May 31, 2009

Wedding Playlists: The Big Events

This is the second part in a series of posts on the music played at our wedding. Links go to YouTube or online music players, so you can listen to the songs.

1. Jurassic Park Theme | John Williams
Seating of ushers and grandparents
2. Theme from Star Trek: The Next Generation | Jerry Goldsmith
Wedding party and groom's processional
3. Theme from Star Trek: Voyager | Jerry Goldsmith
Bride's processional
4. I Love You Baby | Brak
Recessional
5. I Think We're Alone Now | Tiffany
Start of yichud
Originally performed by Tommy James & the Shondells
6. Rebel Alliance Theme | John Williams
Our entrance and announcement as husband & wife
7. I'll Stand by You | The Pretenders
Our first dance
8. To Sir, with Love | Al Green
Father-daughter dance
Originally performed by Lulu
9. Mama Tried | Grateful Dead
Mother-son dance
Originally performed by Merle Haggard
10. Sugar Sugar | Wilson Pickett
Cake cutting
Orig. performed by The Archies
11. Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon | Urge Overkill
Bouquet toss
Orig. performed by Neil Diamond
12. Highway to the Danger Zone | Kenny Loggins
Garter toss
13. Time after Time | Paul Anka
Last song
Orig. performed by Cyndi Lauper

-- Sarah

May 21, 2009

Vendor Reviews: The Best of the Rest

This is the final part in a series reviewing all the amazing people and businesses that made our wedding happen. The businesses below contributed to everything that hasn't been previously mentioned. The order is alphabetical. No rankings, solid As for everyone.



AJFF
Justin met the two amazing women (Wendy and Meredith) who finalized our invitation through the AJFF.

aJudaica
Source for our kiddush cup (seen here).

Austin Flower Company
Source for all of the flowers and greenery used in the bouquets, corsages, and boutionnieres.

Christine Renee
Source for our sweet button favors.

Craiglist
Source for the bamboo for our chuppah.

eParty Unlimited
Source for our sparklers.

FedEx Office
Where he had our invitation printed.

Garden Ridge and Lowe's
Source for more chuppah supplies.

GreenerPrinter
Where we had our save the date postcards printed.

Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, and Michael's
Source for tons of DIY materials and decorations.

IKEA
Source for most of the centerpiece items and various decorations.

MP Artworks
Source for our incredible ketubah.

Of the Earth
Source for our program covers.

Posta Bella Stationary
The owner and artist created our save the date layouts and did the initial designs for the invitations.

R Frantz Design
Source for our cute guest "book" (seen here).

Shoal Creek Nursery
Source for our centerpiece herbs.

Twisted Limb Paperworks
Source for our original guestbook. We decided not to use it but still highly recommend Twisted Limb!

Uline Shipping Supply Specialists
Source for the silver mailing tubes used for our invitations.

United States Postal Service
Source for all our mailing needs.

Thank you and good night!

-- Sarah

Vendor Reviews: Fashion & Grooming

This is the third in a series reviewing all the amazing people and businesses that made our wedding happen. The businesses below contributed to our wardrobe and stylish good looks. The order is alphabetical. No rankings, solid As for everyone.



Ace Custom Tailors
Where I had both my dresses altered.

American Apparel
Source for Justin's undergarmets and the dogs' collars and leashes.

Banana Republic
Source for Justin's shirt and socks.

Converse
Source for Justin, Dan, and Jack's custom Chucks. Thanks to everyone who wore a pair to the wedding!

Cyberoptix Tie Lab
Eco-friendly source for Justin, Jesse, and Dan's cool wind turbine ties.

Ebay
Source for a lot of accessories (seen here), plus part of Justin's suit and my reception dress. Most importantly, we found my lovely dress here at a bargain price. Much thanks to Ana, the Queen of Ebay.

Eco Clean
Where Justin's suit and my dress were pressed.

Embellish Nails and Boutique
Source for our great manis and pedis, plus a relaxing facial for me. (Check them out - they gave me the best manicure I've ever had. It lasted all through Italy.)

The Gap and Old Navy
Original source for my reception dress, plus various odds and ends.

J.Crew
Original source for my wedding dress and Justin's suit.

