06.30.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 8:00 pm by Bride
This is my last post as the June Bride of the Month. 
I’ve actually really made progress this month in the planning of my wedding, which I feel good about. I went to my friend’s wedding last Friday, and it was beautiful. It did, however, show me how many little things I still have to do. I have 5 more weddings to attend before my own, so I look forward to getting more ideas. It’s a bit unsettling at the same time–knowing I have lots to do in the next 5-6 months. Today I was looking up honeymoon packages. Holy Moly! There are some really nice places to go, but the prices are all doubled around Christmas. Looks like I will be visiting Expedia and Cheaptickets frequently in the upcoming weeks.
Anyhow, good luck to all you other brides out there. I totally know how you feel: excited, overhwelmed, (broke), and excited. I wish I could come back on in December and tell you how it all went… I cannot wait!
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06.25.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 9:27 am by Bride
I would just like to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by the kindness and helpfulness of some of the vendors that Adam and I are using for our wedding day. There have been a few that we are not as impressed with (mostly due to difficulty in communication), but are using nonetheless… but this isn’t a blog for bashing.
Brooke’s Bridal in West Chester has been SUPER. I tried on dresses and liked a lot, but ended up finding “the one” at Bridal and Formal in Reading (Bridal District in Cincy). I did, however, go back and select my bridesmaid dresses from them. I can’t wait to see them when they come in. The girls there are always positive and ready to help. I highly recommend them to everyone.
Our photographer, Galen Mitchell (Germantown, Oh) is also wonderful. I really suggest checking out his website (galenmitchell.com) because you’ll see quality pictures and even listen to good music. He is flexible and offers really great packages.
Our reception is going to be at the American Packard Museum. It is SUCH a neat place, and I don’t even like cars all that much. Donna has been great at letting us come in and see some other events set up. She also met with us 3 different times to show us the rooms. It’s a little more expensive then we originally wanted for a venue, but it’s worth it. Plus we will get to ride off from the church in an antique Packard Limo. Pretty neat stuff!
Only a few days left to be Bride of the Month… boo.
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06.20.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 9:25 am by Bride
SIX MONTHS TO GO!
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06.19.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 10:48 am by Bride
Adam and I decided to wait on the whole house-buying thing. For a while we were trying to plan a wedding AND buy a house, and it wasn’t pretty. We were pretty close to buying, too (one week from closing). I think we both were getting way in over our heads, and really we didn’t HAVE to do it all. I feel so relieved that we are putting house-buying on hold.
We met with a 3rd photographer on Tuesday, and he is the one for us. I love his pictures, I love his website, and most of all, I love his prices! I also went to the Flowerman yesterday. Trying to decide on a color for my bouquet was MUCH harder than I ever imagined. First I thought I wanted a red bouquet, and then I wanted ivory. I know ivory doesn’t “pop” as much in pictures, but they are so gorgeous! I decided on ivory for everyone, including me. Mine will just be the biggest! 
Our Save-the-Date postcards came in the mail the other day, which is exciting. Now I just need to figure out how to get all the addresses collected…
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06.10.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 11:13 am by Bride
So I’m right in the middle of planning… and it is stressful-I’m not going to lie. I feel like everytime I check something off my list, 5 more things are added to my list. Here are the things checked off:
Date/time (check)
Church (check)
Reception Site (check)
Caterer (check)
Dress (check)
Save the Date cards (check)
Wedding Party (check)
DJ (check)
Idea for Invitation–samples in the mail (check)
Just typing that list made me think of about ten more things I need to do that I hadn’t thought of before! Eeek!
There HAVE been a lot of people helping, which has been lovely. Surprisingly Adam is great at all this. He makes calls and goes to appointments with me. I know he gets a little overwhelmed when it’s the only thing I talk about, but it IS kind of important (right?). My mom has been really good at helping with invitations and dress shopping, too. She’s even taking on some of the phone calling and price-seeking. Thanks mom! The bridesmaids have tried on dresses, and now it’s up to me to make a final choice. Adam’s mom is getting a photo slideshow made, which I know will be awesome. Okay, I just thought of 3 more things to add to the list…
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06.03.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 9:52 am by Bride
Hello all! I’m not sure who will read this… I know I happened upon this website right when I got engaged and all I could think about was getting into the planning of everything. I’m super excited to be your June Bride of the Month! I thought I’d start the blogging process with a little background.
