Princess Dianna and her Castle

I know you are saying to yourself, "Self? Where is Dianna and why hasn't she updated her blog in a while?" Well I will tell you where I have been. Busy. Busy with school, busy with holiday prep, busy with work, and busy with wedding venue discussions. But after careful consideration and negotiation, we have finally set the venue and the date, officially! The deposit is paid and the papers are signed. And we are getting married in a castle.

Now its not a real British castle by any means, royalty do not live here. But it is called Oheka Castle and it looks like what I think a real castle would look like, so that's what we will call it. For info and pictures, click here.

The date is September 3, 2012 (Apologies to my cousin Lindsay for taking this very important date of her birth for my wedding but it had to be done.) We chose Labor Day so as to give everyone traveling an extra day. I am very excited about this venue and I will keep you informed of the next phase of wedding planning - flowers, music, food, etc. The food is supposed to be really good so I am looking forward to our tasting, which we won't be doing until about a month before the wedding, but still....

Yes, still looking

The great venue search continues.

When one has too many options that one likes, one tends to not be able to make up one's mind. There are three places that we are smitten with and each one has a different pros/cons list. We are very serious about our venue selection. I never thought I would be the kind of girl who agonizes over where she will get married. But then you dangle a bunch of beautiful mansions in front of my face and all of a sudden I'm "one of those brides."

Oheka Castle is a front runner by far. I mean, hello, its a castle! What girl doesn't want to get married princess-style? The beautiful gardens, fancy ballroom and winding staircase, not to mention it is the highest point on Long Island so there's that.

Then we have The Woodlands, a gold coast mansion that is located about 5 minutes from where I work and most people don't even know its there. It is settled on a golf course and it has the most beautiful interior design, some of the most perfect places for wedding photos. We love the outdoor ceremony area and the reception room is very unique.

And lastly, there is Bourne Mansion. This is another gorgeous mansion with beautiful interior decor and unique rooms to hold cocktail hour. It also has the most spectacular views of the water. The outdoor ceremony would be over looking a large lawn and the water.

So that is where we stand at this moment. Time to flip a coin? Maybe.

A bride can change her mind, can't she?

I have been doing some thinking lately. I know, I know, this seems like a dangerous thing to do, especially since we just decided on our venue. But, there I was, giving it some more thought as we perused the contract that was sent to us. Is this going to cost too much money. Is this venue too far away? Do we really want to host a wedding for an entire weekend? Is this the best place for us?

All these questions came up as the contract sat staring up at us. And of course my love for anything wedding television hasn't helped the situation either. After a particular episode of Say Yes to the Dress, where a wedding takes place at Oheka Castle, I start to think that maybe there are other options out there. I was so focused on the idea of a wedding by the water, which I still love, that I wasn't being flexible. But now I think I can be flexible. I mean, I can get married at a castle or a mansion. No need to be picky.

So over the weekend Graig and I took a tour of the Vanderbilt Mansion. As we walked around the grounds of this beautiful mansion, with views of the water, we fell in love with the open air courtyard for the ceremony and reception. With the cobblestone ground, the arched doorways and the outdoor staircases, it has an almost Spanish-style feel to it. The reflecting pool and fountain would be perfect for the cocktail hour. This could definitely be an option.

It's a date!

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything about the Dianna and Graig wedding event extravaganza. There has been a lot of traveling ~ Paris, Los Angeles ~ and the wedding plans were put on the back burner. But I am back and focused and ready to tell everyone the news! A date and place has been set! Next step, pay the deposit. So not the fun part.

For anyone interested, the date is September 1, 2012. Yes it's a long ways away. I am an anticipation girl, I want to prolong the party planning experience as long as I possibly can. And this date fits into our time frame of future life plans. The wedding will be held at an estate owned by Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue on the North Fork of Long Island. So all our California friends, get ready to travel.