Jose Luis Salon: A+
I lied when I said no ranking because I was beyond thrilled with the amazing and hard work that Blaine and Theresa respectively put into my fantastic hair and make-up. They deserve extra special thanks for their artistry and sweetness. The entire Jose Luis staff was very friendly, and I plain to make it my regular salon. I also have to give thanks to Justin's generous uncle and aunt who covered my hair costs.

Keyka Lou
Source for my adorable blue clutch (seen here).

Kruger's Diamond Jewelers: A+
Extra rankings for Kruger's, as well. David Kruger took the time to help me custom design my engagement ring (seen here), and he treated us with the utmost respect and friendliness. The entire staff was helpful and went out of their way to allow Justin to pick up my ring after hours as a surprise to me. We also purchased Justin's amazing tungsten carbide band from them. Highly recommended.

Plonka by Dalinda
Source for the also adorable clutch I got Palmer.

Roosters Men's Grooming
Where Justin and his boys went for their shaves and haircuts the morning of.

Urban Outfitters
Source for my lovely gray heels.

Groomingdale's of Austin
Source for our dogs' stylish looks. Bonus points for them for understanding JRTs.

-- Sarah

Vendor Reviews: The Key Players

This is the second in a series reviewing all the amazing people and businesses that made our wedding happen. The businesses below contributed the most work to the ceremony and reception. The order is alphabetical.



Arol J. Horkovy Photography: A+
Booking Arol was one of the first decisions we made in the planning process, and we haven't regretted it. He has been nothing but nice, communicative, and professional. He did a great job with our engagement photos, which is no mean feat considering I was wacked out on painkillers that day due to sinus troubles. He and his assistant did an amazing job with our wedding photos, and we got a lot of fantastic work out of them for a bargain price.


Austin Outhouse: B+
Our preliminary dealings with Austin Outhouse went smoothly, but the day-of delivery was rough. They were almost 12 hours behind in delivering the outhouse, so that we were all at the rehearsal dinner by the time it arrived. Fortunately, they put it on the correct side of the house, and it ended up being an necessity for the reception. We're glad we made the decision to get one and that Austin Outhouse offers green toilets, which helped us keep our wedding environmentally-friendly.

Austin Party Central: A
APC had excellent customer service. They easily answered our questions and even offered us extra ways to save money, including working closely with our caterer. They have a wide selection of products and a very informative and user-friendly website. We had no problems with their delivery service.


Clean Air Limos: A
We were thrilled to learn Austin has such a service, which fit in with our eco wedding theme. The driver showed up well before the expected time and provided excellent service. When our limo didn't have the sparkling water we had requested, he voluntarily stopped and bought some for us. He also took us on the scenic route to our hotel downtown, which extended the moment when Justin and I got to relax together after all the chaos.

Coco Paloma Desserts: A+
Paloma not only made us a beautiful cake, she did so with organic and local ingredients, in keeping with our green wedding. The rosemary used came from her own garden! She also worked out a great deal with Justin's generous uncle and aunt, who covered the cost of the cake.

Junior's Wine & Beer: A
Junior's was a great resource for the 2 kegs we had at our reception. It's just a shame we couldn't send them back empty. :/

Pink Avocado Catering: A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We cannot sing the praises of PAC enough! They gave us a great deal, created amazing dishes, and provided phenomenal service. One of Justin's big goals for the wedding was to have memorable wedding food, and PAC went above and beyond that goal. We got more compliments on the food than anything else, and we're still always wishing we had some of our wedding buffet. Brent and his staff took great direction and were quick to help with anything. We got great feedback on their eagerness and friendliness, as well, and cannot recommend them enough.

Rabbi Monty Eliasov: A
We found Rabbi Monty simply through an online search, which can always be iffy, but he turned out to be an excellent pick for leading our ceremony. He was very informative and communicative, sending us emails with details about Jewish wedding traditions and resources. He met with us repeatedly to make sure we understood everything and that we were happy with it. The ceremony he wrote for us was incredibly beautiful, moving, simple, and sweet. It fit our personalities and wedding day perfectly. The only thing we received more praise on was the food!

Rock N Roll Rentals: A-
All of our sound equipment came from Rock n Roll Rentals, and their staff was very helpful in explaining which products we would need. The only snafu came with a miscommunication during returns, but it was quickly sorted out with a phone call from Justin.

-- Sarah