I am from Vandalia, which is just north of Dayton. I went to OU for a year before transferring to Bowling Green State University. I lived with some friends one summer on a street called Burrwood. So did Adam. He’s from Belle Center, Ohio, which is just north of Bellefontaine. We really didn’t know each other very well–we both drove Civics–and that was about the extent of our relationship. However, several years later we reconnected through instant messenger (lame, I know) and started dating officially on December 20, 2005.
Fast forward 2 1/2 years.
I’m a 6th grade teacher in Monroe, Ohio (think Trader’s World and Big Jesus). It was Friday, and at school we were having a reward party for the 3rd Quarter. I was in the middle of passing out pizza to 30 kids in my chaotic classroom when my principal walked in. She was walking around talking to the kids–just kind of hanging out. While she’s talking to the kids, my phone rings. It was my neighboring teacher, and friend, Ashlie, asking for me to send some kids down that were missing work. I sent them down, not thinking anything of it.
A few minutes went by, and a student (one of the “missing work” kids) walked in and handed me a printed out paper with my name in big cursivey writing. It didn’t say “Miss Perilman” though. It said “JULIE,” so I was really confused. I could see Ashlie out in the hall, so I figured she and the kids were getting ready to play a prank on me. Then another student walked in and handed me another paper. It said “WILL.” Then another student walked in with a paper that said, “YOU.” By then, I was catching on and was REALLY surprised. I have always joked with Adam and he can’t surprise me, and this was really catching me off-guard.
The last two kids walked in and handed me papers that say “MARRY” and “ME?” and it was then that I realized that my room was very small. I looked around and could see that my kids had gone from about 30 to 100… and it wasn’t just my principal, but my assistant principal, the other 6th grade teachers, and the communications director (snapping pictures like the paparazzi).
Then Adam walked in with flowers, looking very nervous, but happy. From what I understand (and hardly remember), the kids were all clapping and Adam said, “I haven’t even asked her!” Then he got down on one knee and told me he’d known since our first date that he’d never date another girl. Then he pulled out the most be-a-u-tiful ring and asked me to be his wife.
Needless to say, I said yes and we were showered with applause. I have never felt so happy and loved in my life. Having my students, my coworkers, and some of my friends witness such an intimate moments with me was really special, too. The students were really sweet, all of them giving their best wishes and remarking that it was something they’d never forget.
Here’s the kicker, though. Later that evening, Adam’s aunt called to say congrats, and to tell us to check our email. Below is a portion of an email that she forwarded to us. It was written 6 days after our first date…
“Hope Santa treated everyone well in Wapak. I am going to Dayton today to spend time with future Mrs. Adam Conley…hold off on sharing that with anyone, but come two-and-a-half years from now, reference this e-mail and read it at my reception. Call it a hunch, but she is the female version of Adam, more attractive however and a 6th grade reading teacher. Oh, the details.”
Well, he called it, didn’t he?
I will fill you in on all the crazy details of our planning in the next posting. Enjoy!!
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05.30.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 10:35 am by Bride
Well this is to be my last blog. Today Brian and I are heading to OH/WV/PA for one my friends (and bridesmaids) wedding! This is our first wedding to attend as an engaged couple. I am really looking forward to getting inspired by new ideas. This also means that Brian will get an earful of, “Oh we should do that!” which I am sure by Sunday will start to wear him out.
I decided that I didn’t need to go to David’s Bridal to look at my bridesmaids dresses. Maybe that’s crazy, but maybe it’s crazy to actually feel the need to do that. I called DB and talked to one of the girls there. She said they’re all the same dress and all the same color. I asked, They’re all Clover, right? She said yes. Good enough for me!
I sent my mum an insane list of action items for her to help me with. She knocked out 8 things in one afternoon. I was so impressed. She called photographers, DJs, and even got a couple of names of some officiants. Big help. It also calms me down a little bit, because it eases the stress!
I’ve really had a fun time writing this blog this month. I hope you readers (or maybe reader?) have also had fun reading my rants! For other brides-to-be, I wish you luck in your planning process. For my family and friends, I wish you luck dealing with me as the calendar pages start falling away and we approach April 4!
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05.27.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 9:04 pm by Bride
Well my blogging time is coming to the end. This is the last week for me to share my stories of wedding planning bliss and blisters!