This place is beautiful. (See entry from July 28, 2010 for pictures.) It has a huge yard and we are renting a big, beautiful tent for the reception area. The ceremony will be overlooking the water at sunset and cocktail hour will be held under the trees, weather permitting. And from here on out, I am sending positive vibes to the universe and we will just assume the weather will be fabulous, so no need to worry.

Now is when it becomes a reality, having a location to picture how everything will look. I am still trying to find my colors. I haven't received any suggestions so this is a second plea for help. I know some of you must be fabulous with color combinations so let's hear them! I am currently taking an interior design class and I may have to bust out the color wheel to figure this one out. So far I like purple (anyone surprised? I didn't think so.) I need to find another color that will go with it. Green? This was Graig's suggestion. Teal? I love this color too. Black? Red?

Graig and I have also been in contact with a few caterers and we will hopefully be meeting with them for tastings soon. Sampling food and cake will definitely be a highlight in wedding planning!

Picking out Colors

There really is a lot involved in planning a wedding. Here I was innocently thinking that today was just going to be about finding the tent in which our reception will be hosted and then I realize I need to pick out place settings and silverware! What?!?! I never pay attention to the plates, forks or wine goblets that I use while at weddings so why do I care what will be at my wedding? Well, I guess that just comes with the territory. So Graig and I discussed tents and then we discussed napkins. And round tables versus square tables. And round plates versus square plates. And tablecloths....white or maybe another shade of white. For someone who usually likes details these details are pretty tedious to me. But all in the day's work for a couple planning the most rocking party of their lives...

So after all this was discussed, we left, with me in slight panic mode about the wedding colors. Anyone have any thoughts? This is the part of the blog where I will take suggestions. Please leave your comments after the blog. Then we decided to visit some of the area hotels to get a price quote for a block of rooms. There is a really cool hotel that just opened up called the Hotel Indigo. It is kind of like a rustic lodge meets a swanky W lounge and throw in a bit of hip retro style for good measure. We liked this hotel, but not the prices so much. There is also a Holiday Inn, so we can compare and save. I don't want you, my awesome guests, to spend your life savings to come to my wedding. :)

As if this wasn't enough preparation, I have been in contact with a caterer and there are some very fun food prospects on the horizon. I won't spoil the surprise by telling you now, but be ready for some yumminess! All in all, this initial planning has been fun. We still have not officially signed anything with the venue we love, but once we do, I will tell you all about it!

Now I am off to Paris for some fun in the rain, some U2 and some Eiffel Tower time. But that is for another blog.

I dream of a wedding...

Engaged and married women have warned me that this would happen. I figured this would be a good thing, retrieving ideas from my subconscious and perhaps having a sense of security and being content with what was happening. I couldn't have been more wrong.

My first wedding dream happend last night. It started off good enough - it was the big day and I was on my way out the door, ready to go. But there I was, a blushing bride and all by myself. How could I be alone? Where were my bridesmaids? Where was my mom? Well, at this point I was still in high spirits, packing a bag for the occassion. Make-up? Check. Shoes? Check. Other stuff I don't quite remember? Check. And off I go, in my flrty car, to whereever it was I was getting married. I get there and I start getting ready. This is the point when all my bridesmaids show up. Some are my very best besties and some I don't even recognize. Whatever, they are here.

So now I am realizing that I left my wedding dress at home. What?!?! So I send one bridesmaid to go get it. It is only after she leaves that I realize I left something else just as important, details are foggy now. I send a second bridesmaid to the store to buy a new said item. I am needing things right and left. Then there is the cake. Apparently I was supposed to bring that too but I don't think I even had one. So I had to order a cake the day of the wedding! Can this really happen?

On top of all this stress, I am feeling foggy, as if I have been drugged. There are points in the dream where I don't even realize what is going on. Girls are running everywhere, doing my hair, helping me get dressed into the under-dress garmants (I don't have nylons? Someone please go get me nylons and make sure they are this specific color or else!!!)

Thinking about it now, I can't ever remember dreaming about my wedding day before I got engaged. So should I assume that anything I was worried about in the dream, I am or will be worried about in real life? I guess I should make sure I pick the cake up a day in advance just in case then.

