedding website... its taking up WAY too much of my time but its so much fun!
hydrangea, thanks for the most earlier about bridal portraits. i saved it for when i do mine! it was a lot of great tips. i am sure you're pictures will turn out fabulous!
posted by t-blaz 15 posts 6 months agoSo excited to meet you guys! It's nice to have some fellow D/FW'ers around the hive!
posted by Hydrangea 42 posts 6 months agoagreed - thanks for the bridal portraits post, h. so helpful! and kandace, i haven't checked out FW yet - it's a little far away, but i'll keep it in mind as a back-up. i have a good feeling about the arboretum so far, so i'll keep my fingers crossed about it until have reason to do otherwise. i know it's going to be ridiculously hot, but between that and the barbeque, i intend to give all our Boston guests a real taste of Texas. ;)
for those of you who have booked photographers, can i ask who you're using? i love miss h's and he seems to get great reviews on theknot messageboards as well...
posted by amysue 637 posts 6 months agoHi ladies! I'm an NYC/PHX bride, but will be visiting the parents in Dallas over Memorial Day Weekend to shop for the dress (yay!). Can you ladies recommend any "Must Not Miss" bridal boutiques? Thanks!
posted by MrsScaliseToBe 4 posts 6 months agoI got my dress at Blush Couture (www.blushcouture.com). There's also Neimans downtown, Stanley Korshak, Patsy's Bridal, Stardust Celebrations, Warron Baron, Priscilla of Boston, Saks 5th Avenue @ the Galleria.
Those are what I can think of off the top of my head!
posted by Hydrangea 42 posts 6 months agoamysue - I must have contacted about 50 photographers for pricing, as I wanted someone who I thought did great work in the photojournalistic style, included digital negatives and unlimited time for a great price. I have all of them in a gi-normous spreadsheet if you're interested in seeing them! I ended up going with Leslie Spurlock (lesliespurlock.com) because she provided all of that, e-pics and bridal pics, and a photobooth for a lot less than some of my other favorties, and she's a member of the WPJA, which was a huge plus for me. Also check out wpja.com for a list of DFW photogs, which gives a general price range. I do really like Cesar Perez, Miss Hydrangea's photog, but he was out of my price range.
MrsScaliseToBe - In addition to what Miss Hydrangea posted, I'd recommend Lulu's Bridal Boutique in uptown Dallas. I didn't go anywhere too upscale, but I also visited Mockingbird Bridal (not that great of an experience), Lasting Impressions in Addison, and some other shops outside of the Dallas city limits. I ended up getting my gown at the sweetest place in Cedar Hill called Distinct Elegance (distinct-elegance.com), which allowed me to custom-order my gown (I matched the bodice of one with the silhouette of another's skirt) where other stores carrying the same designer said it was impossible!
t-blaz - I looked at the Old Red too during my venue search and really liked it but ended up going somewhere else in downtown. If I remember correctly, I think they have an approved caterer list, but if they don't, I'd totally recommend Chef Pete Catering & Ice Sculptures - they are so awesome! I originally went with them because I felt they were the only caterer who gave me a solid quote, pluse Chef Pete does great ice sculptures. I orginally thought this was a cheesy idea until I thought of a martini luge - a perfect way to pour our signature martini drinks!
posted by laurag 14 posts 6 months ago