My girls’ bridesmaids dresses just got in. I got the call from David’s Bridal tonight. I am supposed to decide if I want to go into the store to look at the dresses to make sure that they turned out alright. I wish the DB’s girl never even asked that. If she hadn’t, it wouldn’t have come close to crossing my mind. But now that it is in my mind, I feel like I have to just to make sure that the dresses are in fact Clover and not bright blue. So I am going to add this to my list. Make another trip to DBs. I wonder if I could take my wedding dress with me and try it on while I was there. That would sooo make the trip worth it!
I’ve also been seriously looking into DJs. I’ve decided I will have to choose the DJs based on references (and probably price). So I am compiling a list that I can call and ask for a couple of references and hopefully those references will have good reviews! The photographers are pretty much at a standstill. My mum has an appointment with one of them on Thursday to discuss wedding packages pricing. It makes me slightly nervous that they needed someone to come into the office to explain costs. Can’t they just keep it simple?!? We’ll see what kind of good information she comes out with.
Well I plan to post one more blog before June happens upon us so don’t start saying sayonara yet!
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05.23.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 9:26 am by Bride
Remember when I was telling you about subscribing to the bridal magazines? There was a deal to get a wedding planner after you’ve paid. I considered this an added bonus. I didn’t really need one because the store Brian had bought my ring from gave him one, which then turned into mine once we got engaged. But still getting something free is always fun.
So I had been waiting for this wedding planner (not nearly as anxiously as I wait for the actual magazines though). When I would go to check the mail, I would look for a key in the mailbox indicating that we had a package too large for our normal mailbox. It was never there. I started to open this envelope that I thought was just junk mail since that’s what most of my mail is. Well, inside this business letter-sized envelope was the wedding planner. I pulled out this “wedding planner.” This was the smallest wedding planner that I’ve ever seen. I thought that it was going to be like a small binder. Oh no. This thing was about a millimeter think and about the size of a credit card. I immediately started laughing when I saw this thing. How ridiculous! The subscription postcard that gets mailed back in had a picture of this thing. It probably said Actual Size underneath it too, but who reads the fine print?
I opened this little wedding planner. It’s one of those things where there’s one long piece of paper accordion-ed up between the two ends. On the different folds of the paper, there’s different headings such as Bridesmaids Info, Groommen’s Info, etc. You could barely write a name and phone number in this thing, the planner is so small. Oh well. I showed Brian my little wedding planner. He also thought that it was ridiculous, “What are you going to do with that??” he asked me. I replied, “I’m not really sure; it’s pretty much useless, but at the very least it may be blogging material.”
Actual wedding details update: I’ve been getting prices from a lot of different DJs. Also, I’ve contacted another photographer for information. Brian and I also looked at another set of online proofs this week. Now we’ve looked at two and are starting to compare them. There are, of course, pluses and minuses about both of them. Now we need a third one, I think.
Have a happy Memorial Day weekend. I think I should have another blog sometime this weekend!!
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05.20.08
Posted in Bridal Blog at 7:29 pm by Bride
Today I can tell you about my venue. It was a little stressful to find the right place at first. I was raised Catholic, and I think my mum was envisioning a wedding in the Catholic Church. Well being a non-practicing Catholic and having the wedding during Lent sort of put a wrench in her plans. But for Brian and me, it doesn’t really make a difference if our ceremony is in a church or not.
So I set out to find venues that have the capability to host wedding ceremonies. At first this was not an easy task. The first type of venue that comes to mind for a ceremony once you rule out a church is an outside location. I found quite a few of outside locations that would be nice for a wedding ceremony. After showing a few of these to Brian, he noticed a theme and asked, “Do we really have to get married in front of a corn field?” He was right, all of the places I was finding were farms or at least had corn fields in the background. So eliminating farms from the possible venue locations definitely helped to cut down the list. It also almost eliminated the idea of an outdoors wedding. (In retrospect, it will probably be too chilly in April to get married outside so this was also a good elimination). And I also started focusing on venues where both the ceremony and reception could be held.
Then from a recommendation of a friend, we found the Dayton Masonic Center. We had felt fairly sure that this was the place after we went to look at it back in March. There was a little bit of a hold up though. Once I got the contract in the mail, I read that we had to have event liability (wedding) insurance which I didn’t have. Well, I got that insurance policy yesterday and signed the contract and put it in the mail! I am really excited about this venue. It’s so unique, and I love the convenience of having the ceremony and reception at the same place.
Now that I have that taken care of, I can turn my energy towards finding an officiant, selecting a photographer, and looking at DJs!
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