Wedding Weekend Extravaganza

I was lucky enough to be invited to not one, but two weddings this past weekend! Two very good friends of Graig's got married in the same weekend and it was a must to attend both. Saturday's wedding was in Philadelphia at the Loews Hotel downtown. Beautiful bride, beautiful table centerpieces and a beautiful banquet room with 250-ish guests dancing the night away until 1 am. The music was pumping and we danced and drank and ate all night! It was a great experience to step right into the middle of it all and think, yes, I can see myself doing that at my wedding or, no, that is just not for me.

Sunday's wedding had us leaving Philly and heading for the Bronx. A traditional Catholic/Italian/Portuguese service at a church, followed by eating, drinking and dancing at the Glen Harbor Island Club in New Rochelle. The venue was gorgeous and the food never stopped. The cocktail hour served pretty much every type of food you can think of. I ate so much food, I didn't even visit the desserts, and for those of you who know my sweet tooth, you know how hard this must have been for me.

It was a very educational weekend. Graig and I spent a lot of time in between all the wedding excitement discussing what we loved, liked and could pass on. There is nothing like the real wedding experience to make you think about your own. I am still in love with our potential location and I am excited to officially book it, once we talk to some of the vendors. This should be happening sometime this week. Until next time...

Peconic Bay Estate

Yesterday, Graig and I headed east again to take a look at one last winery for a wedding location. This one was going to be the deciding factor - either we didn't like and went back to square one with Bedell vs Sparkling Pointe or we loved it. Well we loved it! I'm not talking "oh it was nice" loved it. I'm talking "this is the most perfect place in the world" loved it.

The Peconic Bay winery owns a beautiful home in Mattituck that they rent out for events. This place is right on the Long Island Sound and has the most gorgeous views. You can even see Connecticut! The long dirt road that leads from the main road to the estate is surrounded by vineyards. This is really a dream location, vineyards + scenic water views = happiness. The yard is green and sprawling with beautiful landscaping. There is a perfect spot for the ceremony, the cocktail hour and the reception. There is even a little dirt path leading to a set of wooden steps that take you right down to the beach. I think I was in heaven just a little bit.

Searching for the perfect place...

New York or California....that is the big question. Well, the answer to the oh-so-important question, "Dianna, where will the wedding take place?" is....drum roll please...New York. Now my wonderful, beautiful family has an excuse to take a vacation to New York! I know you were all just dying to see Long Island, right? Now, on to the next question...

To beach or to vineyard? I have always wanted to get married on the beach. While doing research on a beautiful beach location to hold my fabulous wedding, I discovered the wineries on the North Fork of the island. You mean to tell me we can say our vows amoungst the grapes in the middle of a vineyard? Sign me up! This sounded picturesque and beautiful, with the grapes and the grass and the sun shining down.

We took a day trip to wine country and checked out a few places. As we stepped into the first winery, I fell in love. Sparkling Pointe was gorgeous, with white walls and hardwood floors and a beautiful contemporary feel. The art work displayed colorful beach and carnival scenes from Rio de Janeiro, where the owner bought his collection. I didn't know what I wanted in my winery before I got there, but I knew now. And Graig felt the same way. Unfortunately our excitement wore off when we realized the main room was just too small for our decent sized guest list to dine and to dance.

The other wineries we saw that day were pretty but nothing like the first one. Our second choice winery of the day had almost everything we wanted - the space, beautiful views and a built in, day-of coordinator in the woman who runs the place. Bedell may be an option, but I have one more place in mind. Stay tuned for details...

SPARKLING POINTE

 

BEDELL

The Proposal

Valentine's Day is so romantic. I never dreamed I would get proposed to on that day yet there I was, standing on the front stoop of our house watching him get down on one knee and ask me to marry him. I think I said of course, instead of yes, but then added the yes on a few seconds later. It's all a blur. Tom and Jen had champagne at the ready and we toasted our future and called our parents. I remember thinking, it's a really good thing I look so cute tonight. The things you remember later...